Archival Digitization Assistant

Thunder Bay Museum

425 Donald Street E.

Thunder Bay, ON P7E 5V1

Tel: (807) 623-0801 Fax: (807) 622-6880

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.thunderbaymuseum.com

Duration: 12-month contract, 35 hours per week

Salary: $18.50/hour

The Thunder Bay Museum is seeking an Archival Digitization Assistant to join our team for a 12-month contract. In this role, you will assist the Curator/Archivist with continuing the Museum’s ongoing digitization efforts and making the resulting material available for use in interpretation, researchers, and the public.

The ideal candidate will be motivated, professional, and organized, and will have a high degree of technical ability and expertise in aspects of archival digitization, including scanning, photography and data management, as well as the conservation of archival documents and photographs. We are looking for someone who believes in The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s mission and will demonstrate exceptional drive to assist with our archival collection’s continuing improvement and maintenance.

PRIMARY JOB DUTIES:

Under the supervision of the Curator/Archivist, the intern will conduct various tasks in the

Museum’s archives with an emphasis on historical photographs. These include:

• Cataloguing a substantial portion of the Museum’s collection of historical photographs, including describing and researching historical information about each as required.
• Assisting with research related to historical photographs to assist the Museums’ exhibit development and education outreach programs.
• Assessing the photograph collection for cataloguing accuracy and comprehensiveness, as well as condition reporting and ensuring that items are housed in appropriate conditions, making recommendations accordingly.
• Assisting with specialized digitization projects, such as glass-plate negatives, cellulose nitrate film, or fragile/poor condition items.
• Supervising regular ongoing digitization efforts conducted by volunteers and other contract staff, training where necessary, and coordinating the distribution and storage of resulting files.
• Enhancing the digital availability of the Museum’s photograph collection by improving the accuracy and detail of associated contextual information and metadata.

PRIMARY QUALIFICATIONS:

• Extensive familiarity with various technologies and equipment related to museum/archive digitization, including:
  • Archival/photograph digitization.
  • Digital photography, post-processing and metadata.
  • Museum/archive databases such as PastPerfect.
  • Software such as Adobe Photoshop (or similar).
  • File management and data backup/redundancy.
• Post-secondary archival studies courses or diplomas would be a definite asset.
• Strong historical research skills.
• Experience with museum artifacts and archives an asset.
• Ability to work independently, as well as part of a team.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

 CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

1. Must be legally eligible to work in Canada;
2. Must be at least 18 years of age;
3. Must reside in Northern Ontario for the duration of the contract;
4. Must not have previously been employed through the NOHFC People and Talent
5. Program;
6. Must have a clear certified criminal record check;
7. Must be able to work evenings and weekends as workload demands;
8. Must sign a confidentiality agreement.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

1. Physical Demands: This position possibly involves physical exertion produced by the incumbent in carrying out the responsibilities beyond a standard office environment. The position requires occasional lifting 22 kg above one’s head, crawling, crouching, climbing, lifting, carrying, and performing manual labor-related tasks. It also involves extended time sitting, walking, and standing.
2. Environmental Conditions: This includes conditions in the work environment that have the potential to impact the incumbent negatively. Areas of the job location are potentially dirty (including but not limited to allergens, irritants, toxins, and animal waste), loud noises, and temperature extremes from -40° C to 35° C. The incumbent may be required to wear PPE (personal protective equipment) to mitigate these risks.
3. Sensory Demands: Sensory demands are intense; incumbents will be required to use touch, smell, sight, and hearing to perform their duties regularly. Mental Demands: Mental demands indicate psychological impacts that are an unavoidable part of the job and place increased mental demands on the incumbent.

ONTARIO HUMAN RIGHTS CODE: It is a contravention of the Human Rights Code of Ontario to discriminate on the basis of: race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, disability, age, record of offences, gender identity or gender expression. Therefore, a resume submitted must not include references to any of the above characteristics.

Do not include:

• Photos
• Any certificates that have photo identification
• Driver’s licences
• Police records checks

Note: The Thunder Bay Museum will request the above documentation if you are a successful

applicant, Please do not submit your Criminal Record Check with your application.

ACCOMMODATION: Reasonable accommodations are available upon request for all parts of the recruitment process.

APPLICATIONS:

Resume with cover letter emailed or mailed to:

Mr. Scott Bradley, Executive Director

Thunder Bay Museum

425 Donald St. E.

Thunder Bay, ON P7E 5V1

[email protected]

DEADLINE: 16 August 2024

The Thunder Bay Museum is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minority groups, and women. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority. This is in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements. We appreciate your interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be notified.

About the Thunder Bay Museum:

The Society was founded in 1908 as a historical society, and a museum was added in 1942 and expanded several times since. Though much of its funding comes from the City of Thunder Bay, the Society is an independent, not-for-profit organization that now operates a museum, archives, and historical society in a designated heritage building that it has restored and retrofitted and leased from the municipality. The Society has an annual operating budget of approximately $800,000 and employs eight permanent staff, multiple contract staff, and dozens of volunteers. It also has a capital budget that varies depending on its needs. Staff include an executive director, curator/archivist, chief operations officer, exhibit curator, education and outreach officer, front desk receptionist/gift shop manager, and a bookkeeper