Job Description

JOB TITLE: Acquisitions Registrar 

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

COMPENSATION: $55,702.40 annual minimum 

STATUS & HOURS: Full-time, regular (approximately 2080 annual hours) position. 

BENEFITS: Eligible to participate in the 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: August 2, 2023 

DEADLINE DATE: Open until filled 

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

DESCRIPTION: This position exists to maintain and execute processes that expedite collections acquisitions whether through donation or purchase, as well as Collections deaccessions and transfers. The Registrar, Acquisitions (here forward known as “the acquisitions registrar”) will work with collections and objects across multiple collecting areas, including archival collections (manuscripts), sound and visual materials, published materials, fine art, and three dimensional objects. The Acquisitions Registrar will collaborate with curatorial and other staff to oversee and support acquisition workflows from initial donor/vendor contact to final cataloging. 

The ability to think through a project in order to anticipate and avoid potential problems is extremely important for this position. The ability to plan, schedule and coordinate the work of all participants in a project is critical. 

The Acquisitions Registrar must routinely prioritize projects so acquisitions and deaccessions, as well as other responsibilities, are processed in a timely fashion. Most projects require the registrar to work under the pressure of deadlines set by others, and they must be committed to meeting those deadlines while ensuring high quality collections care. 

The Acquisitions Registrar will frequently need to use problem-solving skills to seek out and efficiently use a variety of information sources in different MNHS departments to locate and retrieve requested items and their documentation. Also important, is the ability to anticipate the wide variety of situations and issues related to donor communication and associated data retrieval and interpretation that might hinder accurate data entry and retrieval of an item from MNHS collections. 

The Acquisitions Registrar must understand the professional standards and expectations of collection curators, donors, collections manager, and conservators in order to expedite the acquisitions and deaccessions processes. While collections curators have ultimate responsibility for care of the Society’s collections, the Acquisitions Registrar assumes responsibility for the documentation, record keeping, and integrity of the acquisitions and deaccessions processes and workflows. Questions and problems that are beyond the scope of the registrar’s knowledge or authority are referred to the appropriate MNHS staff person for answer and resolution. 

SUMMARY OF WORK: 1) Manages and expedites the collections acquisition process for multiple holding areas; 2) In collaboration with curators, creates and maintains acquisition processing, accessioning, and deaccessioning procedures; 3) Demonstrate leadership, knowledge, and provide guidance for professional standards; 4) Contributes to highest levels of care and intellectual control of collections, as well as the overall integrity and productivity of the department; and 5) Contributes to organizational strategic priorities and initiatives through active participation in leadership, committee, and other opportunities. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor’s degree in museum studies, library science, history, or a related field.
• Five years of collections registration/collections acquisition experience or equivalent.
• Thorough knowledge of and commitment to standard collection museum/archives registration acquisition practices in a cultural heritage context. 
• Thorough knowledge of and commitment to standard practices for object and collection documentation handling, storage, care/conservation/preservation. 
• Knowledge of collection types and their physical and intellectual management requirements, such as material cultural, fine art, and archival collections. 
• Basic knowledge of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). 
• Able to maintain and act on confidential information with proper disclosure. 
• Strong proficiency including at least 2 years on-the-job experience using databases and/or collections management systems, Microsoft Office Professional software including Word, Excel and Access and Google Suite. Understanding of relational databases and how to build queries is essential. 
• Excellent attention to detail, schedules, and the ability to produce accurate documents and complete records. 
• Strong organizational skills for maintaining electronic and paper files. 
• Strong written and oral communications skills. 
• Demonstrated ability to manage numerous projects often with competing imperatives and to work cooperatively with staff from multiple departments as well as a variety of outside parties.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a team. 
• Demonstrated ability to provide clear work direction to other staff, volunteers and interns.
• Ability to lift and maneuver 40 pound boxes. 
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel. 

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Experience and expertise in Content Management System Ke EMu 
• Experience working within a museum, archival repository or historic site. 
• Experience with office processes and small project management 
• Contextual knowledge of Minnesota and U.S. history. 
• Active in a professional organization and contributing to the growth of the field through research, presentations.

Should you have questions with the application process, email

hu************@mn**.org











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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.

How to Apply

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Job Tags: acquisitions, collections, deaccessions, history museum, registrar, and transfers. Salaries: 40,000 - 60,000.

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