Senior Museum Assistant

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Overview

Oversee the James E. Duffy Study Room for works on paper and manage the department’s operations. The Duffy Study Room hosts nearly 100 individuals and approximately 80 groups/classes each year.

This position is fully onsite 5 days per week.

Study Room

• Oversee and schedule the Duffy Study Room calendar (main study room, seminar room, conservation triage space, two student workstations, and two storage areas).

• Coordinate all aspects of visits for individuals and small non-academic groups; monitor classes that do not need instruction by department fellows or curatorial staff.

• Serve as the initial source of information on the Prints and Drawings collection to visitors, students, donors, and visiting scholars.

• Instruct all visitors regarding viewing and art handling guidelines.

• Field all inquiries to view art and all research inquiries regarding materials, techniques, provenance, or practical information about works.

• Perform provenance research and catalogue works in TMS.

• Coordinate and accompany visitors wishing to see and study artworks stored off-site; facilitate all aspects of visit.

• Hire, train and oversee bursary student workers and interns in a range of roles and tasks, including handling art, pulling and organizing objects for classes, and cataloguing works in TMS

• Point-person for department with colleagues across museum, including Digital Media, Conservation, Collections, Exhibitions, Registrars, Advancement, Facilities, and Security.

Collections

• Work with the Registrar, Director’s Office, Business Office, and Advancement teams to oversee, process, and organize all paperwork related to incoming loans, gifts and purchases of art.

• Point person for donors, lenders, and dealers giving or selling works on paper to the Gallery.  Catalogue incoming works in a scholarly manner and according to best practices. Conduct preliminary provenance research, working with the Provenance Curator and Registrar.

• Assume a Collections role upon art delivery, assess object’s condition (requesting conservation if necessary), locate a temporary storage location, complete cataloguing, coordinate photography, art preparation, and registration to prepare the work for permanent housing.

• Continually assess, strategize, and reorganize storage spaces and containers for art; responsible for determining-within both an historical and cultural context-how stored objects can most logically and seamlessly be organized to ensure access.

• Oversee the movement of outgoing loans to other institutions. After curatorial review, schedule and oversee examination and assessment of works by conservators and conservation scientists. Enter requests for treatment into "Conservation Studio" system and make arrangements for treatment.

• Responsible for the art returned from loan. Assess the object’s condition, write and send a report to the Registrar. Work with the Art Preparator to reintegrate the work into storage. 

• Oversee art inventory in all storage spaces to ensure works are correctly located in the Gallery’s database and accurate inventory lists are generated to reflect a container’s contents.

Operations

• Request movement of art within the Gallery’s "RAM" system, in Gallery and off-site locations.

• Process expenses for the P&D staff.

• Develop and submit a yearly budget with head of department.

• Arrange travel and group meal reservations for department staff and work-related visitors.

• Create object records, exhibition records, loan records, and bibliography records in the Gallery’s collections database, organize database object packages and generate reports from the database for in-house exhibitions and gallery art rotations.

• Use "Task Management System" alert YUAG entities regarding averse issues in department workspaces.

• Aggregate and order office supplies for all departments in the Kahn building.

• Organize departmental library, enter records into library cataloguing system and order books as needed.

• Maintain object/donor/conservation files.

• Process/distribute all incoming mail/packages and subscriptions.

Required Skills & Abilities

1. Self-directed with the ability to take initiative and anticipate actions needed; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to deal pleasantly and effectively with the public.

2. Ability to regularly exercise discretion and independent judgment and to be a team player in an active office environment. Ability to work well under pressure. Positive attitude that supports department’s goals

3. Basic knowledge of the history of works on paper with the ability (through research and study) to discuss a wide range of topics and answer questions related to the art being shown, both within the context of the Gallery’s collections and in the broader scope of the history of art.

4. Demonstrated cataloging skills, including experience performing data entry within TMS and/or comparable collection management databases.

5. Demonstrated accuracy and strong attention to detail; superior and meticulous organizational skills.

Preferred Education and Experience

BA in Art History or a related field and two years’ experience in an art museum or special collections library with administrative duties and responsibility for handling works of art.

Physical Requirements

Demonstrated proven ability to ensure proper handling and special care of art objects.

Demonstrated physical ability and willingness to handle large print boxes and bulky portfolios up to 40 pounds.

Principal Responsibilities

Required Education and Experience

Three years of related work experience in the same job family and a Bachelor’s degree in a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

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Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.

Health Requirements

Certain positions have associated health requirements based on specific job responsibilities. These may include vaccinations, tests, or examinations, as required by law, regulation, or university policy.

Posting Disclaimer

The hiring rate of a role is determined in accordance with the provisions outlined in the respective collective bargaining agreement.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through  their hiring department.

The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran.

Inquiries concerning Yale's Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA).

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Yale University is a tobacco-free campus.