University of Calgary | Calgary, Alberta
Full-Time Regular

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Job ID: 28561

Updated: April 13, 2023

Location: Main Campus

Apply for the position on the UofC careers website.

We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the traditional territories of the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta. The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III.

Position Overview

The Department of Archives and Special Collections in Libraries in Cultural Resources is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Archives Specialist.

The University Archives plays a vital role in supporting university administration, teaching and research by acquiring, preserving and making available for use the University’s permanently valuable corporate records. The Archives documents the wider University community by selectively acquiring the private papers of faculty, staff, students, and university-related groups.
 
The Archives’ Information Management Program has the Board of Governors’ delegated authority to ensure the university’s information assets are appropriately managed at all stages of their life cycle from the moment they are created or received, through active use, semi-active storage and final disposition (transfer to the Archives for permanent preservation or destruction).

Reporting to the University Records Archivist, the incumbent works in an environment that requires a sophisticated degree of organization and the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously while ensuring a high level of accuracy. The work is highly complex with a high impact of error since inaccurate advice or action could result in serious consequences for the University, the Archives or the client. High levels of stress due to the broad range of responsibilities, shifting priorities, short deadlines and high volume of work is involved. The scope of the position has influence campus-wide at all levels of the organization and the external research community. Plans, oversees and ensures the accuracy of work performed by junior staff members and contractors. Provides training and coaching to these team members, and acts as a role model and mentor during their employment in the University Archives.

Primary Purpose of the Position: 

This position is responsible for managing the day to day operations of the Archival and Information Management programs in the University Archives. The position is responsible for setting its own and others’ priorities and deadlines, for instituting workflows, establishing or altering practices and procedures, and determining and tracking quality performance standards. The incumbent operates with a significant degree of both independence and accountability. The incumbent has a sophisticated understanding of the university, its mission, values and culture; knowledge of and expertise in interpreting and implementing university policy and procedures and relevant provincial and federal legislation, and applies this expertise when providing advice and direction to university staff and administrators at all levels of the organization and to external stakeholders. Exhibits diplomacy, excellent analytical and problem-solving skills and good judgement in discretionary decision-making which impacts programs, services and the university. Responsible for managing the university’s records destruction program, ensuring compliance by campus units with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the University of Calgary’s Information Asset Protection Policy. Responsible for maintaining accurate inventories for the Archives’ multiple storage areas, and ensuring accessibility of records at all times. Responds to researchers’ requests for information and access to records, and provides clients with information literacy training, as required.

Position Description

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

Management: 

• Manages all aspects of the campus wide Confidential Shredding program ensuring all processes are in compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the University of Calgary’s Information Asset Protection Policy.
• Represents the Archives during the process of selecting the university’s confidential shredding contractor.
• Oversees the day to day administration of the shredding vendor’s contract ensuring performance standards are maintained in compliance with relevant legislation.
• Develops and maintains processes to ensure university is in compliance with the Information Management Asset Program Policy.
• Reviews requests to destroy university records, approving those in compliance with the university’s retention policies (MaRRS) and ensuring the documentation required by the Archives complies with university policy and FOIP.
• Reviews requests for shredding consoles campus wide, ensuring appropriate use of university resources, and providing guidelines for use of the console and the associated documentation requirements.
• Oversees the annual destruction of records from offsite storage, ensuring records are destroyed at the appropriate time according to the relevant retention rule.
• Develops and maintains accurate databases to support critical information and operational needs of the Information Management and Archival programs.
• Oversees the intake of a large volume of records transferred from campus units 
• Ensures preliminary accessioning of non-permanent records is completed accurately and archivists are made aware of relevant issues prior to appraisal and formal accessioning.
• Accessions semi-active records into the library retrieval and management system (ALMA) and spreadsheets ensuring physical and intellectual control.
• Works with the University Records Archivist to identify records of permanent value for transfer to the University Archives
• Ensure records are safely relocated to one of multiple internal or offsite storage locations.
• Develops and maintains systems to support critical information for the operational needs of the Archival Program, ensuring accurate inventory control over new intakes, retrievals, refiles, and permanent withdrawals.
• Manages the annual offsite storage cost recovery from research clients ensuring they are accurately billed for all offsite storage activities during the life cycle of the record.
• Approves invoices from the university’s shredding contractor ensuring compliance with the current contract.

Resource and Training:

• Is the expert advisor, role model and mentor to over 200 Records Coordinators campus wide. Records Coordinators are senior administrative staff responsible for information management within their units
• Is a resource and provides guidance and expertise campus wide to administrative, management and academic staff on matters relating to the management of records including MaRRS (Master Records Retention Schedule), UCLASS (University Classification System) and systems and procedures on the destruction or transferring of records to the University Archives.
• Creates training materials including written documentation processes.
• Ensures that junior staff and contractors are trained appropriately as required and that their work is monitored to ensure both accuracy and efficiency.

Reference

• As part of the reference services team, coordinates reference inquiries, answers reference requests, and directs reference requests to the appropriate archivist 
• Provides reference services to university administrative units in regards to limited term storage (LTS), corporate and researcher records (RE).
• Provides reference service in the Glenbow Western Research Centre (GWRC) as part of a reference service team
• Ensures the security of records and compliance with University policy and privacy legislation when determining researchers’ and campus clients’ right to access records

Qualifications / Requirements:

• University degree supplemented by additional training in archives and records management or equivalent education and experience. 
• Minimum of 5-7 years experience in an archives and/or records management environment.
• Significant administrative experience requiring a high level of initiative and the ability to exercise sound judgement with full understanding of the impact of decisions made
• Excellent working knowledge of archival relational databases (i.e. AtoM), the University’s Master Records Retention Schedule (MaRRS), and Alma. 
• Working knowledge of the Rules of Archival Description or other archival standards, as necessary, the hierarchical nature of archival records, and the ability to read and accurately interpret archival descriptions
• Superior interpersonal, written and oral communication skills are required when responding to a wide range of situations which may include complex, sensitive and confidential issues
• Ability to manage multiple tasks while ensuring deadlines are met in an environment involving frequent interruption and shifting priorities
• A demonstrated ability to work with diverse constituents including staff, students and the local/international research community.
• Ability to maintain a high attention to detail, meet critical deadlines and accommodate shifting priorities
• Demonstrated professionalism in all interactions with internal and external clients and contractors, creating a positive image for the Archives.

Application Deadline:  April 27, 2023

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

Additional Information

This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Specialist/Advisor Job Family, Phase 3.

To find out more about management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary and all we have to offer, view our Management and Staff Careers website. 

The University strongly recommends all faculty and staff are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

About the University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is Canada’s leading next-generation university – a living, growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nation’s most enterprising city, the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery, creativity and innovation across all disciplines. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy in line with the foundational goals of Eyes High, committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (equity@ucalgary.ca) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources (hrhire@ucalgary.ca).

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.