Please visit Assistant Collections Manager for complete job posting and application instructions.
Reporting to the Senior Director of Collections, the Assistant Collections Manager assists with the overall management, preservation, and accessibility of the collections. The Assistant Collections Manager is a key member of the Collections team, supporting all activities and initiatives of the department and helping to facilitate use of the collections. This position works with all the collections—zoology, earth science, cultural, archives, audiovisual, and library—as well as helping to supervise a strong team of volunteers and interns. A primary responsibility of this position is data management and quality control, overseeing the continued migration of specimen data into our online collections management system, Arctos (http://arctos.database.museum/).
This position is stationed at CAS/PNNM’s off-site collections facility in the Ravenswood neighborhood and conducts work at the Nature Museum in Lincoln Park. Regular schedule is Tuesday through Saturday.
Principle Responsibilities:
- Manage data migration process from Excel inventory spreadsheets into the Arctos collections management system, conducting quality assurance and control throughout data migration. Continue to improve data quality for data already in Arctos.
- Manage the media metadata migration process into Arctos, for media associated with collection objects or collecting events. Oversee concurrent cloud-based media archiving.
- Provide instruction and documentation on using Arctos to CAS/PNNM staff, interns, and volunteers. Contribute to Arctos community documentation when relevant.
- Use SQL and Coldfusion Report Builder to design reports to pull Arctos data for automated creation of labels, forms, and summaries.
- Serve as the primary contact between Arctos’ technical staff and CAS/PNNM; serve as CAS/PNNM’s representative on the Arctos Working Group.
- Ensure that biological specimen data managed in Arctos are available on biodiversity data aggregator sites including GBIF, VertNet, and iDigBio.
- Remain abreast of metadata standards for various disciplines represented in CAS/PNNM collections, including biological (e.g. Darwin Core, Audubon Core, EML) and cultural (e.g. MARC, Dublin Core).
- Provide georeferencing training and supervision to interns and volunteers.
- Document online collections presence, including impact and growth, with quantitative and qualitative metrics.
- Assist with the supervision of a significant volunteer base. Train volunteers on new projects and provide regular review of their work. Work with the Senior Director of Collections to develop new volunteer and intern projects as needed.
- Assist with collections management documentation, preservation improvements, and re-organization of the collections.
- Assist with ongoing maintenance of the collections facility, including integrated pest management and environmental monitoring.
- Assist with grant writing to fund preservation and access projects.
- Collaborate with other Museum staff to use the collections in exhibits and programs.
- Promote the collections through collection tours, social media, programs, exhibits, and institutional events.
Required Education and Experience. Bachelor’s degree with minimum of two years of experience working with museum, library, or archive collections. Master’s degree in museum studies or library and information sciences preferred. Strong knowledge of and experience with current best practices in museum collection management and the ability to apply this knowledge across a broad spectrum of disciplines and materials including zoology, earth science, archives, historic artifacts, art, and photography. Knowledge of best practices in preventive conservation and object handling.
Must have strong digital competence. Strong proficiency with relational databases and digitization software. A willingness to learn new technologies and an ability to troubleshoot technical issues are essential. Experience using SQL, XML, and Windows command-line interface, OpenRefine to clean data, and GitHub for project management is beneficial.
Possess a strong work ethic and ability to set priorities for projects and deadlines. Be highly organized and possess excellent attention to detail. Must have good interpersonal skills and ability to clearly communicate in a professional manner. Applicants must be able to safely lift 25 lbs, climb and work on ladders, and work within 32-inch aisles.
Who We Are. The Chicago Academy of Sciences/Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (CAS/PNNM) has a history of connecting people with nature and science for over 160 years. Originally founded as an institution of scientific discourse and learning between scientists and nature enthusiasts, we continue to build on our legacy of natural history exploration and education at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum through immersive exhibits, critical conservation and research initiatives, public engagement and education programming. Our mission is to create a positive relationship between people and nature through collaborations, education, research and collections, exhibitions and public forums to grow our region’s urban connection to the world of nature and science.
The natural history collections are interdisciplinary and consist of 300,000 specimens and artifacts from zoological and earth science disciplines to cultural heritage items that date from the 1830s to the present. The archives include institutional records, manuscript collections, and an audiovisual collection. The library is focused on the natural sciences and includes monographs and serials. These collections are a resource for research, education, and strengthening our community’s relationship with nature. Find out more at http://www.naturemuseum.org/.
Compensation: This is a full-time, permanent position with benefits. Starting annual salary is $42K.
How To Apply. Please send your resume and cover letter in PDF format, with three references, to: hr-acm2021@naturemuseum.org. No phone calls please. Only qualified candidates will be contacted. First review for this position is August 1, 2021.
The Chicago Academy of Sciences / Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion in all areas of the organization. We strongly encourage applications from people of color and members of underrepresented groups.