Job Title

Community Archivist, The Graterford Archive

Job Description Summary

Haverford College invites applications for our full-time (37.5 hours per week), exempt, benefits-eligible Community Archivist. This is a fixed term position that ends on June 30, 2027.

Job Description

Haverford Offers Great Benefits:

The College offers a comprehensive benefits program that includes possible work-from-home opportunities, automatic 10% retirement contribution to your retirement account upon eligibility (no match required), a 50% tuition benefit for dependent children upon eligibility, 14 paid holidays (including the week before New Year’s Day off), Health Savings Account contribution of $700 for individuals and$1400 for families (no match required), affordable medical plans, and a beautiful arboretum campus with walking trail and easy public transportation access. Please visit the Benefits page (https://www.haverford.edu/human-resources/benefits) for more information.

Work Location: This position will be eligible for a hybrid work schedule, pursuant to the College’s Work Location Policy.

About the Position
The Community Archivist for the Graterford Archive will manage all aspects of implementing a digital archive for this multi-year, Mellon-funded freedom-seeking project. The Graterford Archive is a grant-funded project to develop a digital archive documenting the experiences of those affected by the State Correctional Institute (SCI) - Graterford, including incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men and their loved ones and communities. The project brings together many community groups already working in this space, as well as faculty and students engaging with carceral issues as part of Haverford’s decades-long engagement with artists and activists at SCI-Graterford. The project is directed through and infused by the spirit of “nothing about us without us,” and will involve those from the Graterford community throughout. 

The Community Archivist will join a team working on The Graterford Archive that includes an Executive Director, Project Manager, Faculty Curricular Innovation Director, and library staff. The Community Archivist will also work closely with currently incarcerated partners and community groups. The Community Archivist will be based in Quaker & Special Collections with continued Libraries support throughout the project. 

Primary Responsibilities

• In collaboration with the Graterford Archive team, implement ethical practices in archival and oral history collecting in the context of the carceral state, including documentation of practices and procedures 
• Manage all aspects of the collection and digitization process for archival materials, in consultation with Quaker & Special Collections team
• Identify, develop, and maintain relationships with community partners in order to build the digital archive
• Work closely with community partners to organize digitization events and connect with keepers and creators of relevant materials in order to digitize materials which might be included in the archive
• Research the history of SCI-Graterford within the larger context of the Pennsylvania prison system, mass incarceration, carceral architectures, the history of U.S. prison writing, prison education, and beyond
• Implement the Mukurtu digital platform for the Graterford Archive and upload materials
• Implement metadata schemas and descriptive practices for archival materials consistent with The Graterford Archive’s vision as a freedom-seeking project 
• Assist in training team members and community partners in oral history and archival collection and preservation methods
• Work with community groups also working in the space of carceral archives to find a permanent home for The Graterford Archive 
• Attend regular meetings of the project’s advisory committee
• Support the overall direction of the project and responds to challenges and opportunities as needed

Line of Report: The Community Archivist reports to the Head of Quaker & Special Collections and the Executive Director for the Graterford Archive Project.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• Three years of experience working in archives or libraries

Professional Competencies

• Experience working on community-centered projects 
• Ability to work respectfully, cooperatively, and effectively with project partners, community stakeholders, and campus stakeholders
• Ability to work respectfully, cooperatively, and effectively with people experiencing loss, grief, and trauma as a result of their experiences with the carceral state
• Demonstrated knowledge of traditional and community-based metadata schemas and critical cataloging theory and practices
• Demonstrated project management experience
• Demonstrated strong attention to detail

Preferred Qualifications

• MLIS or equivalent degree
• Demonstrated knowledge of archival and oral history theory, principles, and practices, including community-centered, trauma-informed practices
• Demonstrated experience working with digital collections or digital archives
• Demonstrated ability to work in community, and to facilitate community stakeholder meetings and community centered events
• Knowledge of the carceral system and its history in the United States, particularly Pennsylvania

We are aware that some people are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every qualification in the job description including the preferred qualifications. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and recognize that a successful candidate may come from a less traditional career trajectory, such as having skills and abilities gained outside a classroom context, or an equivalent skill set. We encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of our preferred qualifications.

Special Requirements

• Possession of a valid U.S. Drivers’ License and ability to pass a Motor Vehicle Record check
• Ability to attend evening/weekend events with relevant community groups, including visits to currently incarcerated partners, and to travel to those events, including by car

To Apply: Interested applicants are invited to submit an application, to include a cover letter and resume, through Haverford College's career website via Workday (no other form of application is accepted). The application deadline is November 2, 2025. Application review will begin after the deadline has passed. Please email recruiting@haverford.edu with questions about submitting your materials. Should the search committee be interested in pursuing your candidacy, you will hear from them directly. Finalists will be asked to provide three professional references.

Haverford College is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and providing equal opportunities and access to all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, disability, or veteran status. Women, non-binary and transgender individuals, people of color, Indigenous people, and those with other or multiple historically marginalized and/or underrepresented identities are especially encouraged to apply.

We at Haverford College recognize that we live and work on Lenape land and pay respect and honor to the caretakers of this land, from the time of its first human inhabitants until now, and into the future. We seek to maintain and build upon our current and ever-evolving connections with members of Lenape tribes and communities, in recognition of our intertwined histories and with a goal of moving toward right relationship between the Haverford of today and Lenape peoples.