Jobs for humanists 6/17
Hi, everyone! Hope you’ve had a good summer. The July 1st newsletter will be the last one. Here are this week’s jobs:
Translator • Department of State • June 27, 2022
For this posting, you will be translating between English and Mandarin. They want experience translating government documents, news articles, laws, and some other specialized stuff, so keep that in mind.
Writer-Editor (Speech Writer) • Federal Trade Commission • June 27, 2022
This position looks for experience with public-facing writing and research:
If you are selected for the Writer-Editor (Speechwriter) position you will perform the following duties:
Compose and help develop messaging for speeches, town hall commentary, talking points, blog posts, website material, and other products for large and varied audiences.
Prepare written products for OPA's use and for agency public materials, including the agency website, blog, and other online channels.
Provide editorial support for the OPA, the Chair, and senior executive level staff, including reviewing and editing sensitive written material and products.
Identify and analyze issues of contemporary and future impacts on the FTC.
Collaborate with senior agency officials and FTC bureaus, offices, and divisions in the preparation of FTC products.
Conduct research, analysis, and interviews on a broad spectrum of the FTC's program areas directly relating to antitrust and consumer protection laws/issues.
Serve as a subject matter expert writer and editor for executive communications.
They want one year of comparable writing experience - they give some options for what that might mean. The most specialized KSA, seems to me, is this one:
Knowledge of the finer techniques and nuances of writing and editing to develop written products for top senior leadership officials' speeches, briefings, testimonials, and other correspondence tailored to specified media and audiences that articulate, interpret, and explain highly complex, potentially controversial, and important agency policies, programs, and positions.
A lot of the other skills and experience seem transferable from academic jobs, though the language is different. I couldn’t find a link to the assessment questionnaire in the posting, which means you might have to start the application before you can find it.
Museum Specialist (History) • National Museum of American History • June 28, 2022
This is sort of an entry-level position.
This position is located in the National Museum of American History (NMAH), Office of Curatorial Affairs (OCA), Division of Work and Industry (W&I), Smithsonian Institution (SI). The incumbent organizes the division’s collections, carries out individual research, takes on exhibit projects and performs a variety of public service duties. . . .
The duties of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:
-Working in cooperation with division staff, the Collections Support Office, Collections Management Services, Preservation Services, and other NMAH staff, ensures that proper procedures are followed with regard to the care, registration and documentation of the collections.-Accessions and catalogs collections and maintains manual and automated collections inventories and files systems.
-Answers collections inquiries by letter, telephone, email and in person. Furnishes information on specialized subjects.
-Researches museum records, searches published and unpublished sources to complete cataloging, establish provenance and answer public inquiries.
You can qualify with one year of related graduate education. However, they are also evaluating candidates on museum-specific skills and knowledge - that’s under the “How You Will Be Evaluated” section. Here's the questionnaire.
Museum Specialist (Art) • Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art • June 29, 2022
This position organizes the scholarly programs in the Freer/Sackler! It’s pretty cool, Sacklers aside:
As a Museum Specialist you will develop, coordinates and executes scholarly programs related to the museum’s collections and exhibition for diverse audiences. Such programs range from lectures and panel discussions to workshops and symposia, each designed to deepen understanding and appreciation of Asian art and culture as well as American Art of the Gilded Age.
Will also perform the following duties:
Responsible for the co-development and delivery of specific scholarly programs. Working in collaboration with the head of SPP and a range of other staff the incumbent develops programs for a range of audiences.
Assists in the review process, production and distribution of new titles in the ‘Occasional Paper’ series (approximately one per year), Ars Orientalis (approximately one per year) and other scholarly publications (print or online). . . .
You can qualify with relevant graduate education, and the experience they want are:
Assisting in co-development and delivery of scholarly programs related to a museum’s or cultural institution’s collections or exhibits; and assists in the review and production of scholarly publications (print or online)
The questionnaire looks to be mostly about the KSAs.
Librarian • Library of Congress • June 30, 2022
Here’s one for scholars of Italian! This is a standard librarian position, and you do need some related graduate degrees, though not necessarily a library one. It would be best, of course, if you could speak to the library-specific skills. Here are the rest of the qualifications:
Ability to read, write, and communicate in Italian and English.**
Knowledge of the culture and/or civilization of Italy.**
Knowledge of library cataloging and/or acquisitions rules, practices, and procedures.**
Ability to use integrated library systems, applications, or other information technologies.**
Ability to organize, analyze, and interpret data, addressing the resolution of issues in a professional and/or academic environment.
Ability to interact collaboratively with others to provide consultation and liaison services.
Ability to communicate in writing.
Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.
Recall that the asterisks indicate importance. Here are the questions.
Library Technician • Library of Congress • July 1, 2022
Here’s a posting for people with Spanish and library experience:
This position is located in any of the divisions that come under the Directorate of Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access. The incumbent of this position performs major technician duties for the functions of acquisitions, cataloging, and serials control. A foreign language may be required for this position depending on the geographical area for which functions are being performed. For example, staff processing and cataloging materials from South America need knowledge of the Spanish language.
. . .
Ability to read and interpret bibliographic information written in Spanish, as well as in English, in order to maintain and process library materials.**
Knowledge of library acquisitions and/or cataloging rules, practices and/or procedures.**
Ability to use an Integrated Library System (ILS), computerized search tools, databases and other computer applications.**
Ability to perform detailed, repetitive tasks requiring accuracy.
Ability to perform library functions that support the unit or section.
Ability to plan and organize work assignments and set priorities in order to meet deadlines.
Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.
Liaison Specialist • Library of Congress • July 7, 2022
This is a Liaison Specialist position for the Program Coordination and Communication Section of the Veterans History Project (VHP). . . .The specialist assists the Supervisory and Senior Liaison Specialist(s) in publicizing, coordinating, implementing, and assessing the project. The incumbent works with a moderate level of autonomy to ensure a coherent planning, collection, archiving, and educational use of a vast number of narratives and histories documenting crucial experiences in the nation's history. Working with the Supervisory Liaison Specialist, the incumbent is responsible for the project's administrative and fiscal accountability by creating evaluation criteria for measuring success in the overall project and its components. The incumbent works with a wide range of individuals in Congress, other government agencies, and participating organizations with a range of approaches.
The description of the duties is very comprehensive, as far as I can see. The qualifications are holistic/KSAs, and you can learn more about them in the questionnaire:
Ability to problem solve and make recommendations.**
Ability to present information orally.**
Ability to interact collaboratively with others in order to provide consultation and liaison services.**
Ability to communicate in writing.
Ability to adapt in a fast paced and demanding work environment.
Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.
Program Specialist • Library of Congress • July 19, 2022
Check this out if you have event planning experience (like . . . conferences!) and are bilingual in English and Spanish. This position is in the Law Library, and looks like it’s partly about fundraising.
Through professional contacts worldwide, the incumbent is responsible for developing, maintaining, and expanding the Law Library's relationships with individuals and representatives from diverse groups and entities, both private and governmental, in order to increase the effectiveness, visibility, and prestige of the Law Library of Congress. The incumbent must exhibit excellent judgment, sensitivity, creativity, versatility, and initiative in performing the varied requirements of this position. In effectively dealing with persons from different cultures and backgrounds, the incumbent must demonstrate flexibility, discretion, and tact.
As is often the case with LOC postings, the questionnaire gives a more detailed account of the KSAs/qualifications:
Knowledge of event planning and execution.**
Ability to problem solve and make recommendations.**
Ability to communicate in writing.**
Ability to utilize computer technology.
Ability to plan, prioritize, and organize work.
Ability to interact collaboratively with others.
Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.
Associate Librarian for Researcher and Collections Services • Library of Congress • July 25, 2022
It seems like they’re looking for someone who would be making a horizontal move - but maybe that’s you or a librarian you know.
he Library seeks an experienced leader to serve as the Associate Librarian for Researcher & Collections Services (AL-RCS). The AL-RCS provides leadership to ensure the quality development of the collections acquired by the Library through multiple acquisition streams (purchase, gift, copyright deposit, web archiving, open content, and exchange) and develops, effective, innovative, and equitable means for researchers to use them. Collections included under the scope of the AL-RCS include those within the Library’s Special Collections Directorate, General and International Collections Directorate, and National Audio Visual Conservation Center. The AL-RCS provides leadership and direction for a comprehensive, inclusive collection strategy for the Library’s national collection in all formats.
. . .
The successful incumbent should have at least 5 years of a progressively responsible management experience in a research library or cultural heritage organization leading collections and/or research/reference services. To qualify on this basis, the applicant must establish conclusively that the education, training, and experience provided a knowledge and understanding of the theories, principles, and techniques of librarianship as it relates to collections and provision of researcher services and the knowledge and abilities essential for providing effective oversight and management of these critical competencies.
You’re responsible for 550 employees with this one. The listing is detailed and thorough - I’m going to let you look through it yourself.
Librarian • Library of Congress • July 28, 2022
The Discovery and Preservation Services is seeking a Librarian for the Southeast Europe Section, Germanic and Slavic Division of the Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access Directorate. This position reports directly to the head of the section. This is a hybrid position that combines major duties of both the acquisition specialist and the cataloger.
The position, as one expects, has a language requirement:
Ability to communicate in one of the South Slavic languages (Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Serbian, or Slovene), Greek, and English.**
Ability to acquire library materials and/or create bibliographic metadata, following established rules, practices, and procedures. **
Ability to use library software applications, integrated library platforms, and other information technology.**
Knowledge of library acquisitions and/or metadata rules, practices, and procedures.
Ability to develop and maintain relationships and provide consultation and liaison services.
Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.