City and County of San Francisco

Under general direction, supervises the staff and manages and coordinates the operations of the registration division in support of the museum's collections management and exhibition programs.

Incumbents in Class 3558 Senior Registrar are responsible for planning and directing the collections management activities of a museum: this class is distinguished from class 3556 Museum Registrar by its planning, supervisory and management responsibilities.

Supervises the work of registration staff, including registrars, interns, and volunteers.

According to Civil Service Commission Rule 9, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

1. Manages the operations of the registration department; plans, prioritizes and schedules workload, delegating specific tasks as necessary to subordinate staff; assesses resource needs and recommends adjustments as required; prepares and administers the budget for the registration department; assists in the development of exhibition and museum-wide special project budgets; ensures compliance with Federal, State, and local laws and prevailing museum ethical standards relating to collections management; develops and implements museum-wide systems and procedures for effective collections management in consultation with senior staff.

2. Supervises the work of registration staff; assigns and directs work, monitors and evaluates performance of subordinate personnel, including registrars and clerical staff as well as preparators, packers, photographers and temporary project work crews engaged in collections management functions; provides training and fosters professional development.

3. Oversees the receipt, inspection, accession, documentation, and cataloging of objects acquired for collections and/or exhibitions; oversees deaccession procedures in compliance with collection management policies.

4. Supervises care and security of the museum's collections of art and artifacts on site; coordinates with conservators regarding the conditions necessary to store objects in a seismically safe, temperate place and best use of available space; controls art storage area; oversees periodic inventories of collection areas; ensures maintenance of accurate storage records and shelf lists.

5. Manages the internal and external movement, storage, and location tracking of art objects in order to guarantee security of the collections, coordinating with conservators, designers, preparators, curators and other museum staff.

6. Oversees and ensuring proper arrangements for insurance on permanent collection, outgoing or incoming loans, including execution of applications for federal indemnification of international exhibitions, maintenance of insurance coverage and processing liability and damage claims.

7. Prepares and/or reviews agreements and arrangements for outgoing and incoming loans, special exhibitions or permanent installation of objects, including contractual arrangements, loan agreement forms, exhibition contracts, condition reports, facility reports, supplying photographs, cataloging information, and other documents related to collections management functions.

8. Makes and/or reviews shipping arrangements for incoming and outgoing objects, including coordinating the packing, crating and couriering of objects; establishes the date and method of shipping items; ensures that objects are inspected and condition reports completed. Works collaboratively with museum staff including curators, conservators, preparators, packers, as well as representatives of other museums and outside art handling personnel such as airline personnel and cargo handlers in coordinating, scheduling, and monitoring the safe and legal movement of objects.

9. Supervises a comprehensive collection documentation system, including both computerized and manual records; manages the implementation and maintenance of the computerized collections management system; designs and prepares reports; works with curators and other staff to meet informational needs regarding art objects.

10. Researches and provides accurate information to museum staff, representatives of other museums and the general public regarding loans, special collections, catalog information, packing, shipping, and insurance; promotes compliance with federal, state, and local laws relating to art collections management.

11. Coordinates activities of registration department with other museum departments; promotes good working relationships between registration staff and museum colleagues; coordinates preparations for meetings of committees on acquisitions, loans and exhibitions; identifies issues, prepares agenda, and arranges for art objects to be on view; serves as liaison with dealers, private collectors and lenders, artists, appraisers and representatives from other museums.

12. Serves as a courier accompanying valuable objects of art in transit as required; accompanies art to offsite storage or airport cargo facility, oversees containerization and security; coordinates with customs broker; travels with art; supervises loading and unloading of crates at airport, borrowing museum and other venues; may oversee installation of objects at borrowing museums.

13. May oversee inspection of exhibitions to ensure proper environmental conditions and security.

14. Performs related duties as required.

Knowledge of: principles and practices of professional art/artifact registration; collections management standards and procedures; principles and practices of museum records management; computerized registration methods and related data processing techniques; principles and procedures used to handle, inspect, label and store fragile objects of art and to protect art objects from environmental hazards; legal standards and law applicable to collections management; fine arts insurance practices and procedures; and a general knowledge of fields such as art, art history and anthropology relative to the collection.

Ability to: maintain detailed, complex records pertaining to the management, movement, exhibition, storage, and disposition of art objects; use a computer to input and maintain records and to produce reports and correspondence; prepare clear, accurate and understandable documents such as reports, memos, correspondence and statistical data; evaluate information, set priorities and establish an appropriate course of action for self and/or others in order to accomplish specific goals; assign, train, direct and evaluate the work of subordinate staff; manage the functions of a museum registration department; identify future department needs, develop budget and staffing plans; design effective systems for collections management; coordinate functions with other museum departments; speak in a clear, well-organized and concise manner in order to provide work-related information appropriate to the understanding of the listener; listen, ask relevant questions and effectively elicit information; deal tactfully and courteously with a variety of individuals and groups and establish and maintain effective working relationships.

1. Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university in art, art history, museum studies, arts administration or a closely related field and five years of verifiable museum registration experience; OR

2. Possession of a master's degree from an accredited college or university in art, art history, museum studies, arts administration or a closely related postgraduate program and three year of verifiable museum registration experience.

AND 3. Computer literacy in word processing, data base management and a computerized registration system.

All City and County of San Francisco employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law (California Government Code Section 3100-3109). Employment with the City requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker-related training as assigned, and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.