*Senior Conservator – Head of Photograph Conservation Lab*
The Harry Ransom Center <http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/> seeks skilled, collaborative candidates for the position of Senior Photograph Conservator. The Ransom Center is an internationally renowned humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin. Its holdings include 42 million manuscripts, one million books, five million photographs, and over 100,000 works of art. The Ransom Center hosts more than 60,000 visitors annually, including undergraduate and graduate students, scholars, and members of the public. It has a full-time staff of 90, with five conservators. Conservators and preservation technicians collaborate with colleagues in the Center’s Library, Education & Exhibitions, Scholarly Programs, and Curatorial divisions to support the Center’s mission to encourage discovery, inspire creativity, and advance understanding of the humanities for broad and diverse audiences through the preservation and sharing of its collections. Since Harry Ransom’s purchase of Helmut and Alison Gernsheim’s photohistorical collection in 1963, the strength of the Center’s photography collection has been its documentation of the history and evolution of the medium. In addition to five million prints and negatives encyclopedic in scope, the collection holds the archives of several photographers and over six hundred pieces of photographic equipment from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A growing library of more than forty thousand books and journals, focusing on the theory, technique, art, and history of photography, begins with early sixteenth-century English, German, and French treatises on optics and light-sensitive chemistry. The Center holds the complete negative and print morgue of the *New York Journal-American, *with nearly three million images. Approximately two hundred thousand press prints from the Magnum Photos agency’s New York print library, dating from 1929 to 2004, comprise the Center’s Magnum Photos collection. Position Purpose: To manage, oversee, and supervise the Ransom Center’s Photograph Conservation Lab and associated photograph preservation programs. To provide treatments of all levels of complexity for the Center’s photographic materials. Essential Functions: · Perform conservation treatments on a wide range of photographic formats, providing full written and photographic documentation. Apply appropriate research techniques, including use of instrumental methods, in the examination and analysis of photographic materials. · Supervise, train, and manage professional staff and interns in the Photograph Conservation Lab in appropriate procedures and practices for the treatment and care of the Ransom Center’s photograph collections. · Liaise and collaborate with curators, collection managers, exhibition staff, administrative personnel, and other Ransom Center staff with regard to the handling, housing, treatment, and exhibition of photograph collections. · Participate as part of the division's senior management team to strategically plan for the ongoing care of the Ransom Center's collections. · Take a leadership and educational role in all activities and programs of the Ransom Center Preservation and Conservation Division, and similarly support other areas of the overall institutional preservation endeavor. · Pursue independent studies and professional opportunities as appropriate. · Assist the associate director for preservation and conservation with project planning and grant writing. Required qualifications: Master's of Arts or Science degree in art conservation or Master’s degree in art or art history plus a certificate of advanced study in conservation. A minimum of five years of post-graduate experience applying photograph conservation and preservation practices in museums, libraries, special collections, and/or archives. Extensive knowledge of the materials and technologies encountered in the creation and conservation of the range of photographic objects. Demonstrated ability to conduct conservation research and to analyze photographic materials to identify and/or determine their condition and material composition. Knowledge of exhibition standards, building environment systems, disaster planning and response, conservation trends, and collection surveys. Demonstrated excellence in written and oral communication. Demonstrated successful project management and organizational skills, including the ability to train, supervise, and assess work. Experience working with curators, scientists, or other allied professionals and conservators in a team environment. Preferred Qualifications: More than five years of post-graduate experience in documentation, conservation treatment, and preventive care of photographs. Research and publication record on conservation topics. Knowledge and experience in the preservation of analog moving image collection materials. *For further information and to apply for the position*, please see https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/hr/jobs/nlogon/170913010614 *The University of Texas at Austin is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer with a commitment to diversity at all levels. Security sensitive position; conviction verification will be conducted on applicant selected. * -- Ellen Cunningham-Kruppa, MLIS, PhD Associate Director for Preservation and Conservation Harry Ransom Center The University of Texas at Austin P.O. Box 7219 Austin, Texas 78713-7219 P: 512-471-5495 F: 512-471-7930 www.hrc.utexas.edu ****** Unsubscribe by sending a message to [email protected] Searchable archives: http://cool.conservation-us.org/byform/mailing-lists/cdl/
