Job Description

JOB TITLE: Accessioning & Processing Archivist

LOCATION: History Center - 345 W Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102

COMPENSATION: Typical starting range $53,414.40 - $57,512.00 annually

STATUS & HOURS: Full-time, project (approximately 2,080 annual hours) position through April 30, 2027.

BENEFITS: Eligible to participate in State Employee Group Insurance Program and a retirement program with employer contribution. Generous vacation and sick time accruals with additional paid holidays.

DESIGNATION: Bargaining Unit AFSCME Local 3173

POSTING DATE: February 12, 2026

DEADLINE DATE: February 26, 2026

TO APPLY: Interested applicants must apply online at the Minnesota Historical Society’s career center at mnhs.org/jobs and include a resume and cover letter by the application deadline date.

DESCRIPTION: This position exists to accession, process, inventory, and catalog archival holdings of manuscript collections in a variety of physical and digital formats in accordance with Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) procedures and professional archival standards and best practices.

SUMMARY OF WORK: 1) Collaboratively appraise and acquire manuscript collections; 2) Accession and process archival collections, and prepare materials for long-term preservation and public access; and 3) With Archival Collections Cataloger, produce and maintain finding aids and related access tools in accordance with Minnesota Historical Society procedures and professional best practices.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience.

• Four years experience processing and cataloging archival collections.

• Practical experience handling archival collections and creating controlled metadata.

• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

• Experience working collaboratively and independently with varied groups within a complex organization and rapidly changing team environment.

• Experience providing excellent customer service, assisting library patrons, or working with the general public.

DEMONSTRATED SKILLS IN OR KNOWLEDGE OF:

• Privacy, confidentiality, copyright, and related policies associated with acquisitions, access, and use of archives and special collections materials.

• Basic appraisal theory and approaches of manuscripts and archives.

• Ability to create and enter accurate metadata in an integrated library or collections management system (CMS).

• Multitasking, working effectively under pressure to meet deadlines, prioritizing and adapting to changing priorities.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Substantial knowledge of archival appraisal, arrangement, and description informed by an understanding and commitment to sustainable processing and cataloging practices.

• Experience with or familiarity in efficient archival processing techniques, such as “More Product, Less Process” (MPLP).

• Knowledge of current nationally accepted archival principles and descriptions standards, including DACS and EAD.

• Experience with or familiarity in ArchivesSpace (ASpace).

• Experience with or familiarity in using XML editing tools.

• Experience or familiarity in cataloging archival collections.

• Experience tracking and reporting on performance metrics related to archival processing and cataloging.

Should you have questions with the application process, email humanresources@mnhs.org or call MNHS Job Line at 651-259-3181.

At MNHS, we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on diversity for the benefit of our employees, our products and services, and our community. The Minnesota Historical Society believes that an inclusive culture among our team members is critical to our success as a historical society and museum, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. The Minnesota Historical Society is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and employer.

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