Position Available: The Grace McSpadden Overholser Archival Fellow for African American Studies

The Grace McSpadden Overholser Archival Fellow for African American Studies
(Fixed-Term Appointment)

Available: May 1, 2008

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks a motivated, innovative, collaborative, and knowledgeable individual for the position of The Grace McSpadden Overholser Archival Fellow for African American Studies. This is a post-graduate-degree, time-limited position working with and expanding the African American-related materials at the Southern Historical Collection (SHC) located in the Wilson Library. The Overholser Fellow will work under the supervision of the director of the SHC. The SHC houses distinctive archival collections centered on the history of the American South, and is located in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This specially-funded position is designed as a full-time archival job for an individual planning a career focusing on African American documentation.

Responsibilities

• Survey African American holdings of the SHC, update current online guides, and help with other efforts to make these materials more accessible.
• Participate in discussions with those responsible for African American archival materials elsewhere, especially at HBCUs, to help identify the most useful roles the SHC can play in strengthening efforts to document the African American experience.
• Contribute to other discussions and research aimed at formulating a practical and sustainable African American materials collecting policy for the SHC.
• Work with the director in identifying and acquiring archival materials that document the African American experience in the South.
• Coordinate activities of the SHC with those of the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History at UNC Chapel Hill.

Qualifications

Required: ALA-accredited MLS or a Master's degree in American history or a related field, already received or to be received no later than June 2008. Knowledge of archival standards and best practices; familiarity with methods of scholarly, especially archival, research in the humanities and social sciences, particularly as it relates to African American studies. Strong organizational skills and superior oral and written communication skills. Ability to work with staff, faculty, and students at UNC Chapel Hill and other institutions. Commitment to service and to professional growth and development.

Preferred: Experience in an archival setting; research in African American studies.

The University and The Libraries

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill <http://www.unc.edu/> is the country's oldest state university. UNC-Chapel Hill has an enrollment of approximately 27,000 students, employs more than 3,100 faculty, offers 77 doctoral degrees as well as professional degrees in dentistry, medicine, pharmacy and law, and the Library collections include over 6 million volumes. The Library is a member of the Association of Research Libraries, the Center for Research Libraries, and SOLINET. Together with the Health Sciences and Law libraries at Chapel Hill plus the libraries at Duke University, North Carolina Central University, and North Carolina State University, the members of the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN) provide services and collections to their students, faculty, and staff in support of the education, research, and service missions of the universities.

The Region

The Triangle region <http://triangle.citysearch.com/> is one of the most desirable places to live and work in North America and offers its residents a wide array of recreational, cultural, and intellectual activities. The mountains or the seashore are less than half day's drive from Chapel Hill. The University of North Carolina is an equal opportunity employer and is strongly committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff.

Salary and Benefits

This is a *twelve-month fixed-term appointment, with the possibility of a one year renewal*. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Standard state benefits of annual leave, sick leave, and State or optional retirement plan. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, librarians enjoy the benefit of academic status and are represented on the faculty council.

Deadline for Application

Review of applications will begin on March 3, 2008. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

To Apply: Send a letter of application, a resume and the names, addresses and telephone numbers of three professional references to:

Overholser Archival Fellow
c/o Tiffany Allen, Personnel Librarian
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
CB #3932, 213 Davis Library
Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890
Email: Tiffany_Allen@unc.edu

/An Equal Opportunity Employer/