State of Maryland

An Archival Assistant II is the full performance level of work locating, retrieving, copying and refiling archival documents and microfilm at the Maryland State Archives.  Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.  

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from an Archival Assistant Supervisor.  Employees may work a rotating shift and may be required to work Saturdays and holidays.  Work is performed in an office and in record storage areas which are low temperature, low humidity environments.  The work requires climbing ladders and moving heavy objects in order to retrieve and reshelve manuscript books and boxes of records.            

Positions in this classification are evaluated using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work Sections of a class specification.  

The Archival Assistant I and the Archival Assistant II are differentiated on the basis of the degree of supervision exercised by the supervisor over these employees.  The Archival Assistant I performs duties under close supervision at times and with general supervision at other times depending on the complexity of the specific duty being performed.  The Archival Assistant II performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.  The Archival Assistant II is differentiated from the Archival Assistant Supervisor in that the Archival Assistant Supervisor has supervisory responsibility for lower-level Archival Assistants.

Registers researchers to use archival records, such as court records and birth, death and marriage certificates;

Explains to researchers the services and procedures of Maryland State Archives and how to use the indexes and catalogues to locate documents and to use the microfilm readers;

Assists patrons with locating documents and microfilm;

Refers patrons to other agencies when documents are not housed at Maryland State Archives;

Retrieves and reshelves documents for researchers and the photoduplication laboratory;

Monitors documents for deterioration and sends affected documents to the conservation laboratory;

Uses discretion in providing researchers with restricted documents and documents sealed by the court;

Photocopies documents for patrons;

Prepares copy orders for the photoduplication laboratory;

Affixes seal to documents certifying their authenticity;

Logs in and out document requests in computer database; Mails copies of documents to patrons;

Sells publications and merchandise to patrons;

Operates cash register and credit card verification modem;

Operates switchboard and directs incoming telephone calls to the appropriate party;

Receives, inventories and stores records from other State agencies;

Reviews outgoing mail for correctness and completeness of requested information;

Sorts and codes record requests;

May oversee temporary and contractual staff unloading and moving records;

May inventory and order supplies for the Search Room;

May tabulate monthly statistics on number of patrons and circulation of documents;

Knowledge of English;

Knowledge of arithmetic;

Skill in the use of indexes and catalogues to locate documents and microfilm;

Skill in the use of microfilm reader printers;

Ability to arrange documents in alphabetical, numerical or chronological order;

Ability to use tact and communicate effectively with the general public;

Ability to use photocopiers;

Ability operate a cash register;

Ability to operate a credit card verification modem;

Ability to operate a microcomputer and use a database.

Education:   Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.

Experience: Two years of experience locating, retrieving, copying and refiling archival documents and microfilm.

Notes:

1. Additional experience as specified above may be substituted on a year for year basis for the required education.

2. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a non-commissioned officer in Archivist classifications or Archivist specialty codes in the Library and Archives field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required experience.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.  

This classification is not assigned to a bargaining unit, as indicated by the designation of S (Supervisor), M (Manager), T (Agency Head), U (Board or Commission Member), W (Student), X (Used by Agency or Excluded by Executive Order), or Z (Confidential).  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.  

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation. An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime as provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305.  

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series.  NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance level in a classification series.  In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series, an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class, as defined by the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.