Kansas State Historical Society is looking for a Government Records Archivist

If you're a well-rounded records professional who enjoys working with all types of records, wants to work with some fantastic people, loves juggling multiple tasks and responsibilities, and lives or wants to live in the Sunflower State, the Kansas State Historical Society may have the job of your dreams. Here's what's involved, according to the detailed position description:

This is specialized, professional archival and records management work with statewide scope and application. The employee assists in developing the strategic direction for the State Archives Division’s public records program. The employee provides advice and assistance on records management and preservation practices; develops records retention and disposition schedules for state and county government agencies; provides technical assistance in planning, coordinating, and evaluating public records program activities; identifies, appraises, acquires, arranges, describes, and preserves Kansas government records (analog and digital) deemed to possess enduring value; assists with workshops and other training activities; utilizes a variety of computer databases; prepares statistics; assists in preparing grant applications; assists in evaluating received grant applications; and participates in strategic planning. The work is of a highly diverse and complex nature characterized by a broad range of activities and frequently changing conditions, situations, problem s, and standards/best practices. The employee must exhibit independent judgment and participate in major program changes or policy decisions. The employee must possess the ability to explain, clarify, and interpret the program’s policies, procedures, and practices to a diverse audience.

Records Management Consulting (Analog and Digital Records)

• Promotes the adoption of records management methods and best practices for state and local government records in all formats in compliance with applicable records laws. 
• Analyzes business processes and workflow s to determine state and local government agency functions and the resulting records series and information systems to develop records retention and disposition schedules. 
• Prepares and revises state and local government retention and disposition schedules and drafts appraisal reports for presentation to the State Records Board. Appraisal assessments require the employee to apply analytical thought and sound judgment to: 
• recommend appropriate retention periods and final dispositions for Kansas public records to meet the legal, fiscal, or administrative requirements of Kansas government agencies; 
• identify public records that possess enduring legal, fiscal, or administrative value to the State of Kansas or its citizens; 
• determine the potential historical value of public records by evaluating gaps in existing State Archives holdings, uniqueness of the information contained in the records, preservation issues and concerns , research trends, and anticipated future use. 
• Assists state government agencies to develop Electronic Recordkeeping Plans detailing strategies for ensuring that long-term electronic records (10+ year retention) are managed and preserved for approved retention periods. 
• Evaluates, monitors, and proposes new or revised state and local government agency recordkeeping practices. 
• Provides assistance to state and local government agencies in interpreting and applying retention and disposition schedules. 
• Coordinates with others to develop enterprise guidelines and best practices for the management of state and local government records in analog and digital form. 
• Produces and presents written, oral, and multimedia training materials and workshops on records and information management policies, procedures, and legal mandates 
• Develops and maintains positive working relationships with state and local government agency staff. 

Public Records Preservation (Analog and Digital Records)

• Develops and implements plans to proactively identify and acquire state government records with enduring value.
• Coordinates the legal and physical transfer of state government records with enduring value to the State Archives. 
• Arranges State Archives holdings in accor dance with professional archival practices. 
• Provides suitable housing and storage for State Ar chives holdings to ensure preservation. 
• Reappraises records in the State Arch ives holdings for possible deaccessioning. 
• Describes the content of State Archives holdings to aid researchers in identifying materials appropriate to their area of inquiry through narrative finding aids and cataloging records that are EAD- (Encoded Archival Description) , DACS- (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), MARC- (Machine Readable Cataloging), and Dublin Core-compliant. This is done through the use of the agency’s collections management software, digital archives system, and other tools. 
• Processes content for the State Archives Kansas Enterprise Electronic Preservation (KEEP) trusted digital repository in accordance with established workflows and metadata standards including: 
• Open Archival Information System (OAIS); 
• Audit and Certification of Trustworthy Digital Repositories; 
• Producer-Archive Interface - Methodology Abstract Standard (PAIMAS) 
• Ensures that new finding aids and other access tools are added to the KSHS website and databases in a timely manner. 
•  Miscellaneous Related Duties
• Serves on intra- and inter-divisional committees, task forces, and teams. 
• Provides staff support to various boards , including the State Records Board and the Electronic Records Committee. 
• Trains, plans and oversees the work of volunteers and interns. 
• Enhances professional knowledge and skills by: 
• studying professional literature in the fields of records management, archives, government, history, information technology, and digital preservation;
• participating in regional and national archives and records management professional organizations;
• attending in in-person and remote professional development training opportunities; 
• Develops and presents new or revised content for the State Archives Division web pages.
• Performs other tasks assigned by the supervisor, the State Archives Division director, or by other Kansas Historical Society administrators in order to help carry out the general mission of the agency. 
• Provides administrative and logistical support to the Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board (KSHRAB) by: 
• contributing to the preparation of National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) grant proposals requesting funding for KSHRAB activities; 
• participating in KSHRAB meetings and strategic planning activities.

Reference

• Provides reference and research assistance to staff and patrons who visit the Research Room or who send inquiries remotely using collections management system, narrative finding aids, other published and unpublished resources, and personal knowledge of the holdings of the agency according to established guidelines. This may include working the occasional Saturday. 
• Performs specialized reference work involving the locations of specific materials in large collections of government records, personal papers, business records, etc. that does not have detailed descriptions. This involves applying knowledge of similar collections to determine where relevant materials mi ght be in these large collections. 
• Provides specialized reference and research assistance to staff from other government agencies requiring access to agency records that have been transferred to the State Archives. Occasionally serves as liaison between agency staff and reference staff at the Kansas Historical Society. 

 And here's what you need to bring to the table:

Education or Training
Master's degree in history or library/information science with an archival administration concentration, or a related field is preferred.

Licenses, Certificates, and Registrations
Valid Kansas driver's license
Certified Archivist credential preferred but not required.
Digital Archives Specialist certificate preferred but not required.

Special Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of:

• archival theories, methods, and best practices; 
• electronic information systems including document and/or content management systems, imaging systems, and database management systems; 
• digital preservation methods and best practices; 
• metadata standards for archives, records management, and digital preservation including, but not limited to, the following: 
• Metadata Encoding Transmission Standard (METS) 
• Dublin Core 
• PREMIS (preservation metadata)
• Encoded Archival Description (EAD)
• Machine-Readable Cataloging Record (MARC) 
• American history with special emphasis on western and Kansas history; 
• records and information management methods and best practices; 
• international standards and best practices related to trusted digital repositories including, but not limited to, the following: o 
• Open Archival Information System (OAIS): ISO 14721:2012 
• Audit and Certification of Trustworthy Digital Repositories: ISO 16363: 2012 
• Producer-Archive Interface - Methodology Abstract Standard (PAIMAS): ISO 20652:2006
• archives and special collections reference techniques and best practices;
• historical research methods; 
• Special Library and archives reference techniques and best practices. 

Ability to:

• work with a variety of people and in a team environment; 
• balance multiple projects; 
• meet deadlines; 
• express ideas clearly, orally, and in writing to groups with varying expertise in the relevant subject matter.

Experience
Six months of experience in planning, implementing and monitoring activities relevant to the agency's programs.  Education may be substituted for experience as determined relevant by the agency.

Special Qualifications
Physical requirements of the position include climbing tall ladders to examine or move records stored on high shelves; lifting or carrying boxes or volumes weighing as much as 60 pounds which often must be placed on high shelves and/or loading docks; and loading, and driving a large van.

The starting salary for this position is $36,171, and State of Kansas employees receive health insurance, retirement, and other benefits.

The application deadline for this position is 11 March 2016. For more information and detailed application instructions, consult the job posting.