Assistant Registrar/Documentation Specialist [Wellesley College]

Collection Activity:

•Serve as a point of contact for outside lenders, packing and shipping agents, insurance contacts, registrars, preparators, and conservators.

•Prepare loan agreements, arrange crating, packing, transportation, insurance, and customs clearance, book courier schedules (travel, lodging, installation and appointments) and process payment for services.

•Prepare incoming and outgoing receipts and other documentation records; examine, report, and monitor the condition of loans.

•Advise preparators regarding packing/unpacking and handling requirements of loan objects; monitor and maintain care as defined by lenders and in accordance with Davis Museum guidelines.

•Create and maintain loan files and exhibition records, in hard copy and digital form.

•Supervise print study room and student workers.

•Serve as courier for traveling exhibitions as necessary.

Collection Documentation Activity

•Assist with the production and management of object documentation, including images, audio and video; integrate documentation into the collection management system; in consultation with Head Registrar, assess and implement local preferences and selected community-based standards and best practices for description and authority control to ensure information consistency and interchangeability; and verify information before delivery of collections information to other resources.

•Advocate for broader use of the collection management system; maintain user manual, develop and oversee museum-wide training; and assist with reporting.

•Assist in development of web-based collections search systems; serve as contact for technology support of collections information systems to ensure effective use campus-wide and on the web; collaborate in the selection and implementation of metadata schemes for digital asset management; assist in development of web-based collections search systems.

•Supervise production of documentation; oversee and develop procedures for student workers to process publication-quality images, reference images, and other object related media into the collection management system; handle art objects to stage work for documentation.

•Develop and maintain policies for image and media preservation, access, use, and distribution; respond to outside requests to reproduce images and other Museum content.

•Support efforts to obtain rights and licenses for Museum projects; participate in long range planning as it relates to the creation, management, and use of information, digital assets, and other collection-related assets.

Wellesley College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to increasing the diversity of the college community and the curriculum. Candidates who believe they can contribute to that goal are encouraged to apply.

Schedule: 21 hours, full year, benefit eligible position.

Candidates should expect to join the staff of a museum at the center of the intellectual life of a vital undergraduate campus, and to be successful should possess a strong commitment to the unique orientation of the academic museum and to the teaching mission of the Davis. Candidates must be creative and flexible with strong verbal and written communication skills and an ability to work well with a broad spectrum of the Museum community. Excellent problems-solving skills and ability to work in a team-oriented environment are essential; candidates must be collegial, collaborative, and committed to a positive culture.

About the Davis.
One of the oldest and most acclaimed academic fine arts museums in the United States, the Davis Museum is a vital force in the intellectual, pedagogical and social life of Wellesley College. It seeks to create an environment that cultivates visual literacy, inspires new ideas, and fosters involvement with the arts both within the College and the larger community.

The Davis collections, including some 11,000 objects, span global history from antiquity to the present and include masterpieces from almost every continent. Today, the holdings are housed in an extraordinary museum building, designed by Rafael Moneo, winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. In addition to dynamic presentations of the permanent collections, and installations that support specific coursework and research interests, the Davis hosts a rotating series of engaging temporary exhibitions and programs organized to inform, delight, and challenge visitors.