Museum Curator - II

Placer County is comprised of over 1,400 square miles of beautiful and diverse geography, ranging from the residential and commercial areas of South Placer, through the historic foothill areas of Auburn, Foresthill, and Colfax, and to the County's jewel of the North Lake Tahoe basin. Placer is a great place to live, work, play, and learn! For more information about Placer County, please visit www.placer.ca.gov.

The Department of Facilities Management is seeking a Full Time Curator of Archives to oversee the Archival Management Program for the Placer County Museums Division.  They will receive donations and transfers of official and historically significant records, photographs, maps, and other archival materials from various departments within Placer County as well as from public donors and organizations. This position is responsible for processing and preserving the region’s historic archival resources, as well as making them accessible including through public reference services. They will train and oversee the work of student interns and volunteers to assist with processing and cataloging archival records.  The Curator of Archives will also serve as a member of the Museums Division Exhibit Team, providing research, interpretation, photographs, and other archival materials for use in exhibitions within the Division’s eight museums.

Placer County offers a comprehensive benefits package to employees. The following information represents benefits currently available to permanent Placer County employees and may be subject to change. Applicants should inquire as to the most current benefit package during hiring interviews or by contacting the Human Resources Department.

Click here to view Placer Public Employees Organization (PPEO) benefits.

For more information regarding the benefits Placer County has to offer, please visit Placer County's Human Resources website.

To perform professional museum duties in caring for and interpreting objects and artifacts belonging to or loaned to the County museums; and to oversee and administer specific museum project and program areas as assigned.

This is the full journey-level in the Museum Curator series. This class is distinguished from Museum Curator I by the assignment of the full range of duties. Employees at this level only receive occasional instruction or assistance as new or unusual situations arise and are fully aware of the operating procedures and policies within the work unit. Positions in this class are flexibly staffed and are normally filled by advancement from the entry level.

This class is distinguished from Supervising Museum Curator in that the latter performs the most difficult and complex museum duties and exercises direct supervision over lower-level professional, technical, and clerical staff.

Receives general supervision from supervisory or management staff.

Exercises technical and functional supervision over technical and clerical staff and volunteers.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Care for and interpret items belonging to or on loan to the museums.
• Research collections owned by or loaned to the museums.
• Disseminate information to the public.
• Prepare and evaluate exhibitions. 
• Assist with community education and school education programs.
• Prepare educational materials and publicity for exhibits and programs.
• Assist with budget preparation in assigned program areas; monitor revenue and expenditures.
• Assist with recruiting, training, evaluating and overseeing volunteer staff.
• Maintain appropriate records; assist in the maintenance and daily operation of the museums. 
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with co-workers, other County employees and the public using principles of good customer service.
• Perform related duties as assigned.
• Administer the professional archives management program, including acquisition, processing, and preservation of historic books, documents, photos, and ephemera.
• Receive and track incoming research requests; assist the public with research.
• Determine records and documents that are appropriate for retention in the Archives.
• Administer processing and accessioning procedures.
• Conduct research, analyze information, and write reports for a variety of uses and develop historical context for volunteer training and presentations.
• Train and supervise docents and volunteers in Placer County history, research methods, archival procedures and conservation and preservation techniques.
• Train, assign, and monitor volunteers’ projects in the Archives.
• Prepare for and conduct oral histories.
• Serve as a member of the Exhibit Team.

It is the responsibility of applicants to identify in their application materials how they meet the minimum qualifications listed below.

Experience: Two (2) years experience in archives, collections, education, or cultural resources or performing general museum duties.  

Training: Equivalent to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in history, art, anthropology, the humanities, or a related field.

Required License or Certificate:

NOTE: Relevant, equivalent experience (performing the same or similar job requiring similar knowledge, skills, and abilities) may be substituted for the required education as determined by the Human Resources Department.

Knowledge of:

• Basic principles and practices of professional museum work as it applies to archives, collections, education and cultural resources.
• Methods of interpretation relating to museum artifacts, exhibits and educational programs.
• General principles of educational programming.
• Computer software, including word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and database applications. 
• Principles and practices of work safety.
• English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Arithmetic and mathematical calculations.
• Public relations and fiscal management. Digital asset management systems and collections management software.
• Applicable state and federal legislation and standards.
• Preservation, care, handing, storage, and security of collections.
• Ethical, legal, and technical matters relating to historical, ethnographic, and artistic importance.

Ability to:

• On a continuous basis, know and understand all aspects of the job; intermittently analyze work papers, reports, and special projects; identify, interpret, recall, and explain technical and numerical information; observe and problem solve operational and technical policy and procedures; complete tasks with frequent interruptions.
• On a continuous basis sit at a desk and in meetings for long periods of time; intermittently walk, stand, reach, push, pull, bend, squat, crouch, climb, stoop, kneel or twist to reach equipment surrounding desk and while cataloging, conducting tours, assisting with exhibit installation, or working in the field; perform simple grasping and fine manipulation; use telephone and write or use a keyboard to communicate through written means; see with sufficient acuity to read characters and decipher colors on a computer screen in museum exhibits; lift moderate weight. 
• Assist in performing professional museum duties of interpretation, collection research, exhibition planning, collection cataloging and care and public education.
• Oversee volunteer staff activities. 
• Use various graphic arts techniques.
• Work with various cultural and ethnic groups in a tactful and effective manner.
• Use a computer, calculator, telephone, facsimile machine and photocopy machine.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Independently perform professional museum duties of interpretation, collection research, exhibition planning, collection cataloging and care, and public education. Independently monitor budgets and oversee volunteer staff activities.

Training & Experience Rating (100%)

Based upon responses to the supplemental questionnaire, the applicant’s education, training, and experience will be evaluated using a pre-determined formula. Scores from this evaluation will determine applicant ranking and placement on the eligible list.

Prior to the date of hire, applicants must undergo a fingerprint test by the Department of Justice, pass a medical examination (which may include a drug screening and possibly a psychological evaluation), sign a constitutional oath, and submit proof of U.S. citizenship or legal right to remain and work in the U.S.  For some positions, applicants may also be required to submit proof of age, undergo a background investigation (which may include a credit check, voice stress analysis, and/or a polygraph), and/or be bonded. Additionally, positions in law enforcement classifications and those supporting law enforcement functions will be required to complete a conviction history questionnaire prior to or during the interview process. Applicants for positions with access to Medi-Cal billing software or who are licensed providers must clear the Federal Exclusion List, credentialing, and social security verification. Failure to clear these requirements may result in an employment offer being withdrawn.

The eligible list resulting from this recruitment may be certified as a substitute list for a substantially similar classification. For this purpose, a substantially similar classification is one at a lower level in the same classification (example: entry level vs. journey level) and/or a similar classification (similar work performed, similar training and experience qualifications required). If you are contacted for an interview by a County department, you will be informed of the classification and other relevant information. If you choose not to interview for a substantially similar classification, you will remain on the eligible list for which you originally applied.

Placer County offers an expedited process for qualifying certain applicants for interviews. Candidates currently employed, or employed within the last year, by a public agency operating under a personnel civil service or merit system may be eligible to be placed on a Public Agency Eligible List and certified as eligible for appointment to a similar job assignment without going through the examination process. For more information on the Public Agency Eligible List, to download forms, or to apply, please click here.

Placer County is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to an active nondiscrimination program. It is the stated policy of Placer County that unlawful harassment, discrimination, and retaliation are prohibited and that all employees, applicants, agents, contractors, and interns/volunteers shall receive equal consideration and treatment. All terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, transfer, and promotion will be based on the qualifications of the individual for the positions being filled regardless of the following characteristics: gender (including gender identity and expression), sexual orientation, race (including traits associated with race, which include, but are not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists), color, ancestry, religion (including creed and belief), national origin, citizenship, primary language, immigration status, physical disability (Including HIV and AIDS), mental disability, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics/information), age (40 or over),  marital status, military and/or veteran status, sex (including parental status, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), reproductive health decision making, the person’s use of cannabis off the job and away from the workplace, political orientation, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or any combination of two or more characteristics stated herein. Please contact the Human Resources Department at least 5 working days before a scheduled examination if you require accommodation in the examination process. Medical disability verification may be required prior to accommodation.