Posted: Nov 4, 2025

Consulting Archivist

Part-time

Salary: $40.00 Hourly

Application Deadline: N/A

Consulting Archivist

Illinois Humanities

Status: Part-time Contract
Reports to: Senior Director of Development and Communications
Location: Chicago

Illinois Humanities, the Illinois partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that foster reflection, spark conversation, build community, and strengthen civic engagement. We provide free, high-quality humanities experiences throughout Illinois, particularly for communities of color, individuals living on low incomes, counties and towns in rural areas, small arts and cultural organizations, and communities highly impacted by mass incarceration.

For more information, visit www.ILhumanities.org

POSITION SUMMARY

As Illinois Humanities celebrates its 50th anniversary, we seek to create a publicly available digital archive capturing the rich history of our organization and partners. From museum

exhibitions to documentary films and a grantee archive, we seek to catalogue not only the story of Illinois Humanities but of the cultural sector in Illinois over the last 50th years through a dynamic, accessible, and compelling digital archive.

This is Illinois Humanities’ first formal effort to review, organize, digitize, and disseminate our archive and will also require the selection, implementation and operationalization of an online archive system. More recent materials are digitally native files housed on Illinois Humanities’ server and are ready to be integrated into a yet-to-be selected DAM to support our archive. However, the bulk of the archive encompasses physical assets that must be assessed and digitized. In the last few years, Illinois Humanities moved this cache of materials in-house and completed an initial inventory. Physical assets include VHS tapes and CDs, photos, exhibit displays, reports, grantmaking materials, organizational documents, and event collateral.

Our longevity and statewide reach allow us to effectively trace the growth of the cultural sector and public humanities and is of great interest to the hundreds of community partners from public libraries to local history museums, archives, cultural centers and more we work with each year. We seek to launch a digital archive that will help us preserve past output, assist in future program development, and resurface past critical work.

RESPONSIBILITIES

We are seeking experienced candidates for a part-time archivist role who will also assist in the research, evaluation and selection of a DAM product and its implementation. Once the DAM is in place, the archivist will lead efforts to review and catalogue Illinois Humanities physical archival materials while working with Illinois Humanities staff and database /web-development vendors to construct a public-facing digital archive of the organization’s 50-year history.

The ideal candidate will assess our current archival needs, identify the most suitable platform, and oversee the setup and ongoing management of the archive. This role is ideal for an experienced archivist comfortable working independently and making strategic decisions about archival infrastructure.

Primary responsibilities include:

Platform Evaluation & Selection:
- Assess organizational needs and archival materials to determine appropriate digital archiving solutions.
- Work with Senior Director of Development and Communications to research, evaluate, and recommend archival platforms based on usability, scalability, and budget.
Archive Implementation & Management:
- Catalogue materials (e.g. program photos, audio, film and video; marketing materials; grant records; press clippings; educational materials; select correspondence; etc.) and ensure proper documentation, indexing, and tagging for discoverability.
- Refine a comprehensive timeline of the organization's history.
- Oversee the setup, configuration, and architecture of the selected archival platform.
- Develop workflows and metadata standards for ingesting and managing archival content.
- Coordinate the digitization (if needed) and migration of existing materials.
Preservation & Access:
- Implement best practices for long-term preservation of digital assets.
- Set appropriate access controls and user permissions for different archive users.
- Ensure compliance with copyright, privacy, and data security standards.
Project Coordination & Reporting:
- Maintain regular communication with internal stakeholders on project progress.
- Develop timelines, benchmarks, and documentation for archival processes.
- Train relevant staff on use and maintenance of the archive system.
- Develop policies and procedures to sustainably manage physical assets and the digital archive beyond project launch.

QUALIFICATIONS

Master’s degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS), Archival Studies, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
Demonstrated experience selecting and implementing digital archival platforms.
Knowledge of metadata standards.
Familiarity with content management systems and archival software tools.
Excellent project management, communication, and documentation skills.
Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks with minimal supervision.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Experience working with nonprofits, cultural institutions, or academic settings.
Knowledge of scripting or database management (e.g., SQL, Python) a plus.
Background in digitization workflows or audiovisual archiving.

Applicants should have at least 2+ years professional experience as an archivist, preferably in the cultural sector and knowledge of digital collections management platforms.

Schedule is flexible and to be agreed upon with supervisor; approximately 20 hours per week anticipated. Most work will take place at Illinois Humanities’ office in Chicago’s Loop.

COMPENSATION

This is a part-time contract position compensated at $40/hour, not to exceed a total of $40,000 for the full project term (anticipated through January 2027). Rate is negotiable, commensurate with experience.

We are looking to begin this work as early as November 2025 and continue through the launch of the archive.

TO APPLY

Please upload a resume and cover letter that communicates why you are interested in the position and what unique skills and/or experience you will bring to the role.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Step one: All submissions will be reviewed, and the initial candidate pool will be formed after phone screenings. Not all submissions will make it into the candidate pool.

Step two: Candidates in the pool will take part in an interview with members of the Illinois Humanities Team via Zoom or in-person.

Step three: Interviews with finalists will be held in-person, and include a tour and overview of Illinois Humanities' collection of materials; applicants will be asked to follow-up with a written proposal (1-2 pages) assessing the scope of the work; outlining their approach and a timeline for the project, from start to completion; and providing a breakdown of any technical or logistical support required.