Project Archivist

About Our Job

The Denver Public Library (DPL) isn't just a place to borrow books; it's a vibrant, essential hub for our diverse city. As a growing urban library system with 28 locations and over 4 million annual visitors, we're deeply woven into the fabric of Denver.

Join a team where your values align with your work. At the Denver Public Library, we're not just serving our community; we're building a culture guided by values that empower both our staff and the public.

• Welcoming: We make our resources, services, and expertise accessible for all, recognize the inherent dignity in each person, and provide safe places where everyone can be themselves.
• Curiosity: We foster a culture of exploration, innovation, and forward thinking by creating environments that support learning and growth.
• Connection: We are neighbors. We foster relationships, listen and act to build and strengthen our community. We bring people together to share information, ideas, and experiences.
• Equity: We work to change inequitable practices, structures and policies, and attitudes that drive them, to provide opportunities for every person in our community to thrive. As we do so, we actively examine our roles in perpetuating oppressive systems.
• Stewardship: We are accountable to our community, using our resources responsibly. We lead with honesty and integrity, protect privacy and preserve and share the full history of our Denver community.

If you're passionate about service, community engagement, and creating positive change, we invite you to explore career opportunities with us. Come join a team that believes in the power of knowledge, connection, and equity.

Unrivaled Benefits

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but is not limited to:

• Four (4) Medical Plans, Dental, Vision Insurance
• Pension Plan for Life (employee contributes 8.45%, employer contributes 17.95%) and 457 (b) Retirement Plan
• PTO (over 3 weeks in your first year), quarterly wellness hours, and 12 paid holidays
• CARE Bank, Family Leave Benefits
• Enhanced Work/Life Balance: Employee Assistance Program (6 counseling sessions per year, legal assistance, financial counseling, discounted recreation center passes), Employee Volunteer Program
• Professional Learning and Development Opportunities; Courses and Career Development Resources ; Education Refund Program
• EcoPass (unlimited free RTD bus/train rides)
• For more information please visit our website.

About Our Team

The Special Collections and Archives (SCA) unit at Denver Public Library comprises two archival repositories: at the Central Library, and the African American Research Library at Blair-Caldwell Library. Our team of over thirty librarians, archivists, and paraprofessionals are committed to exceptional access, preservation, and customer service for our world-class collections.


About Our Position

DPL is hiring a Limited-Term Project Archivist to join the Special Collections and Archives team at the Central Library. You will create positive experiences for library customers by performing professional library work, including arranging and describing archival collections and creating online finding aids for our African American Research Library collections, which are focused on the Black and African American experience in the American West, Colorado, and Denver. In addition to processing collections, you may collaborate on preservation, digitization, and reformatting projects. Effectively communicate about issues and initiatives with co-workers, and library administration. Contribute to collection development discussions and process improvements to enhance stewardship of a special library collection requiring specialized handling, security, and subject expertise. This role does not have a regular public-facing reference component, but you may conduct occasional research to respond to customer inquiries. This role will occasionally travel between the two SCA repositories in downtown Denver.


Some of the tasks and abilities required by this position include:

• Ability to organize, arrange, and describe unpublished archival materials in a variety of formats. Knowledge and skill of basic preservation processes, rehousing, and storage best practices. Knowledge of archival standards and using content management systems and spreadsheets to describe materials in a user-centered manner.
• Knowledge of and interest in African American history and the history of the American West, with emphasis on Denver and Colorado.
• Ability to creatively problem-solve, negotiate, and handle stressful situations in a positive manner. Ability to demonstrate innovation and flexibility.
• Contribute to museum inventory projects such as rehousing and identifying physical objects within existing collections, in addition to improving descriptions within the ARL collection.

What You Would Bring

Do you have a passion for libraries and archives? Are you passionate about public service? Do you have a strong sense of inquiry and excitement to share the story of our region's history? Are you a team player with a strong track record of collaboration and problem-solving?

For the Project Archivist - Special Collections role, we're looking for someone who has a vision and can create a plan for successful execution and has some or all of the following skills and experiences:

• A passion for archives and special collections work in a public library setting, knowledge of the history of African Americans in the American West with an emphasis on Denver and Colorado.

• Experience working with archival collections, including paper documents, audio visual media, photographs. Experience with digital archival collections preferred.

• Excellent organizational skills and an ability to manage multiple projects at once with an attention to detail and strong stakeholder communication.
• Strong writing, communication, and customer service skills.
• Ability to use workplace technology effectively including email, calendar, internet, video conferencing, searching databases, creating spreadsheets.
• Ability to demonstrate initiative, innovation, and flexibility, including proposing process improvements; work well under pressure and meet deadlines, and have excellent problem-solving skills.
• Ability to demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, positive attitude, cultural sensitivity, and a sense of humor in working with customers, coworkers, and community members.
• Experience with archival preservation best practices and knowledge of various analog audio and visual media types preferred.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Public Administration, Management, Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, or a related field.
• Three (3) years of professional or technical level experience planning the administrative aspects of a program(s) or training program participants and/or volunteers.

Substitutions:

• One (1) year of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of posthigh school education.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in one of the following or related disciplines: Library Science, Museum Studies, or Public History.
• One (1) to Three (3) years of work experience in a library, archive, or museum. Experience with various library databases and content management systems, preferably ArchivesSpace

Don't let a "checklist" hold you back! Research shows that women and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups often self-select out if they don't meet every qualification. If you're reading this and feel a true passion for making an impact, we wholeheartedly encourage you to apply, as an equal combination of education and experience will be considered for all applicants. Your excitement for this work matters just as much as your resume.

Work Environment & Location

The Denver Public Library's branches are the arms to the community-each a unique reflection of the dynamic, diverse communities we serve. At DPL, we pride ourselves on showing up and providing support whenever there is a need.


While you may be hired for a specific location, please know that we are hiring with the expectation that at any time, you may be required to work at any one of our branches based on operational needs. This allows our staff to experience the full breadth of Denver's communities and ensures we consistently deliver the highest level of service across our branches.

Additionally, DPL employees may be redeployed to work in other locations or capacities to support core functions of the library system during branch closures or other emergencies.


This position is termed-limited and ends 2 years following your start date. There is no guarantee that the position will be extended beyond the two year period.

Application & Additional Info

Ensure that the 'Work Experience" section of the application is complete and contains all relevant work experience related to the position that you are applying for. Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply immediately. Job postings will close at 12AM on the posted ending date. If interested in this opportunity, please apply as soon as possible.

Offer of employment contingent upon successful completion of criminal history and employment verification


All Denver Public Library employees must apply through their internal profile.

Ready to learn more and see how you can contribute? Visit us at denverlibrary.org and connect with our community on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

About Everything Else

Job Profile
LA1716 Program Administrator
To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

Position Type
Limited (Fixed Term)

Library Hiring Range
$60,064.00 - $79,584.00

Target Pay

Agency
Denver Public Library

Redeployment during Citywide Emergencies

City and County of Denver employees may be re-deployed to work in other capacities in their own agencies or in other city agencies to support core functions of the city during a citywide emergency declared by the Mayor.

Assessment Requirement

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact View email address on click.appcast.io with three business days' notice.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.