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Museum Specialist (Art)

National Gallery of Art
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The primary purpose of the position is to maintain and develop an extensive study collection of photographs, digital images, and other visual material with emphasis on Non-Western Art (the arts of Asia, Africa, Oceania, Native American, and Pre-conquest Latin America) with a principal focus on Asian art; makes the images easily accessible to researchers by adding information about newly acquired and legacy material to the department’s online catalogue.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
02/10/2023 to 02/24/2023
Salary
$78,592 to - $102,166 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - This position has an appointment of 4 years, at the end of the 4 years, your employment will end or may be extended.
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
NGA-23-058-DE
Control number
706014000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

US Citizens and Nationals

Duties

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This position is on the staff of the Collections, Exhibitions and Programs Officer in the Library’s Department of Image Collections.

As the  Non-Western Image Specialist, you will:

  • Perform original descriptive and subject cataloging of images on Non-Western art and images from other periods and cultures as needed. 
  • Perform pre-cataloging duties, verifying complete descriptive information about images utilizing reference works both in print and online. 
  • Contribute to the development and implementation of the library’s subject and institutional/personal name authority files. 
  • Monitor developments and changes in international and national name authorities and subject vocabularies and updates bibliographic records and authority files as needed.
  • Perform complex research on the department’s photographic collections of Non-Western Art using authoritative resources in order to maintain a strong base of research material within the department.
  • Monitor the physical condition of the image collections with regard to current photographic conservation principles.
  • Review the collection of Non-Western art for duplicate material and de-accessions as needed. Monitors the physical condition of image containers and divides contents to safeguard the photos and allow for easier handling.
  • Apply subject and technical knowledge of current departmental and professional standards for description and access to analog and digital images for the department’s participation in regional, national, and international projects such as the Getty Vocabularies and the PHAROS Consortium of photographic archives.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a United States Citizen.
  • This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
  • Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.
  • See "Other Information" section regarding Selective Service requirements.

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Your resume must include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week.

Qualifications

Candidates must meet the Qualification Standards Handbook requirements for the GS-1016-11.Specialized experience is at least one year of experience, equivalent in responsibility to the GS-9 level in the Federal service, maintaining and developing an extensive study collection of photographs, digital images, and other visual material with emphasis on Non-Western art at a museum or other cultural institution.

Your application and resume must demonstrate that you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must show in your résumé how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the KSAs identified below. If asked to do so, cite specific examples of employment or experience contained in your resume and describe how this experience has prepared you to successfully perform the duties of this position. DO NOT write "see resume" in your application!

Those applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements will be evaluated against these factors to determine the best-qualified candidates.

  1. Thorough knowledge of art history, with specialized knowledge of Non-Western art (particularly Asian art), its research methods, and its scholarly reference sources.
  2. Mastery knowledge of the principles of library science and its application to image librarianship, including currently accepted data standards such as the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR), Library of Congress classification, professionally accepted descriptive and subject cataloging principles and guidelines, and the National Gallery of Art’s applications of these principles.
  3. Knowledge of the technical aspects of analog image conservation and preservation procedures, including archival photographic storage methods.
  4. Skill in recognizing details in prints and photographs, and dexterity in handling fragile and valuable materials.
  5. Ability to crop, color balance, adjust contrast, re-size images and then prepare them for mounting in the integrated library system as well as the Gallery’s digital asset management system.

 "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills; and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Time-in-Grade: Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement to receive consideration under merit promotion procedures.

CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: For GS-3 positions, education may have been in any field of study. For positions at GS-4 and above, related course work is required. Related fields of study include art, history, museum studies, scientific subjects, or other courses related to the position to be filled.

Additional information

The National Gallery of Art fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

• More than one selection may be made from this vacancy announcement.

• Some positions may require completion of a probationary period of up to 1 (one) year.

AN EXTERNAL SELECTED CANDIDATE MUST BE FINGERPRINTED AND RECEIVE A BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION, RESULTING IN A SATISFACTORY SUITABILITY DETERMINATION BEFORE BEING HIRED FOR THIS POSITION.

• All males born after December 31st 1959 must abide by laws regarding Selective Service registration. To learn more about this law, visit the Selective Service web page, Who Must Register. If you are not registered and don't have an approved exemption, you will not be eligible for employment with the Federal government.

EEO Policy: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/EEO_Policy_Statement

Reasonable Accommodation Policy: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Reasonable_Accommodation_Policy_Statement

Veterans Information: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Veterans_Information

Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application will be evaluated and rated under the Category Rating and Selection procedures. The quality categories are defined as "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified".

Based on your responses to the job-specific self-assessment questions, eligible candidates are placed for selection consideration into one of three pre-defined quality categories as described below:

Best Qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications for the position, candidates must fully demonstrate proficiency in all major aspects of the position.

Well Qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all of the major aspects of the position.

Qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of knowledge, skill and ability of the position.

If you are eligible for career transition assistance plans such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the definition of "well qualified" which is defined as having a score of 85 or better.

Application of Veterans Preference: The Category Rating Method does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three," but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each pre-defined quality category. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent (i.e., CPS and CP) must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly.                                                                                             


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