Shelby White & Leon Levy Fellowship in Manuscript Cataloging

Responsibilities: 

The Morgan Library & Museum invites applications for the Shelby White & Leon Levy Fellowship in Manuscript Cataloging. The Fellowship is intended for new professionals who have demonstrated engagement with general cataloging or archival processing and wish to enhance their skills through intensive specialized training. This is a unique opportunity for early-career professionals to receive training and mentoring as members of the Morgan Library & Museum curatorial and cataloging staff.

Starting in February 2025, the Fellowship will consist of 650 hours, and applicants will have a choice between full-time (35 hours per week) or part-time (21 hours per week) work in order to complete the 650 hours. Fellows will be assigned to work on specific groups of 19th- or 20th-century correspondence. They will be expected to research the historical and cultural context in which the letters and documents were produced, create collection and item level records in CORSAIR—the Morgan's collections database—according to DCRM(MSS), assign accession numbers, and attend to the rehousing and conservation needs of the material. Considerations will be given to applicants’ areas of experience or expertise, such as specific language skills or subject specialization in art, literature, history, film, history of science, etc.

This opportunity is the sixth and last in a series of Manuscript Cataloging Fellowships that are offered by the Morgan every September and February from September 2022 to February 2025. The Morgan Library & Museum is grateful to the Leon Levy Foundation for their generous support of these special opportunities.

The position reports to the Director of Collection Information, and works closely with curators in the Department of Literary and Historical Manuscripts.

Qualifications: 
  • Master's Degree in Library and Information Science from an ALA-accredited institution or substantial course work towards the degree; a degree (or substantial course work toward one) in related areas, such as art, literature, music, history, film, or history of science, with specialization in working with original historical documents, will also be considered;
  • Experience with reading handwritten documents preferred;
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills in English;
  • Knowledge of additional European languages preferred;
  • Knowledge of standard library cataloging tools, such as MARC21, RDA, DCRM, LCSH, and other standard vocabularies preferred;
  • Familiarity with an integrated library system and with the OCLC Connexion client preferred;
  • Experience with archival processing preferred;
  • Understanding of and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in interactions with coworkers and contacts and a commitment to reflecting those principles in descriptive work;
  • Ability to work for extended periods at a computer workstation and lift moderately heavy boxes (10 lbs.)

Schedule: Work hours must fall within the hours of 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Compensation: 

$22 per hour. The Fellowship also provides a $500 stipend towards related professional activities, such as conference and workshop attendance, professional memberships, or the acquisition of relevant resources.

To apply: 

Applicants should submit a resume and a cover letter detailing their interest in the Fellowship. Applications received before January 10, 2025, will be given priority. Application materials should be submitted electronically to cisjob@themorgan.org.

The Morgan Library & Museum receives many applications and inquiries for employment. Unfortunately, we are not able to respond to all of them. Due to the high volume of applicants, we can contact only those candidates whose skills and background best fit our needs.

Important to note:

Vaccination Requirement
To ensure the overall health and safety of the Morgan Library & Museum campus, all staff of the Morgan are required to be vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19, absent qualifying exemptions for medical, religious, or other reasons in accordance with applicable laws.

EEO Statement
The Morgan is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to complying with all federal, state, and local equal employment opportunity laws. The Morgan provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race or color, religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, sexual and reproductive health decisions or decision making (of covered persons or their dependents), disability, height, weight, marital status, familial status, domestic partnership status, caregiver status, genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking victim status, pre-employment arrest record, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer.