Community Archives Program Manager

About the Library Foundation of Los Angeles

The Library Foundation of Los Angeles provides critical support to the Los Angeles Public Library, resulting in free programs, resources, and services available to the millions of adults, children, and youth of Los Angeles. Through fundraising, advocacy, and innovative programs, the Library Foundation strengthens the Los Angeles Public Library and promotes greater awareness of its valuable resources. For more information, please visit lfla.org.

About the Los Angeles Public Library

Celebrating 150 years of service, the Los Angeles Public Library serves the largest and most diverse urban population of any library in the nation. A recipient of the nation’s highest honor for library service—the National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services—its Central Library, 72 branch libraries, collection of more than eight million books, state-of-the-art technology accessible at lapl.org, and thousands of public programs provide everyone with free and easy access to information and the opportunity for lifelong learning.

The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) and the Library Foundation of Los Angeles (LFLA) invite applicants to apply for a Community Archives Project Manager to help research, plan, and implement a personal and community archiving project, “Your Story is Ours: Memory & Belonging in LA.” The five-year grant-funded project, supported by the Mellon Foundation, will cultivate personal archiving in the East Valley, Northeast LA, and South LA through DIY and Mobile Memory Lab activities in neighborhood libraries and community events. DIY Memory Lab kits will empower community members to learn and conduct personal archiving of their materials, including photos, negatives, documents, and oral histories. Mobile Memory Labs, used at outreach events, are staff-mediated kits that enable patrons to digitize their objects and record oral histories. In addition to planning and supervising these activities, the Community Archives Program Manager will help LAPL build a participatory archiving model among LA’s Black, LGBTQ+ Chicanx, and Skid Row/Homeless communities. The model will be developed with three advisory councils from members and allies within each community. The model will have the potential to be scaled to other communities historically mis/underrepresented beyond the project, and it will enable librarians to facilitate personal and community archiving activities that empower community members to preserve their moments and represent themselves in LAPL’s special collections.

Responsibilities

The Community Archives Program Manager, under the supervision of LAPL’s Research and Special Collections Manager and the Library Foundation’s Director of Special Projects, will be tasked with researching, designing, implementing, and managing the five-year project, including recruitment and training of a part-time community archivist as well as community volunteers, overseeing interviews and oral history collection, developing DIY and Mobile Memory Lab kits, outreach plans, and associated public programs to activate personal and community archiving in targeted regions and among the communities the project will center. The Community Archives Program Manager will be supported by a part-time Community Archivist who is expected to start on the project in July 2024.

The successful candidate is collaborative, a creative problem solver, a people person, open-minded, a strong communicator, self-motivated, a multi-tasker, has experience with community organizing and archive development/management, and a passion for LA cultural histories.

The primary responsibilities of the Community Archives Program Manager include the following:

• Develop a DIY Memory Lab kit to teach personal archiving and a Mobile Memory Lab kit for use by trained volunteers to help community members archive physical and digital belongings;
• Design DIY and Mobile Memory Lab public programming, including facilitator guides for librarians and outreach strategies;
• Recruit, support, and coordinate community archivist(s) and volunteers in the project’s target regions and among target communities;
• Plan and implement training for LAPL staff and community volunteers to facilitate personal and community archiving activities in their communities;
• Identify interview subjects and meet with stakeholders in target communities;
• Cultivate partnerships supporting collaboration with community stakeholders;
• Produce documentation, procedures, and collateral material for the project’s public programs and exhibitions to use internally and on the project website;
• Work closely with LAPL’s Oral History Program chair to efficiently organize and store oral histories that will become part of our collection;
• Provide day-to-day direction to the Community Archivist, including project planning as well as timesheet submission, and other supervisory tasks.
• Work closely with LAPL and LFLA project managers to establish workflow, and projects and do overall planning.
• Create advisory boards for each project to better reach target communities and meet with those advisory boards on a bi-monthly basis.
• Develop ways to share the collected stories through in-person activities such as mini-exhibitions, online sharing (newsletters, blogs, social media), and presentations;
• Develop community and educational engagement and school outreach tools and opportunities;
• Assist with planning and production of project website and publication.
• Other duties may be assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree or relevant experience
• Experience and training in digitization and personal and community archiving, particularly oral histories, is strongly preferred
• Keen interest in and enthusiasm for the history of Los Angeles, including LA’s Black, LGTBQ+ Chicanx, and Skid Row/Homeless communities.
• Demonstrated strong leadership skills with the ability to take initiative and be a self-starter.
• Excellent interpersonal communication and writing skills; excellent public speaking abilities
• Outstanding relationship-building skills
• Proven organizational skills and ability to multi-task
• Access to reliable transportation to travel throughout the Los Angeles area (East Valley, Northeast LA, and South LA).
• Ability to travel
• Committed availability for the full 5-year project term
• In compliance with applicable federal and state laws, all LFLA employees will be required to verify their eligibility to work in the United States as well as satisfy a background, including a motor vehicle check, and reference check.

Application Deadline and Information

The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) and the Library Foundation of Los Angeles (LFLA) will accept applications from January 2, 2023-February 4, 2023 (end of day).

Please submit a Cover Letter with your application materials to highlight your experiences and skills that make you an ideal candidate for this position.

Compensation, benefits, and Job Terms

This is a grant-funded, short-term position from March 2024 through December 2028.

The Community Archives Program Manager position is a full-time exempt position with an annual salary of $75,000.00.

This position is eligible for the following benefits: medical, dental, vision, employee assistance, paid vacation and holidays, sick leave, 401 (k) with employer matching, and life insurance.

Additional benefits include parking benefits and or LA Metro Pass, and a 20% discount at The Library Store (exclusions apply).

This is a hybrid position, with a workspace provided at Central Library in downtown Los Angeles, and the selected candidate must have access to reliable transportation for travel within the Los Angeles region.

COVID Requirements

LFLA requires all employees to receive COVID-19 vaccinations as determined unless a reasonable accommodation is approved.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The LFLA is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles, including braids, locks, and twists), ethnicity, religion, color, sex (including childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, uniform service member and veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, age, protected medical condition, genetic information, disability, or any other protected status in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.