Collections Assistant

Our Mission

The Norman Rockwell Museum illuminates the power of American illustration art to reflect and shape society, and advances the enduring values of kindness, respect, and social equity portrayed by Norman Rockwell.

Equity Goals

NRM embraces the values of diversity, equity, access, and inclusion to create a successful workplace and a more equitable society. Our mission embodies these values. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of identities, experiences, backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the more successful the organization, its employees, and our work in the world will be. Norman Rockwell Museum is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to equity and inclusion. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Norman Rockwell Museum is a drug-free workplace.

The Position

Reporting to the Archivist and Collections Manager, The Collections Assistant is a three-year Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant funded position as part of the NRM’s “Preserving the American Visual Story" project. This project will focus on the following subset of the NRM collection: 1,000 works of art; 2,500 published ephemera including magazines, tear sheets, and books; 1,000 items of photographic materials (mostly prints); 500 items of supporting ephemera, including sketch pads, diaries, and correspondence.

Responsibilities 

The Collections Assistant's chief responsibilities are to inventory, catalog, research, condition report, rehouse, label, and create contextual materials and background information for the objects to be identified by this project, to ensure each work is properly identified, described, and institutionally recorded in preparation for responsible digitization.

While working with each object the Collections Assistant will flag those which 1) need additional research into provenance, 2) would benefit from additional cultural and contextual research, 3) need rehousing, and 4) need conservation

Additional Responsibilities

• Creating and updating computerized records in the collections management system, EMu, and the online public portal, IMu; as well as updating the physical acquisition files.
• Ensuring and overseeing that object handling is in accordance with best practices and standards within the museum field.
• Ensuring and overseeing the safe digitization of selected materials.
• Conducting regular permanent collection inventories; maintaining internal and external records relating to object movement for grant activities.
• Assisting with the creation of social media content to support and share grant-related activities.
• Assisting the Curatorial team to utilize the newly cataloged and digitized materials for inclusion in exhibitions and related educational products and programs.
• Following and updating the EMu cataloging style guide to ensure sustainability of project efforts.
• Working with seasonal curatorial interns on cataloging and research projects for the Rockwell Center for Illustration History.
• Consulting with scholar advisors, the Chief Curator, and the Chief of Curatorial Affairs to ensure accurate contextual descriptions for selected collections.