Hiring Two Contract Collections Assistants for Inventory
The position description is listed below. Please contact the BCHS Collections Curator Ryan Harren at 507-233-2624 or at collections@browncountyhistorymn.org for more information.
The Brown County Historical Society (BCHS) in New Ulm was awarded a Minnesota historical and cultural heritage grant for $8,982 to inventory part of the society’s textile and artifact collection. The project will inventory, catalog, and photograph objects housed in the Brown County Museum’s artifact storage spaces. The objects include textiles, household furnishings, sculptures, and paintings. This project is the second phase of a five-year comprehensive inventory of the 16,000 artifacts in BCHS’ artifact collection.
This project was made possible in part by the people of Minnesota through a grant funded by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Contract Collections Assistant
The Brown County Historical Society seeks two part-time, temporary contract collections assistants to inventory a portion of the Brown County Historical Society’s artifact collection as part of a phased inventory of its entire 3D artifact collection. The work will include reviewing and updating current catalog records to include descriptions, measurements, history, condition, and photographs into the museum’s PastPerfect database. Appropriate marking and photographing of objects is also needed before placing them back into storage. The collections assistants will work under the direction of the collections curator.
Pay is $15 per hour, with a minimum of 20 hours per week expected.
To apply, send a cover letter, resume, and three references to Brown County Historical Society, attn. Ryan Harren, Collections Curator, 2 North Broadway Street, New Ulm, MN, 56073 or collections@browncountyhistorymn.org. Job incumbents may be required to perform other duties not specifically addressed in this job description. The Brown County Historical Society is an equal opportunity employer.
Application deadline: February 5, 2021
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Creates new catalog records if needed in the PastPerfect collections database.
- Reviews and updates existing catalog records and inputs required information on each object.
- Documents condition details of each object, and researches object histories.
- Photographs, assigns numbers as needed, and rehouses each object.
Desired Qualifications:
- Degree in museum studies, history, or equivalent.
- Experience working with historical collections.
- Experience working with PastPerfect or other museum collections database.
Required Qualifications:
- Able to bend, stoop, climb ladders, or reach for and carry items up to 30 lbs.
- Able to write neatly and legibly.
- Be organized and meticulous.
- Skilled at using computers.
- Willing to perform computer data entry into PastPerfect Museum Software.
- Willing to follow established collections procedures and project work plan.
- Able to work as part of a team.
These are positions are grant-funded in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.