| Harvard University invites applications and nominations for the Curator of the Harvard Theatre Collection (HTC). The Curator provides vision, leadership, advocacy, interpretation, and passion for the collection and serves as the catalyst and coordinator for a dynamic group of activities and individuals dedicated to connecting the holdings of the HTC to Harvard faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and an international community of scholars, writers, composers, artists, and other researchers. The Curator develops, hones, and implements a strategy for building the collection through gifts and purchases that add to the existing strengths of the collection and forge new areas that support ongoing and emerging research in the performing arts. The Curator represents the HTC to individuals and groups of faculty, students, researchers, donors, the theatre community, the media, and other external constituents. The successful candidate will possess deep subject knowledge of at least one major component of the collection; the ability to master over time the broad range of subject areas represented in the collection; enthusiasm for working with faculty and students; proclivity for adopting new technologies that will improve access to and use of HTC holdings; and a collaborative and collegial outlook and spirit.
Founded in 1901, the Harvard Theatre Collection represents one of the oldest, largest, and finest performing arts collections of its kind in the world. It includes documentary material pertaining to the history of the performing arts, including the fields of theater, dance and ballet, and opera and musical theater. The collection also includes a large number of archives of personal and organizational papers, which preserve the legacies of many significant figures and institutions in the performing arts. It also includes large numbers of rare books, manuscripts, letters, photographs, audiovisual materials, programs, playbills, music, ephemera, and many other forms of documentation of performance and popular entertainment, conceived broadly. For more information, see:
http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/collections/htc/index.cfm
The Harvard Theatre Collection is one of the main curatorial departments of Houghton Library, the principal repository for rare books and manuscripts at Harvard University, serving primarily the research and teaching needs of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, along with an international community of scholars, students, and other researchers. Houghton’s holdings include particular strengths in American, Continental, and English history and literature and other special concentrations such as printing, graphic arts, and the theater. The Library collaborates with and contributes to Harvard’s broader array of rare book, manuscript, archive, and special collections repositories and general collections. For more information, see: http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/
Typical Duties & Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
- Establishes and implements vision and strategic and annual goals for the HTC.
- Manages the HTC budget for acquisitions and programs.
- Collaborates with faculty to design and host classes that allow students to learn directly from the primary source holdings of the HTC.
- Promotes the HTC by planning , managing, and creating content for a robust program of exhibitions, lectures, symposia, performances, publications, and other activities that present and interpret the holdings of the HTC for a wide set of audiences.
- Works with dealers, private collectors, and donors to develop the collections through purchase and gift.
- Participates in development efforts by cultivating donors and preparing funding proposals for gifts and grants.
- Provides expert reference and research consultation for users of the HTC and, as appropriate, the holdings of Houghton Library.
- Assists with the cataloging and archival processing of new acquisitions and materials in backlogs by assessing collections, establishing priorities, and providing input on records and finding aids.
- Collaborates with librarians and library staff at Houghton, Harvard, and other institutions, as well as scholars and students, to identify, plan, and execute projects that supply access to HTC holdings in digital form, so that they can be discovered and utilized using emerging research and teaching methodologies.
- Identifies items in need of conservation treatment and works with staff to develop and review treatment plans.
- Coordinates with Houghton registrar to handle loan requests.
- Collaborates with Houghton administration, fellow curators, and other staff to publicize, select, and manage research fellowships.
- As a member of the Collections Division, works with fellow Houghton Curators and other staff on long-range and annual planning and the development and implementation of curatorial policies and procedures.
- Collaborates as appropriate with staff of library collections and programs at Harvard, whose missions align with the HTC, such as Harvard College Library Collection Development, the Loeb Music Library, the Harvard Film Archives, the Office of the Arts at Harvard, the Dramatic Arts at Harvard, and the American Repertory Theater.
- Participates and assumes leadership roles in appropriate groups in Houghton Library, the Harvard Libraries, and the University.
- Cultivates and maintains a strong presence in the research and performance communities of the major HTC subject areas and in the library and archives profession
Supervisory Responsibilities:
May supervise staff, students, and interns, as needed. |
Audiovisual Archiving Jobs 