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Position Announcement



The History Department at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
is seeking a Curator or Associate Curator for the Seaver Center for Western
History Research.  This is an excellent opportunity for an energetic and
flexible person with a commitment to and experience with special
collections, research, exhibition content development, and public service.

JOB DESCRIPTION
The curator will provide leadership to staff, volunteers, scholars, and the
general public, according to professional standards and procedures.  The
curator is expected to enhance, organize, evaluate, and publicize the
collection; prepare reports; and seek funding through grants and other
funding opportunities.

Major responsibilities include:
        Oversight of all activities involving Seaver Center collections such as
development and elaboration of finding aids; coordination of cataloguing;
direct supervision of two collections managers and varying numbers of
volunteers, student workers, and interns; coordination of acquisitions
utilizing a modest restricted fund for purchases and solicitation of
donations; support of the collections through fund-raising, initiating and
writing grant proposals, and managing grants; collaborating with other
institutions on collection-based educational and other initiatives.

        Participation in History Department and Research & Collections Branch
activities such as overall planning and policy making; mounting exhibitions
and other public programs in conjunction with the Exhibits and Education
Departments;  committee and other institutional service activities such as
fund-raising;  participation in Museum strategic planning and other
initiatives.

        Production of research-based publications in peer-reviewed and popular
journals, magazines, and books based on original research, using the
collections wherever possible; presentation of research results at
scholarly conferences; submission of proposals and obtaining funding to
support research; publicizing the collections and staff accomplishments and
expertise; promotion of Seaver Center's collections and programs through
seminars, Seaver Reading Room exhibitions, and response to inquiries from
outside researchers, staff, docents, and volunteers.

QUALIFICATIONS
PhD, or MLS, or MA in American History or equivalent, plus five years
direct experience with historical materials in a museum, research library,
historical society, or archives setting, preferably with supervisory or
team leadership experience; proven knowledge of electronic cataloguing and
collections management tools; understanding of conservation standards and
treatments; superior written and oral communication and interpersonal
skills; imaginative interpretive and conceptualizing abilities; evidence of
creativity and initiative; knowledge of Western and regional history or
specific topics represented by the collections.

THE COLLECTION
The Seaver Center for Western History Research is a major component of the
History Department.  Specializing in the history of the trans-Mississippi
American West, the Seaver Center contains over 1,300,000 historic records
that include manuscript materials, books, serials, trade catalogues,
pamphlets, broadsides, maps, posters, prints, and photographs, all of which
are research sources and in most cases are also artifacts in themselves.
Another particular strength is manuscripts relating to Southern California,
including Spanish- and English-language personal, business, legal, and
governmental papers.  In addition, the Center contains reference books and
monographs, history journals and magazines, and historic site files
concerning over 850 cultural resources in Los Angeles County.  This
material is available for use by the Museum staff, historians,
genealogists, urban planners, filmmakers, students, and other researchers.

        Photographs comprise the largest and most important single assemblage,
constituting one of the best historical photo collections anywhere dealing
with California and the Southwest.  Over 300,000 images document the entire
spectrum of photographic processes dating from the 1850s, and include
daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, stereo views, lantern slides, glass
plate negatives, and prints.

        Manuscripts and related papers include the collections of early motion
picture personalities, personal papers of several nineteenth-century
Californio families, Los Angeles city and county tax rolls, voter
registers, jail registers, and incorporation records, as well as rare
Mexican-era local government records.

        The map collection contains items from the 16th to the 20th centuries,
and covers all parts of the world, although the strength is Southern
California real estate, transportation, tourism and other materials.

        Posters, prints, and broadsides, and the ephemera collection contain
materials relating to political campaigns, patriotic issues, advertising,
performing arts, transportation, tourism, and development, and other
materials of special local interest, notably the 1932 and 1984 Olympic
games in Los Angeles and birds-eye views of Southern California cities.
Additional primary sources include city directories for Los Angeles and
other communities, and original and microfilmed newspapers from throughout
the region.

HISTORY DEPARTMENT PURPOSE AND USE
The Museum's collections of records and artifacts in U.S. History
constitute the largest such holdings west of the Mississippi River.  The
principal purpose for collecting and preserving these materials is for
exhibition, for research, for loan to other institutions, and for
publication.  Research associated with exhibitions and collections leads to
critical and basic understanding of the past as well as revised
interpretations of our regional and national heritage.  The History
Collection is unique due to its diversity and wide representation of
American history as well as for its focus on California and Southwest
history.  No other collection in Los Angeles or in the West addresses
national, regional, and local history; no other collection addresses the
significance to the nation of California and the West; this is the only
collection that interprets either U.S. or Los Angeles history comprehensively.

SALARY & POSITION LEVEL
The successful candidate for this position will be hired at the Curator or
Associate Curator level, depending on qualifications.  Annual salary:
$43,000 - $55,000, depending on experience, plus benefits.

TO APPLY
As previously announced, review of applications began June 16, 2000, and
additional applications are welcomed and will be reviewed to an
undetermined time.  The position will be filled and the start date
determined when the ideal candidate has been identified.  Letters of
application, including a complete resume or C.V., and the names and contact
information for three references, should be sent via U.S. mail to:

Janet R. Fireman
Curator & Chief of History
Natural History Museum
900 Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90007



Janet R. Fireman
Curator and Chief of History
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA  90007
voice 213 763-3354
fax 213 747-0204
e-mail fireman@usc.edu

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