Employment

Program Assistant

Rare Book School seeks an organized, conscientious, and detail-oriented part-time Program Assistant to join the Programs department in facilitating excellent education programming.

This position is a temporary appointment, through mid-August 2024, with the opportunity for renewal for another year. This is an administrative-based position, with 10–20 hours per week during the Spring semester and 40­–50 hours per week during the summer (mid-May through the first week of August), with overtime wages for hours worked over 40 per week. Wages will be $15 per hour. The Program Assistant reports to the Director of Programs & Education and will work with members of the Programs department to maintain and improve upon the successful programming of RBS’s in-person and online courses.

Undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to apply. Must be based in Charlottesville for the summer months.

The Program Assistant will be asked to:

  • support programs logistics for course sessions;
  • assist with writing and disseminating course-specific advertising;
  • liaise with RBS faculty members about their course materials, including print and digital workbooks;
  • print and bind course workbooks, and prepare other print and digitally distributed course materials;
  • communicate regularly with RBS faculty members and applicants as well as individuals who are sponsoring, supporting, or variously related to RBS courses and programs;
  • for courses in Charlottesville, assist with setting up classrooms, participant registration, evening receptions, communicating with conference services and students about dormitory housing, assist with catering and catering staff, &c.;
  • facilitate connections between RBS and UVA departments and students;
  • carry out other program-related duties as needed.

Our organization, now in its 41st year, offers a fast-paced, creative, and collaborative work environment located in the Edgar Shannon Library, on Central Grounds at the University of Virginia. We provide cutting-edge, specialized instruction vital for understanding and preserving artifacts central to our cultural heritage.

Rare Book School is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer as a nonprofit affiliated with the University of Virginia. RBS is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and welcoming environment that embraces a richly diverse representation of human attributes, perspectives, and disciplines. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, citizenship status, Vietnam era or special disabled veteran’s status, or sexual orientation. We champion an accessible, diverse, and inclusive learning environment and invite candidates to review Rare Book School’s Inclusive Excellence goals (see http://www.rarebookschool.org/inclusive-excellence-plan).

Required qualifications: Qualified applicants must have a strong attention to detail; steady work ethic; integrity; strong written and oral communications skills; an interest in planning events; and the ability to deliver high-quality customer service. The Program Assistant will be asked to work longer hours, including weekends, during summer class sessions. The position will run through the second week of August 2024, with potential for renewal at that time. The successful candidate will work in the Charlottesville, VA RBS office. In-office or on-site work will be required, although we encourage flexibility in work schedules.

Desired qualifications: Proficiencies with Mac operating systems and the MS Office Suite; ability to work with database systems; an interest in or familiarity with one or more of the constituencies from which our students and faculty principally come (e.g., book history & bibliography, special collections librarianship, book arts, antiquarian bookselling, archives, digital humanities, and higher education); and familiarity with The Chicago Manual of Style and the Adobe Creative Suite.

To apply, applicants should submit the following materials to Laura Perrings, Director of Programs & Education, at laura.perrings@virginia.edu:

1) A cover letter
2) A curriculum vitae
3) The phone numbers and email addresses of at least three references, at least one of whom has served as your supervisor (we will not contact references until the offer stage)

In your cover letter, please address: 1) your competency and experience with regard to the responsibilities and desired qualifications; 2) why you are interested in working for Rare Book School; 3) your efforts to advance the values of diversity and inclusion in your studies or work experiences, and 4) when you will be available to begin.

Review of applications will begin March 25, 2024; applications will remain open until the position is filled. 

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Summer Assistants

Rare Book School (RBS) at the University of Virginia provides continuing-education opportunities for students from all disciplines and skill levels to study the history of written, printed, and digital materials with leading scholars and professionals in the field. Each summer, RBS offers a series of week-long courses on the history of the book and bibliography in Charlottesville, at remote partner institutions in New York City, Philadelphia, and elsewhere, as well as online classes.

For the summer course sessions in Charlottesville, RBS is hiring Summer Assistants who will provide support in managing course sessions, catering, and other tasks related to the running of our summer programming. This is an exciting opportunity to participate in a leading humanities organization and aid in Rare Book School’s mission of creating a “community equipped to advance historically informed understandings of our cultural heritage.”

RBS is seeking conscientious, detail-oriented, and service-driven undergraduate and graduate students as well as early career professionals to work as Summer Assistants in Charlottesville during the following weeks:

  • 28–31 May
  • 2–7 June
  • 9–14 June
  • 7–12 July
  • 21–26 July
  • 28 July–2 August
  • 5–9 August

The Summer Assistants will also work in the days leading up to and following each course week.

The starting wage for this position is $15 an hour, with time-and-a-half paid for hours worked over 40 hours. Summer Assistants typically work 40–50 hours a week when courses are running, including work on the weekends.

During each course week, RBS provides housing in apartment-style dormitories for summer staffers who are not based in Charlottesville. Breakfast, lunch, coffee/tea, and some dinners are provided. Staff who work four full weeks are eligible for a tuition credit for one RBS course.

Depending on the nature and focus of their work, assistants report to managers either in RBS’s Programs or Collections division who create their weekly schedules. Tasks and projects are supervised by full-time members of the Programs and Collections team.

Responsibilities may include:

  • Retrieving collections materials (books, artifacts, and other objects) from RBS collections storage areas
  • Assisting with the transport of collections materials to classrooms in UVA Library’s main library and in the Harrison/Small Special Collections building
  • Organizing collections materials and other classroom supplies in the classrooms
  • Assisting RBS faculty members with teaching needs (e.g., making and assembling photocopies, arranging classroom materials, setting up show-and-tells, &c.)
  • Assisting with RBS class visits to the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
  • Assisting with lab sessions (e.g., printmaking, papermaking)
  • Assisting with the preparation of materials such as nametags
  • Helping prepare spaces for RBS events (e.g., lectures, coffee breaks, lunches, and dinners)
  • Assisting in food preparation, making coffee, managing catering orders, grocery shopping, and clean up
  • Other related tasks as assigned

Required Qualifications:

  • Demonstrated interest in book history, book arts, librarianship, archives, bibliography, languages, and/or history
  • Interest in service-oriented, hospitality role
  • Punctuality
  • Organizational skills
  • Ability to lift up to 30 pounds, ability to push/pull carts with books and classroom materials, or carts carrying food and drink, and ability to stand for at least as long as an hour
  • Basic aptitude with computers and related devices

Desired Qualifications:

  • Previous experience working in a library or similar education setting
  • Previous experience in food services
  • Driver’s license
  • Use of a car

Please note that the RBS workspace is a standard special collections library environment with possible exposure to mold and dust.

Please submit a cover letter, a resume, and the names of two professional references to laura.perrings@virginia.edu.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all open positions are filled.

Rare Book School (RBS) is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and welcoming environment that embraces a richly diverse representation of human attributes, perspectives, and disciplines. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, citizenship status, Vietnam era or special disabled veteran’s status, or sexual orientation.

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Summer IT Assistants

Rare Book School (RBS) at the University of Virginia provides continuing-education opportunities for students from all disciplines and skill levels to study the history of written, printed, and digital materials with leading scholars and professionals in the field. Each summer, RBS offers a series of week-long courses on the history of the book and bibliography in Charlottesville, at remote partner institutions in New York City, Philadelphia, and elsewhere, as well as online classes.

RBS is seeking conscientious, detail-oriented, and service-driven undergraduate and graduate students as well as early career professionals to work as IT Assistants for RBS classes taught in Charlottesville during the following weeks:

  • 28–31 May
  • 2–7 June
  • 9–14 June
  • 7–12 July
  • 21–26 July
  • 28 July–2 August
  • 5–9 August

The IT Assistants will also work in the days leading up to and following each course week.

The starting wage for this position is $15 an hour, with time-and-a-half paid for hours worked over 40 hours. IT Assistants typically work 40–50 hours a week when courses are running, including work on the weekends. Several hours of training will be held before the IT Assistants’ first full week.

No detailed knowledge of A/V or IT is required, as training will be provided. However, basic facility and aptitude with the hardware and software of computers, projectors, document cameras, and similar technology is required.

During each course week, RBS provides housing in apartment-style dormitories for summer staffers who are not based in Charlottesville. Breakfast, lunch, coffee/tea, and some dinners are provided. Staff who work four full weeks are eligible for a tuition credit for one RBS course.

Each IT Assistant is supervised by one of the following RBS senior staff members: the Director of Programs & Education, the Program Manager, or the Miranker Online Program Manager.

Responsibilities:

  • Providing assistance as needed during the class sessions
  • Setting up classrooms with appropriate power strips, extension cords, dongles, projectors, and document cameras
  • Assisting RBS faculty members with setting up the AV supplies in their classrooms, connecting them to the local wifi
  • Assisting RBS students with IT tasks such as connecting to the wifi
  • Liaising with RBS staff members
  • Other related tasks as assigned

Required Qualifications:

  • Interest in service-oriented role
  • Basic aptitude with computers and related devices
  • Punctuality
  • Organizational skills
  • Ability to bend, kneel, and twist while setting up power cords and technological devices

Desired Qualifications:

  • Advanced familiarity with IT support
  • Interest in book history, book arts, librarianship, archives, bibliography, languages, and/or history

Please note that the RBS workspace is a standard special collections library environment with possible exposure to mold and dust.

Please submit a cover letter, a resume, and the names of two professional references to laura.perrings@virginia.edu.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all open positions are filled.

Rare Book School (RBS) is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and welcoming environment that embraces a richly diverse representation of human attributes, perspectives, and disciplines. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, citizenship status, Vietnam era or special disabled veteran’s status, or sexual orientation.

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Part-Time Collections Assistant

Rare Book School, an international institute located at the University of Virginia, is seeking to hire two conscientious, detail- and service-oriented UVA undergraduate or graduate students for the part-time position of Collections Assistant. (First- or second-year undergraduates are preferred, as are first- or second-year doctoral students.) This is a nine-month contract for 12-15 hours a week with the possibility of renewal. The starting wage is $15.00 an hour. Successful applicants can begin work as early as March 1.

As a part-time member of Rare Book School’s Collections Team, the Collections Assistant will contribute to the organization and preservation of RBS’s collection of 100,000 items, including books, manuscripts, ephemera, printing surfaces, and other book historical artifacts. The Collections Assistant’s duties include:

  • Labeling, stamping, and flagging newly cataloged books and items
  • Creating archival-quality enclosures, such as Melinex folders, custom boxes, and dust jacket covers for books and related materials
  • Photographing collections materials
  • Shelving and shelf-checking collections materials
  • Organizing and moving collections
  • Dusting and cleaning collections storage areas
  • Assisting with preparatory work for RBS exhibitions
  • Assisting with installing RBS’s public-facing exhibitions
  • Assisting with RBS events and programs, including open houses and courses
  • Updating existing catalogue records and creating new basic catalogue records

Required Qualifications:

  • A strong, demonstrated interest in book history, book arts, curation, conservation, preservation, librarianship, archives, bibliography, languages, and/or history

Desired Qualifications:

  • Solid communication skills and clear handwriting
  • Previous experience working in a library setting
  • Studio arts experience (printmaking, letterpress printing, &c.) and/or experience with a craft that requires manual dexterity and precision
  • Ability to lift 40 pounds and climb step ladders

Please note that the RBS workspace is a standard special collections library environment with possible exposure to mold and dust.

Please send an up-to-date CV, a cover letter, and the names and contact information of two references to Barbara Heritage, Rare Book School, at: beh7v@virginia.edu. Applicants are encouraged to submit their materials by February 23, 2024 to start work at the beginning of March. The position will remain posted on RBS’s website, and RBS will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis until both positions are filled.

Rare Book School is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer as a nonprofit affiliated with the University of Virginia. RBS is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and welcoming environment that embraces a richly diverse representation of human attributes, perspectives, and disciplines. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, citizenship status, Vietnam era or special disabled veteran’s status, or sexual orientation. We champion an accessible, diverse, and inclusive learning environment and invite candidates to review Rare Book School’s Inclusive Excellence goals (see http://www.rarebookschool.org/inclusive-excellence-plan).