ARLIS/NA Mid-Atlantic

Tuesday May 2, 2023,  3:00pm – 4:00pm ET
https://vcu.zoom.us/j/87293316687

The Mid-Atlantic chapter will conduct its spring business following the ARLIS/NA annual conference on Tuesday, May 2 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. An agenda will be shared prior to the meeting at https://midatlantic.arlisna.hcommons.org/meetings/ and on our chapter website. The chapter includes members from Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Our meetings are open to anyone interested in attending. Please contact the Chapter chair Yuki Hibben if you have any questions. 

National Gallery of Art

Job Opportunity

The National Gallery of Art is seeking applicants for a Federal full-time professional position (NTE four years) in the library’s image collections department.

Image Specialist for Non-Western Art

This position is located on the staff of the Collections, Exhibitions, and Programs Officer in the library’s image collections department.

The primary purpose of the position is to maintain and develop an extensive study collection of photographs, digital images, and other visual material with emphasis on Non-Western Art (the arts of Asia, Africa, Oceania, Native American, and Pre-conquest Latin America) with a principal focus on Asian art; makes the images easily accessible to researchers by adding information about newly acquired and legacy material to the department’s online catalogue.

The incumbent will:

• Perform original descriptive and subject cataloging of images on Non-Western art and images from other periods and cultures as needed. 
• Perform pre-cataloging duties, verifying complete descriptive information about images utilizing reference works both in print and online. 
• Contribute to the development and implementation of the library’s subject and institutional/personal name authority files. 
• Monitor developments and changes in international and national name authorities and subject vocabularies and updates bibliographic records and authority files as needed.
• Perform complex research on the department’s photographic collections of Non-Western Art using authoritative resources in order to maintain a strong base of research material within the department.
• Monitor the physical condition of the image collections with regard to current photographic conservation principles.
• Review the collection of Non-Western art for duplicate material and de-accessions as needed. Monitors the physical condition of image containers and divides contents to safeguard the photos and allow for easier handling.
• Apply subject and technical knowledge of current departmental and professional standards for description and access to analog and digital images for the department’s participation in regional, national, and international projects such as the Getty Vocabularies and the PHAROS Consortium of photographic archives.

Candidates must meet the Qualification Standards Handbook requirements for the GS-1016-11. Specialized experience is at least one year of experience, equivalent in responsibility to the GS-9 level in the Federal service, maintaining and developing an extensive study collection of photographs, digital images, and other visual material with emphasis on Non-Western art at a museum or other cultural institution.

Full details about the position’s duties and qualifications as well as application instructions are available via the USAJOBS links provided below. Applicants must provide ALL supporting documentation at the time they apply to the vacancy announcement in order to be considered.

The announcements close at 11:59 p.m. Friday, February 24, 2023.  

NGA-23-58-DE (Open to all U.S. citizens)

NGA-23-58-MP (Persons with federal competitive status or reinstatement eligibility, or who are eligible under the Veterans’ Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) or other special hiring authorities, including Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment (VRA) authority and Schedule A authority to hire individuals with severe disabilities.)

Note: Persons wishing to be considered under both announcements must apply separately to each.

The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of ARLIS/NA encourages its members to participate in the 51st
Annual Conference in Mexico City. The Chapter will offer one Backlund and two WALRC awards.

Caroline Backlund Award
This award was established in 2002 and is named in honor of Caroline Backlund (1920-2016)
who had a distinguished career as an art librarian, educator, and author. Mrs. Backlund, a long-
time chapter member and received the ARLIS/NA Distinguished Service Award in 1989 for her
contributions to the Society. The Backlund award is intended to help student members of the
Mid-Atlantic Chapter become more involved in the ARLIS/NA at the national level by
participating in the conference and serving on committees. This award is funded by contributions
from Chapter members. There will be one Caroline Backlund Award to encourage student
participation. The award amount is $1,000.

Criteria: Students must be enrolled at least part-time in a library/information science school and
must be current member of ARLIS/NA and the Mid-Atlantic Chapter. Weight will be given to
students who are participating in the conference as a presenter or leader of a group.

Application: The deadline for applications is Friday, January 6, 2023.

Students should submit a resume, a travel budget including any expected funding from the
applicant’s school or other sources, and a brief letter stating the benefits of attending the
conference and the impact that ARLIS/NA will have on their chosen profession.

Washington Art Library Resources Committee Award
The Washington Art Library Resources Committee (WALRC) comprised research libraries in
the Greater Washington, DC area. In 1981, WALRC published Art serials: union list of art
periodicals and serials in research libraries in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area (edited by
Carolyn S. Larson) which proved to be a very useful and popular publication. In 2018 WALRC,
which had been inactive for many years, disbanded and the funds from the sale of the publication
were transferred to the Chapter. The WALRC Award is intended for professional (i.e. non-
student) members of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter to become more involved with ARLIS/NA at the
national level. Funding for the award is provided by income from WALRC invested accounts.
There will be two Washington Art Library Resources Committee Awards for 2023. The awards
will be $1,000 each.

Criteria: Award applicants must be a current member of ARLIS/NA the ARLIS/NA Mid-
Atlantic Chapter. Preference will be given to chapter members who are participating in the
conference or are members of committees or other leadership groups where their participation is
necessary.

Application: The deadline for applications is Friday, January 6, 2023.

Applicants for the awards should submit a current résumé or curriculum vitae and a letter
describing the benefits anticipated from conference attendance, their specific role in the
conference (if applicable), and a travel budget including any expected funding from the
applicant’s institution or other sources.

Please send applications to:
Gregory P. J. Most
Chair, ARLIS/NA Mid-Atlantic Chapter Travel Awards Committee
g-most@nga.gov