Special Collections & Archives Reading Room Assistant

Job Description: Are you passionate about history, preservation, and research? Join our team as a Special Collections & Archives Assistant! This role offers a unique opportunity to work with rare and valuable materials, contributing to the preservation and accessibility of our institution's special collections. This role facilitates researcher access to the Special Collections & Archives Reading Room while maintaining the security and safety of the collections. You will also be tasked with retrieving and organizing materials for researchers and staff and perform reference desk duties as required. This position is supervised by the Head of Special Collections & Archives and works closely with the whole SC&A team. 

Requirements:  

Ability to work within the following hours: 

Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm 

Sunday, 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Provide research assistance to students, faculty, and external researchers.
• Perform reading room desk duty and ensure researchers’ proper handling of rare and reference materials.
• Assist researchers with sign-in and research questions.
• Track circulation and record statistics of materials and maintain Reading Room shelves by participating in shifting and other stack maintenance projects.
• Assist in the organization, cataloging, and preservation of special collections and archival materials.
• Help maintain the archives' database and ensure accurate records.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Head of Special Collections and Archives.

Qualifications: 

• Currently enrolled as a student at Texas State University and qualified for work-study.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Interest in history, archives, or library science.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Basic computer skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Benefits: 

• Gain hands-on experience in archival practices and special collections management.
• Opportunity to work with unique and historically significant materials.
• Enhance your research and organizational skills.

Start Date, Pay Rate: & Employee Evaluation: This position will begin on February 3, 2025 and continue throughout the duration of the spring semester. The hourly wage will be $12-14/hour depending on experience. This position is anticipated to continue for each semester, depending on work study qualifications of student hired. An initial evaluation of employee performance will be conducted by supervisor in May 2025 and will be used to determine if employee can continue in the role. A full evaluation will be conducted at the end of the fall 2025 semester to determine any change in pay rate and continuation in the position.

About University Libraries: Texas State’s University Libraries (UL) provide key services and resources that fuel the success of research and innovation at Texas State University. UL comprises the Alkek Library, the Round Rock Campus Library and the Archives and Research Center. We advance the mission of Texas State University through enrichment of teaching, learning, and the research lifecycle. We empower our communities to learn, create, and discover with our learner-centered services and spaces, access to scholarly resources, unique collections, staff expertise, multi-literacy instruction, and digital scholarship initiatives.