Wow, Anna St. Onge, thank you for your realistic, fair-minded, and articulate response.
Sue Plouffe
(No degree, but have worked in archives my entire career)
Library Associate, Special Collections & Archives
Dana Porter Library
University of Waterloo
(519) 888 4567 ext. 32619
[log in to unmask]
I live and work on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabe, and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River.
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Anna St. Onge
Sent: Thursday, November 16, 2017 2:13 PM
To: [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [Arcan-l] Job posting: Archivist
Hi all
As someone who has sat on hiring committees and has helped out other colleagues craft job ads for archivist positions, I just want to contribute the following thoughts based on my experience.
1) If one is lucky, there is one archivist (or more!) within the
existing staff pool who is able to advocate on behalf of the profession to make sure a job description is accurate and reflects current trends. They may even be permitted to sit on the hiring committee if the existing policies/chain of command(s)/collective agreement(s) permits.
2) If one is unlucky to lack an archivist within the existing
complement, but the institution recognizes that an archival professional should be consulted on the hiring, you may have the good fortune of an external being brought on to provide advice and direction to the committee.
Colleagues who take up this role above and beyond their existing commitments should be celebrated and thanked.
3) Sometimes you are the archivist on the hiring committee but you are a
voice among many. You hustle and negotiate and compromise to produce the best job description and job ad that you can and then you dig in and make sure you advocate on behalf of professional values and standards every step of hiring process.
4) Sometimes you craft a job description and a job ad that you then have
to pass it up the line through various levels of bureaucracy where things get tweaked and edited and ‘streamlined’ for various venues.
5) Sometimes you need to shoehorn qualifications into a house style,
word limit, and software platform that is indifferent to your professional nomenclature and the alphabet soup that is the current professional landscape of information science degrees.
6) Sometimes your institution, or various collective agreements, or your
administration, prevents your committee from advertising remuneration.
Sometimes the funds are limited/provisional/OTO/grant-based and you can only hire contract. And you know it’s a compromise and you try to justify it to yourself and remind yourself you’re building a case for more resources and more staff. And your committee braces itself for public ridicule and disdain and the many emails each of you will receive about the shortfalls of the position.
7) Sometimes you have really long and exhaustive conversations about
professional qualifications and degree names that have changed and morphed over the past few decades and years of experience and eventually you reach a compromise that still does not satisfy.
8) Sometimes despite your best efforts, the job ad fall short.*
Excellent candidates don’t feel they fit all the qualifications. People feel like it’s too aspirational and unicorn-y. You hustle and encourage and recruit people to apply, you ask around, you put blasts out on social media, you work your formal and informal networks. But at least there is a job to advertise. At least someone is going to have some paid work (and potentially even benefits). At least you have an opportunity to demonstrate that yes, we need archivists in our institution and yes they need to have professional qualifications and experience prior to hiring and yes, they deserve support and PD opportunities after they start.
I can understand the visceral reaction folks can have to job descriptions and adverts and how our profession is categorized and qualified. I have them too. But perhaps we can give our colleagues a little credit. I think we can safely assume that most jobs we see advertised on arcan_L and other archival list-servs are the result of a trial by committee and then multiple levels of vetting. The fact that someone on the committee knows enough to share a job ad in this venue is evidence enough to me that they care about the profession.
Sincerely,
Anna St.Onge
Archivist, Digital Projects & Outreach
York University Libraries
(opinions own, not employers etc.)
*IMHO, the job advert under discussion does not fall short.
On Thu, Nov 16, 2017 at 1:05 PM, Hart, Susan FIN:EX <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> Hello Nick et al.,
>
> The phrasing we've been using for our postings is "An advanced degree
> in archival science, library science, or another relevant field, combined with
> two years relevant work experience". This avoids choosing a specific
> degree name, which does vary so much. I do agree with Luciana that if
> you are going to name a degree, it is more appropriate to mention one
> that is focussed on archival science.
>
> As usual, my opinions are my own and do not represent my employer.
>
>
> Susan
> ______________________________________________________________________
> __ Susan M. Hart . Team Lead, Digital Information Strategies .
> 250.356.0161 Government Records Service . CIRMO . Ministry of
> Citizens' Services
> http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/services-
> for-government/information-management-technology/records-management
> Join the @Work Records Management Community
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:arcan-l-bounces@
> mailman.srv.ualberta.ca] On Behalf Of Luciana Duranti
> Sent: Thursday, November 16, 2017 9:49 AM
> To: 'Nick Richbell'; 'Sara Allain'; 'Anna Grant'
> Cc: [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [Arcan-l] Job posting: Archivist
>
> Hello Nick:
>
> Perhaps archivists would be happier with a job description which reads
> "MAS degree or equivalent" as we do for admissions to our UBC PhD program.
> It would include archival concentrations in any graduate program but
> it would emphasize the archival knowledge.
>
> Best,
>
> Luciana
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [log in to unmask]
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Nick
> Richbell
> Sent: November-16-17 9:24 AM
> To: 'Sara Allain'; 'Anna Grant'
> Cc: [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [Arcan-l] Job posting: Archivist
>
> Hello Anna, Sara, and all,
>
> There are not many universities granting MAS degrees in Canada
> (possibly only UBC?). MLIS, MLS, MiST are now more common and all
> qualified candidates who hold these degrees are invited to apply.
> Please also note that our job description does state "or equivalent".
> Of course, candidates are expected to be able to support their
> archival experience throughout their resumes and cover letter.
>
> Best, Nick
>
>
>
>
> Nick Richbell
> Head, Special Collections & Archives
> University of Waterloo Library
> 200 University Ave. W. Waterloo ON N2L 3G1
> (519) 888-4567 ext. 32445
>
> I acknowledge that I live and work on the traditional territory of
> }the Attawandaron (Neutral), Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples.
> The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the
> land promised to the Six Nations that includes ten kilometers on each
> side of the Grand River.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [log in to unmask]
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Sara
> Allain
> Sent: Thursday, November 16, 2017 12:05 PM
> To: Anna Grant <[log in to unmask]>
> Cc: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [Arcan-l] Job posting: Archivist
>
> Job postings in academia are written by committee and "Master of
> Library Science" is the catch-all term. I went to UofT and therefore
> my degree is a Masters of Information, but I took the archives track -
> presumably this posting would not exclude me, nor someone with an MLIS
> who focused on archives, nor someone who graduated from the University
> of Manitoba with an MA in archival studies. I have faith that the
> hiring committee has enough subject expertise not to hire someone
> without any experience for this position.
>
> Regards,
> Sara
>
> --
>
> Sara Allain, MI
> Systems Archivist
> Artefactual Systems, Inc. <https://www.artefactual.com/>
>
> I recognize and acknowledge that the land on which I work is the
> traditional and unceded territory of the QayQayt First Nation.
>
> On Thu, Nov 16, 2017 at 8:49 AM, Anna Grant <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > This posting is for an archivist, with all the tasks clearly being
> > archival in nature, and yet the education qualification is Master of
> > Library Science? Why not a clearly stated Master in Archival Science?
> > I have met many MLS employees that are not very adept with archival
> > concepts, to put it mildly, the MLS consisting often of only one
> > intro course in archives. I find this a step backward for our
> > profession, and yet another roadblock toward full recognition. After
> > 36 years, I am still not considered a professional on par with the
> > "professional librarians". Even though CAUT has a committee for
> > Librarians and Archivists, here I am still apart, and for years I
> > have witnessed the MLS's bristle at the very thought of including
> > the archivist amongst their
> ranks.
> >
> > Anna M. Grant
> > University Archivist/Special Collections Bishop's University,
> > Sherbrooke, QC J1M 1Z7
> > 819.822.9600 ext.2609
> >
> > Bishop's University Historical Timeline
> >
> > If this email is in response to a request for information, kindly
> > acknowledge receipt.
> >
> > ________________________________________
> > From: [log in to unmask] [
> > [log in to unmask]] on behalf of Nick Richbell
> > [ [log in to unmask]]
> > Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2017 2:25 PM
> > To: [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: [Arcan-l] Job posting: Archivist
> >
> > The University of Waterloo Library is seeking an archivist to join
> > the Special Collections & Archives team:
> > https://partnershipjobs.ca/jobs/8847
> >
> >
> > Interested parties are invited to reach out to me with any questions
> > about this exciting role.
> >
> >
> > Best, Nick
> > _______________________________________________
> > Arcan-l mailing list
> > [log in to unmask]
> > http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/arcan-l
> > _______________________________________________
> > Arcan-l mailing list
> > [log in to unmask]
> > http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/arcan-l
> >
> _______________________________________________
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