Textile Industry Processing Specialist

About the Cornell University Library

With welcoming spaces, expansive collections, and innovative services across our libraries on campus, Cornell University Library is a unified community empowering academic achievement and intellectual exploration at Cornell and beyond.

About Martin P. Catherwood Library and the Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation

An integral part of Cornell University Library, Martin P. Catherwood Library is the most comprehensive resource on labor and employment in North America. Catherwood Library is a service-oriented organization, offering expert research support through reference services, instruction, online guides, and access to premier collections.

The Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation is a leading archives in its field. Kheel's collections reflect the ILR School's mission of bringing together both sides of the bargaining table and the middle, with records that include unions representing the textile, railroad, education, and health care industries; textile mills; key negotiators and arbitrators; and researchers in all facets of labor and employment.

The Opportunity

Under the supervision of the Technical Services Archivist and working closely with the Textile Industry Curator, the Textile Industry Processing Specialist arranges, describes, and preserves archival collections in all formats to ensure their long-term care and discoverability. As the Textile Industry Processing Specialist, you will be primarily responsible for:

• Working with materials acquired from the American Textile History Museum, a newly acquired fashion design collection, and processing work on additional collections as needed.
• Inputting and safeguarding data in the Kheel Center's collection management database and systems of record using archival best practices.
• In the case of the new fashion design collection, will work closely with the Cornell Fashion and Textile Collections to create shared metadata.
• Maintaining and promoting Cornell University Library's core values of advancing the greater good, engaging in a human-centered approach, innovation, integrity, and sustainable practices.

The Textile Industry Processing Specialist is a full time, benefits eligible, 3-year term position.

Core Hours and Location

The processing work will be performed where the collections are housed. Currently that is at the Cornell University Library Annex, the Kheel Center, and the College of Human Ecology. Core work hours for this position are between 8AM and 6PM, with flexible start and finish times, determined between you and your supervisor.

Success Factors

You are considered competitive for this role if you demonstrate:

• Exceptional Attention to Detail & Independence: Ability to maintain focus while processing large, complex collections with minimal supervision after training. You notice inconsistencies or anomalies and proactively address them.
• Strong Archival & Metadata Skills: Experience arranging and describing archival collections, particularly in fashion design or textile history. Proficiency in metadata creation, record maintenance, and working with databases and spreadsheets like Excel.
• Collaboration & Communication: Comfort working with multiple stakeholders, including curators, faculty, staff, and students, to ensure accurate and accessible archival records. Ability to integrate feedback and contribute to team planning while maintaining ownership of individual tasks.
• Project Execution & Adaptability: Ability to efficiently manage long-term processing projects, organizing large volumes of materials while adapting to evolving priorities and institutional needs.

What We Need

• A cover letter and resume outlining your interest and how your experience and goals align with the potential for mutual success in the role are required for consideration.
• Bachelor's degree and up to one year of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated computer skills (standard office software packages, especially Excel, database searching, basic file manipulation).
• Ability to perform detailed work with a high degree of accuracy and consistency.
• Ability to work independently following training and ability to work cooperatively with others.
• Ability to read hand-written documents.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to lift 40 lbs and work around dusty materials.
• Experience in and/or demonstrated commitment to supporting diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and wellbeing.
• Passionate about working in an organization that values and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism, and wellbeing.

If you have all those things, great! We have a few more things that we would prefer you to have, but it's ok if you don't.

• Experience in Library Technical Services.
• Specific subject knowledge in textile history, labor history, U.S. History, or related fields, including academic coursework.

Rewards and Benefits

Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, sustainability, and diversity initiatives.

• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: Understand Your Benefits | Working at Cornell.
• Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1. To offer greater flexibility for observing faiths and traditions we also offer two additional floating holidays. Learn more about our generous leave provisions: Holiday and Accrued Time Off | Working at Cornell
• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program. Learn more about our extensive educational benefits: Education Benefits | Working at Cornell
• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell:Total Rewards | Working at Cornell.

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position.

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