Library Associate – Community Engagement

Organization
Roedde House Museum

Address
1415 Barclay Street
Vancouver, British Columbia V6G 1J6
Canada
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Supervising Librarian/Archivist
Name: Ada Alster

Purpose of the project:

Reporting to the museum curator and manager, this project focuses on improving the intellectual and physical control of the museum’s archival and object collections. The student will support ongoing collections management work, including the digitization of accession documentation (i.e., creating digital copies of physical records for secure storage and access), documentation, appraisal, and donor relations, while adhering to museum and archival standards.

Summary of activities required to carry out the project:

• Digitize accession documentation, including accession forms, deeds of gift, and loan agreements
• Review accession registers year by year to identify gaps, inconsistencies, or missing documentation
• Assist in building and maintaining donor relations by contacting donors regarding loans, unsigned paperwork, and any clarifications needed on donations regarding their provenance or otherwise
• Begin adding lot documentation into Collective Access to support the management of gifts and loans within the collections management system (CMS), including attaching deeds of gift/loan documentation and creating or updating entity records
• Update and/or create collections management checklists for consistent recordkeeping
• Assist with reviewing and updating collections policies, particularly accession and deaccession policies
• Support collections appraisal activities and contribute to deaccession decision-making processes
• Assist with carrying out deaccession procedures, including donor communication, transfers to other institutions, or responsible disposal in accordance with RHM’s policy
• Assist with other collection management tasks as needed

Expectations of the end result of the project, for both host and student:

For the Student:

• Gain hands-on experience with collections management systems such as Collective Access
• Develop skills in archival appraisal, acquisition, and deaccessioning practices
• Build experience in donor relations and professional communication within a museum context
• Strengthen understanding of collections policy development and implementation

For the Host:

• Improved organization and accessibility of accession documentation through digitization
• Increased accuracy and completeness of accession records
• Enhanced donor communication and strengthened institutional relationships
• Progress toward updated and standardized collections policies
• Better intellectual and physical control over collections, including clearer pathways for making deaccessioning decisions

Time periods in which the project could be supervised:

• Summer Session, Term 1 (May – June)
• Summer Session, Term 2 (July – August)

Is there a deadline by which the project must be completed?

No deadline.

Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis