Collections Stewardship Assistant
The Collections Stewardship Assistant reports to the Registrar of The Rosenbach (RML). As part of an ongoing project to migrate existing data in RML’s Collections Management System (CMS), PastPerfect 5.0 (PP5.0), to PastPerfect Web Edition (PPWE), the Collections Stewardship Assistant (CSA) will enact the remaining steps necessary for this migration. Once records have been migrated, CSA ensures that all 21,000+ catalog records for objects (including prints, drawings, paintings, furnishings, metals, ceramics, jewelry, vertu, textiles, and photographs) are consistently clean, accurate, and follow best practices for cataloging standards, consulting standard authorities as necessary, and have appropriate images attached. Duties include object photography and/or scanning. In accordance with the Rosenbach’s new DEAI goals for Reparative Cataloging, CSA and Assistant Librarian will apply these new DEAI standards to revise existing catalog descriptions and create new descriptions as required.
The Rosenbach Museum and Library is part of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation which offers a competitive compensation package. We offer the following benefits: flexible work environment, medical, dental, flex and HSA plans, disability & life insurance; Flexible Spending Accounts, retirement 403b, PTO, paid holidays (including floating). We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage Black, Indigenous, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, veterans, and people with disabilities to apply. The organization is committed to building a community that is inclusive and equitable.
Responsibilities:
- Completes any remaining steps for the migration of PastPerfect 5.0 records to PastPerfect Web Edition.
- Ensures consistency across records: Checks each catalog record for accuracy in description; cleans existing records regarding typographical and formatting errors; expands search terms, subjects and names to reflect new DEAI standards; notes records requiring new or updated photography.
- Flags catalog records requiring additional research by staff or subject specialists.
- In coordination with Registrar, provides support for off-site research inquiries, permissions and image requests.
- Produces photographs and/or scanned images weekly for objects requiring original or new photography for the database, coordinating with requests from outside researchers and RML staff.
- Attaches new images to catalog records.
- Generates regular reports of progress to share with Collections staff, RML staff, RML Board, and/or RML Special Collections Committee.
- CSA will attend Collections Department meetings to provide regular updates on progress and report any problems.
- Performs all duties according to “best practices” standards for museums and libraries, with reference to RML policies and procedures, and with the goal of fulfilling RML’s mission and strategic plan.
- CSA will work with Collections Department weekly on general collections stewardship activities including inventory, data entry, and processing as part of the strategic plan.
- All other duties as assigned.
Requirements:
- Strong attention to detail and ability to work with numerous complex numbering systems.
- Experience with PastPerfect 5.0 or other collections management system (CMS).
- Interest in and knowledge of American history, art history, decorative arts, and photography.
- Degree in museum studies, library science, American history, art history, fine/decorative arts, or photography preferred. Coursework and/or work experience in the above are also acceptable.
- Photography skills, with preference for someone with experience taking object photography with a digital non-DSLR camera, such as Nikon Z 50.
- This position involves some periods of standing, squatting, and lifting and carrying equipment and museum objects.
- Familiarity with standard authorities such as Union List of Artists Names (ULAN), Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT), Cultural Objects Name Authority (CONA), Archives for Black Lives (ABL) Anti-Racist Description Resources a plus.
Terms:
This is a full-time, three-year, grant-funded position with extension pending funding. Limited remote work possible by arrangement.
To apply
Email a resume and cover letter to [email protected]
Historic House Cleaner
The Historic House Cleaner has the primary responsibility of ensuring high-quality cleaning of the historic house at the Rosenbach Museum & Library. This is a part-time position averaging approximately 7-10 hours per week, that reports to the Registrar. The Historic House Cleaner will also communicate regularly with The Facilities Superintendent and The Curator and Senior Director of Collections.
Responsibilities
- Weekly general cleaning of the entire historic house (four period rooms, hallways, and three small exhibition galleries):
- Dusting, including furniture, bookcases, exhibition cases, selected lighting fixtures, and non-fragile objects as instructed
- Vacuuming floors in all rooms, hallways, and stairs
- Clean doors, knobs, and railings (high-touch areas)
- More thorough cleaning of any areas in need
Other tasks on a regular cycle:
- Dusting curtains and curtain hardware, window frames and glass
- Dusting door and base trim, wall moldings
- Dusting HVAC grilles
- Washing floors in hallways, exhibition galleries, and period rooms as instructed
- Cleaning entry vestibule of period house; dusting wrought iron gate and cleaning protective acrylic cover as instructed
- Cleaning exterior glass of bookcases in period library as instructed
- All other duties as assigned
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Experience working with historic and/or fragile objects in a museum or domestic setting
- Understanding of cleaning materials and techniques appropriate to preservation of historic materials
- Ability to partner with and receive instruction from museum staff for optimal care of museum objects, observation of security protocols, and interaction with staff and visitors
- Respect for historic environments and historic objects
- Respect for confidentiality of information about the museum’s work, security, and collections
- Ability to recognize signs of pest infestation, damage to historic objects or structures, and movement or absence of museum objects and reporting observations to appropriate staff
COVID-19 Requirements
The Rosenbach Museum & Library requires all employees to be vaccinated unless a religious or medical exemption is submitted. If the exemption is approved, weekly testing and a mask will be required.
Applications
In the spirit of our founders, diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values, essential elements of how we engage with each other as employees, as well as with the audiences we serve. We are committed to building communities that dismantle stereotypes and prejudices, and working toward a more equitable, inclusive, and just world.
The Rosenbach museum and library is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
To apply
Email a resume and cover letter to [email protected]
Marianne Moore Collection Intern
Funding provided by Arts Intern
The Rosenbach’s literary collections include virtually all of the manuscripts and papers of Modernist poet Marianne Moore (1887-1972), as well as her personal library, thousands of photographs, and the contents of her Greenwich village living room, thus making the Rosenbach the undisputed center for the study of this important American writer. The Moore Collection is a unique literary repository, preserving intact a comprehensive record of a writer’s intellectual development. The Rosenbach has become a pilgrimage site for students and lovers of twentieth-century American art and literature, and the Moore papers are the heart of this collection.
In addition to the papers, Moore’s Greenwich Village living room is permanently installed on the third floor of the historic Rosenbach house and is always on view to visitors as part of the Rosenbach house tour. The over 2,500 personal objects from the Moore room, ranging from furniture to figurines to postage stamps have been cataloged and are also a fruitful source of inquiry for interested researchers.
The overall goals of this internship are a systematic inventory and physical numbering of the photographs in the Moore collection; reformatting sections of the Moore Papers Collections Guide (finding aid) to incorporate new series information and cross-references; digitizing selected portions of the collection including poetry manuscripts and a personal notebook; complete the numbering of Marianne Moore books (MML) and create basic Excel records for Moore Library books not in online catalog; and catalog the phonograph records related to Marianne Moore. Through this examination of all sections of the Marianne Moore collection, the intern will gain an understanding of Marianne Moore and her importance as an icon in mid-20th century, and develop a Hands on Tour about Moore as a proto-feminist figure.
Applicants should be interested in poetry, Modernism, material culture, studies of gender and sexuality, and Library Science.
Skills required: must include ability to work with complex numbering systems; ability to work with spreadsheets; attention to detail, and ability to make connections between written content, material culture objects, and historical events.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
• Students must be be pursuing a bachelor’s degree. Summer applicants must be enrolled for Fall 2022.
• Students must either reside or attend college in the same city as the organization that hosts them. These boundaries vary in each of Arts Intern’s eight participating cities.
• Students must have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of less than $5,000. This number is on the Student Aid Report on the FAFSA form. To see what it looks like, click here.
Applying for this internship is a two-step process. Applicants must must complete a brief eligibility survey and upload the required documents .https://studioinstitute.submittable.com/submit/220478/arts-intern-philly-2022
Once this application is reviewed and approved by Studio Institute, applicants forward the confirmation email, along with their resume and a cover letter expressing interest and qualifications in the position to [email protected]. The Rosenbach will make decisions regarding interviewing and hiring.