Project Background:

Harry A. Sprague Library & the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) at Montclair State University, is seeking a qualified archival consultant to provide initial appraisal and collections assessment of archival materials pertaining to the Turtle Clan of the Ramapough Lenape Nation.

Montclair State University faculty members have a long-standing relationship with the Turtle Clan of the Ramapough Lenape Nation, a state-recognized tribe in New Jersey. The Tribe is working with Montclair State University to conduct initial appraisal and collections assessment as a first step towards preserving and making accessible tribal materials that are dispersed and at risk.

Responsibilities & Deliverables:

With the goal of identifying, gathering, organizing, digitizing, and offering greater intellectual access to the collection which includes documents, photographs, and multimedia material, the consultant will:

• Complete a collections assessment of relevant materials;
• Conduct a preservation needs assessment;
• Play an important role in building relationships with community members;
• Offer detailed recommendations for preserving, digitizing, and expanding the collection;
• Prepare a detailed final report containing their findings and recommendations.

This project is a partnership between the faculty of Montclair’s Native American & Indigenous Studies Program (a Minor within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences), the Sprague Library Archives, and the Turtle Clan Ramapough Tribe of New Jersey. The successful applicant will be working closely with Dr. Mark Clatterbuck (RELG), Dr. Elspeth Martini (HIST), Dr. Chris Matthews (ANTH), Dr. Maisa Taha (ANTH), and Mr. Paul Martinez (Sprague Library  Archivist).

Required Qualifications:

• Master's degree in library and information science from an ALA-accredited institution with an archives management emphasis or concentration;
• Professional experience assessing complex, multi-series archival collections applying standardized archival principles, methods, skills, knowledge and experience to achieve specific objectives according to accepted criteria within the library and archives;
• Experience doing collections assessment;
• Experience with community archiving;
• Experience with digitization of material.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience working with Indigenous communities;
• Experience with oral history production and materials management;
• Experience with grant writing and/or administration.

Timeline:

• The project will involve roughly a total of 150 hours of site visits, consultation, and report preparation. 

Application Materials:

• Required: Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for 2 professional references to Dr. Mark Clatterbuck at the following email address: clatterbuckm@montclair.edu
• Optional: We invite applicants to also submit a sample collections assessment and/or assessment work plan from a previous project.
• We’ll begin reviewing application materials on October 17, 2022 and continue until the position is filled.

Submit specified application materials to clatterbuckm@montclair.edu.