Oral Historian of Recent US History
Oral History Center, Bancroft Library

Position overview

Position title: Associate Specialist

Salary range: The UC academic salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and salary point at appointment. See the following table(s) for the current salary scale(s) for this position: https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2024-25/july-2024-scales/t24-b.pdf. A reasonable estimate for this position is $73,000.00-$85,000.

Percent time: 100%

Anticipated start: As soon as August 2025. Start date is flexible.

Position duration: This position is a two-year renewable appointment.

Application Window
Open date: January 12, 2025

Next review date: Sunday, Feb 23, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Saturday, May 31, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position description

The Oral History Center (OHC) of The Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley seeks to hire an oral historian to fill a non-faculty position of academic specialist in recent U.S. history, with expertise in at least one of the following fields: ethnic studies; public history; political history; gender and sexuality; arts, culture, and philanthropy; law and jurisprudence; community history; and the history of education. The academic specialist conceives of, develops, and manages oral history projects; writes proposals; conducts interviews; participates in and coordinates educational initiatives; and engages in public outreach activities and interpretive work, such as podcasts. The position is funded partly through existing contracts and donations, and the candidate is expected to raise funds for projects they propose in collaboration with colleagues.

Associate Specialists are normally expected to have a record of academic accomplishments, including contributions to published or in-press research in the field and a demonstrated record of University and/or public service.

We seek an individual who possesses expertise in one or more of the above-mentioned fields, who is also versatile enough to interview in areas outside their immediate area of knowledge as needed, all under the umbrella of institutional oral history and publicly engaged scholarship. Although some interviewing will likely be conducted remotely, much of the work will be performed in-person in the San Francisco Bay Area. The position requires occasional travel.

Responsibilities

The academic specialist works independently and collaboratively with their colleagues under the general supervision of the director to:

• Plan and coordinate oral history projects documenting various historical topics that align with the strategic direction of the OHC and the UC Library
• Create work plans and budgets, including securing necessary funds, for in-depth oral history interviews and multi-interview projects
• Research and conduct interviews
• Work alongside research, editorial, and technical staff in all aspects of oral history processing, including editing, overseeing production tasks, preparing supporting material, and developing multimedia content
• Assist in development and management of educational initiatives, including but not limited to the annual advanced oral history institute, introductory oral history workshop, and K-12 curricula
• The UC Berkeley Library is committed to supporting and encouraging a multicultural environment and seeks candidates who can make positive and imaginative contributions in a context of ethnic and cultural diversity.

Environment

The UC Berkeley Library is an internationally renowned research and teaching facility at one of the nation's premier public universities. In a highly diverse and intellectually rich environment, Berkeley serves a campus community of 25,500 undergraduate students, 10,300 graduate students, and a faculty of 1,500. The Library comprises 20 campus libraries - including the Doe/Moffitt Libraries, the Bancroft Library, the C.V. Starr East Asian Library and subject specialty libraries. With a collection of more than 11 million volumes and a collections budget of over $15 million, the Library offers extensive collections in all formats and robust services to connect users with those collections and build their related research skills.

The OHC documents the history of California, the nation, and beyond by producing video-recorded and transcribed oral histories and carefully researched interpretative materials for the widest possible use. Since its inception in 1953, OHC has carried out interviews in a variety of major subject areas, which include: politics and government; law and jurisprudence; arts and letters; business and labor; social and community history; University of California history; natural resources and the environment; and science, medicine, and technology. Interviews have been used as source material for monographs, books, articles, stage productions, radio programs, video and film documentaries, websites and blogs, and dissertations and theses. OHC has conducted over 5,000 oral histories, which totals tens of thousands of interview hours. Nearly every interview that has been transcribed is available for the public to read on the OHC website.

The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, is one of the largest and most heavily used libraries of manuscripts, rare books, and special collections in the United States. As the primary center of special collections within the library system at Berkeley, Bancroft supports major research and reference activities and plays a leading role in the development of research collections. Bancroft holdings include over 600,000 volumes, 55,000 linear feet of manuscripts, 3,000,000 photographs and other pictorial materials, 72,000 microforms, and 23,000 maps.

The UC Berkeley Library is committed to supporting and encouraging a multicultural environment and seeks candidates who can make positive and imaginative contributions in a context of ethnic and cultural diversity.

Associate Specialists are academic appointees and are represented by an exclusive bargaining agent, United Auto Workers, Local 8510.

Associate Specialists are entitled to appropriate professional development leave, vacation leave, sick leave, and all other benefits granted to non-faculty academic personnel. The University has an excellent retirement system and sponsors a variety of group health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans in addition to other benefits.

This recruitment will remain open until filled.

Department: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu

Department: https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/visit/bancroft

Department: https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/visit/bancroft/oral-history-center

Unit: https://www.lib.berkeley.edu

Library's Statement of Values: https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/statement-of-values

Why Berkeley: http://jobs.berkeley.edu/why-berkeley.html

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
Bachelor's degree (or equivalent international degree)

Additional qualifications (required at time of start)

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent international degree plus 5 years of relevant professional experience OR Master's degree or equivalent international degree plus 3 years of relevant professional experience.
• Record of published research and/ or interpretive products in the candidate's areas of expertise.

Preferred qualifications

• Advanced degree (M.A. or equivalent degree or higher) in history or a related field.
• Three to five years of experience in planning, conducting, editing, and completing in-depth archival oral histories.
• Formal training in oral history methodology
• Proposal-writing, grant-writing, and fundraising experience
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills and careful attention to detail
• Demonstrated ability to complete projects in a timely manner and within budget, while consistently maintaining high quality
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain good rapport with interviewees, advisors, and donors, and to work collaboratively with project partners, OHC staff, and Library and other stakeholders
• Facility with Internet and periodical database research
• Teaching experience (relevant for this position's public speaking engagements and trainings on oral history methods)
• Ability to work with and guide undergraduate and graduate students, who may conduct research, provide other assistance, and contribute to the UC Library blog
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, belonging and anti-racism
• Fluency with up-to-date software programs such as Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Audition and Premiere Pro; project management software, such as Asana; web content management systems, such as WordPress; MS Word; Google docs; etc.
• Ability to work in languages other than English

The OHC is interested in finding the best candidate for the job and recognizes that the successful candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet all of the preferred qualifications/experiences listed above.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Cover Letter
• Statement of Research
• Statement on Contributions to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging - Statement on your contributions to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in research, teaching, and service, including information about your record of activities to date, and plans for contributing if hired at UC Berkeley. More Information and guidelines.

Reference requirements

• 3 required (contact information only)

Apply link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF04736

Help contact: richard.brown@berkeley.edu

About UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The excellence of the institution requires an environment in which the diverse community of faculty, students, and staff are welcome and included. Successful candidates will demonstrate knowledge and skill related to ensuring equity and inclusion in the activities of their academic position (e.g., teaching, research, and service, as applicable).

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

Please refer to the University of California's Affirmative Action Policy and the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy.

In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality prior to submitting their letter.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.

• “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment

Job location
Berkeley, CA

To apply, visit https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF04736

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