The hiring of the Archivist position has been postponed until a later date due to COVID-19.
There are no other vacancies in the Furman Libraries.
The Furman University Libraries welcome applications for a newly-created full-time faculty position of Archivist at the rank of Assistant/Associate Librarian in the Department of Special Collections and Archives.
Furman University is a selective private liberal arts college committed to helping students develop intellectually, personally, and interpersonally and providing the practical skills necessary to succeed in a rapidly-changing world. Furman faculty are exceptional teacher-scholars who mentor undergraduate students within a campus community that values and encourages diverse ideas and perspectives. Furman has an institutional commitment to embrace diversity as an implicit value and as an implicit practice in all of its endeavors. Following an inquiry into Furman’s ties to slavery, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved a series of recommendations that will help educate the community about Furman’s history and commemorate Furman’s first African American students through educational programs, statues, historical plaques, and scholarships. Furman has a newly-established Humanities Center in which the libraries will play an active role.
Our recently-launched strategic vision, The Furman Advantage, promises students an individualized four-year pathway facilitated by team of mentors and infused with a rich and varied set of high-impact experiences outside the classroom that include undergraduate research, study away, internships, community-focused learning, and opportunities to engage across differences.
Furman is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty and staff, and actively encourages applications from members of all groups underrepresented in higher education. The University aspires to create a community of people representing a multiplicity of identities including race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, spiritual belief, socioeconomic background, geographic origin, ideology, world view, and varied abilities. Several faculty interest groups have formed within these underrepresented populations including African Americans and LGBTQ+. These groups encourage interested parties to interact with them during the search process. Furman extends comprehensive benefits to domestic partners of employees.
The Furman University Libraries include the James B. Duke Library, the Sanders Science Library, and the Maxwell Music Library. The Libraries have 26 employees (13 library faculty and 13 staff) and a robust collection of electronic and print materials. The Libraries are a member of the Oberlin Group consortium of liberal arts college libraries and are in the process of migrating to a shared Alma/Primo library services platform.
The Department of Special Collections and Archives houses Furman’s collections of rare books, manuscripts, and the Furman University Archives. It houses the South Carolina Poetry Archives; several music collections, including the newly-acquired Microtonal Music Archive, the largest of its kind in the country; the South Carolina Baptist Historical Collection; and collections of historical objects and artifacts. Collection strengths include African American materials; Victorian London and the British empire; medieval manuscripts; British and American conduct manuals and courtesy books; LGBTQ+ history; growing collections in the history of books and printing; and collections of queer zines and contemporary artists’ books. The Department offers summer research and creative fellowships for undergraduate students and supports high-impact classroom experiences by offering fellowships for Furman faculty to enhance their course offerings using Special Collections materials.
Furman University is located on traditional Cherokee land in Greenville, South Carolina, which is one of the fastest growing cities in the Southeast and is ranked among “America’s Ten Best” by Forbes Magazine. The charming downtown features excellent restaurants, in-town parks, shops, museums, galleries, music venues, and theaters. The city also has excellent public and private schools and a vibrant international community. A 20-mile bike and running trail connects the university to Greenville and to Travelers Rest, which was named “one of America’s coolest small towns.” The surrounding area abounds with outdoor recreational activities and has some of the most beautiful lakes, rivers, and mountains in the country. Greenville is within easy driving distance to Asheville, Atlanta, Charlotte, the Blue Ridge Mountains and Atlantic Beaches. Greenville-Spartanburg Airport runs daily flights to major cities and airline hubs.
This position works in the Department of Special Collections and Archives under the supervision of the Associate Librarian for Special Collections and University Archivist. Their primary responsibilities will be the appraisal, acquisition, arrangement and description, access services, and reference work for the Furman University Archives and manuscript collections. Together with the Associate Librarian, they will work on campus-wide efforts and initiatives on records management, instruction, and outreach. This position works closely with the Digital Collections Center in the Furman Libraries and with Furman faculty interested in creating digital collections and digital scholarship projects using the university’s archival and manuscript collections.
Salary commensurate with experience (minimum $53,000). Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life plans, and matching retirement plan (TIAA).