Curator for Rare Books and Manuscripts

Curator for Rare Books and Manuscripts

Reporting to the Director of Scholar Engagement, the Curator for Rare Books and Manuscripts is responsible for the ethical and responsible development and management of the Rare Book and Manuscript collections held by ASU Library. Dedicated to a high level of service, they work effectively with faculty members, colleagues, students, and other partners to achieve goals and improve the quality of education and research at Arizona State University. The incumbent demonstrates a strong commitment to the Charter of ASU in providing high quality service in an inclusive campus and researcher community.

The Special Collections directorate recently underwent a restructuring, resulting in the creation of a Scholar Engagement department. While subject expertise and collection management duties reside in each department, the placement of the Rare Books and Manuscripts curator in the scholar department signals the consistent interest of faculty to incorporate these materials in their instruction. Our strengths in artist books, early modern print, performing arts, science fiction, and Asian materials make us a popular destination for faculty and scholars. The ideal candidate will work across the directorate to develop tools and strategies to support scholars and faculty, at a scope and scale that parallels the growth of Arizona State University.   

Essential Functions:

Collection Management

• Gaining a strong knowledge of the current holdings of our rare books and manuscript materials and an ability to make recommendations about description, condition, digitization, stewardship, and appraisal
• Maintaining a high-level working knowledge of national and international theory and practice pertaining to professional standards for rare books, manuscripts, and other specialized library collections
• Collaboratively assisting with and facilitating special collections workflows and processes when needed, including those related to acquisition, physical control, metadata, preservation, and shelving

Collection Development

• Articulating a clear collection development plan for these materials
• Participating in the collaborative development of rare books and manuscripts collection policies and procedures pertaining to selection, description, access, and security
• Managing new acquisitions, incoming donations, and donation requests, making recommendations and facilitating collection development in accordance with broader library collecting goals, policies, and budgets
• Assisting with donor correspondence and the cultivation of donor relationships

• Promoting scholarly and community engagement with the Universitys collection of rare books and manuscripts

Reference Support

• Providing prompt and efficient research and reference services, including Wurzburger reading room service provision and addressing users through Ask-An-Archivist tickets
• Maintaining an acute awareness and ability to model the safe and secure handling of rare books and manuscript materials, and maintaining a strong understanding of current preservation and collection management practices relating to special collections

Outreach and Instruction

• Engaging in outreach to ASU faculty, students, visiting researchers, and others to promote awareness and use of Special Collections resources, services, programs, and initiatives
• Providing instruction sessions and educational information to students, scholars, faculty, and visitors
• Interpreting and promoting special collections for ASUs inclusive online and residential user communities

Service to the Library and Broader Community

• Participating in service to the Library and the University
• May have supervisory responsibilities for students, staff, and/or interns; and other assigned duties

Required Qualifications:

• MLS/MLIS/MA from an ALA-accredited institution or an advanced degree in a relevant field confirmed by the start of employment
• Knowledge of rare books, special collections, or archival materials

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in academic or research library or archives
• Experience with curation, collection development (working with collection dealers), or collection management
• Experience providing special collections or archival materials instruction
• Experience providing research consultations or reference services in-person and/or virtually
• Reading knowledge of one or more languages other than English
• Experience supervising students, interns, or staff
• Cultural fluency skills to engage and support researchers of varied backgrounds and cultures
• Experience writing successful grants

Salary and Rank: This is a continuing appointment track Academic Professional position; Assistant/Associate Archivist rank and salary dependent on experience. Early career professionals are encouraged to apply.

Application Procedures: This is a paperless search; only electronic materials will be accepted. To apply, please submit electronically to https://apply.interfolio.com/184605 the following: A cover letter, comprehensive vita or resume, and names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of 3 recent professional references. No paper applications, faxes or emails will be accepted.

The applicants last name should appear in each uploaded file name. Questions about the position should be directed to the search committee chair at: Joyce.Martin@asu.edu. Application deadline is June 10, 2026. Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis for a reserve pool. Applications in the reserve pool may then be reviewed in the order in which they were received until the position is filled.

Other Information: Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States. For more information regarding ASU, visit our website: www.asu.edu. For more information about the Phoenix metropolitan area, please visit www.visitarizona.com.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement: A background check is required for employment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law.

(See https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html and https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.)

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