Description:
The Registrar position at the IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (IUMAA) plays a crucial role within the Collections and Curatorial team. Their commitment to ethical practices supports collections care, research, data management, and Indigenous stewardship.
Department-Specific Responsibilities
- Oversees policies, procedures, and loans for all collections.
- Serves as the primary point of contact for internal and external colleagues regarding loan procedures, insurance, contracts, and lender negotiations.
- Fosters relationships within the museum field, IU campus, and the broader community.
- Prioritizes collaboration.
- Collaborates with collections team to prepare and forecast budgets.
- Manages documentation and legal paperwork for IUMAA's collection; attains legal custody and copyright of collections donated, purchased, or transferred to the IUMAA.
- Oversees the creation of all associated documents, files, and electronic records.
- Collaborates with NAGPRA and Indigenous communities.
- Manages potential risks to IUMAA, including legal issues, insurance, environmental concerns, and physical housing of artifacts.
- Ensures that the museum staff is aware of and adheres to laws and regulations affecting the collections and temporary holdings while mitigating potential risks.
- Interfaces with insurance office to mitigate risks.
- Oversees packing, shipping, processing, generation of contracts, tracking, documentation of condition, insurance, and care of all artifact loans to and from the IUMAA.
- Manages documentation for loans and insurance, ensuring compliance with descendant community/Indigenous stewardship protocols.
- Develops documentation improvement plans to enhance museum operations.
- Improves collections management policies, including shared-stewardship models through audit of databases and documentation systems as well as overseeing continuous inventory of collections.
- Maintains detailed records for outreach and repatriation processes.
- Establishes procedures to uphold ethical standards.
- Adheres to museum policies on external communications, facilitation of access requests.
- Participates in grant applications for collections support.
- Serves on committees and working groups.
General Responsibilities
- Creates and manages the database for collection records which includes processing, photographing, cataloging, and locating all incoming exhibits in the museum system.
- Generates reports depending on the need and information entered. (These reports are needed to list object locations for inventory purposes, to provide the object's information for gift documentation, to provide collection and statistical data, and financial information as requested by the budgetary team).
- Oversees arrangements and documentation for new acquisitions and registration aspects of incoming and outgoing artwork, artifacts, and collections loans, including working with donors and lenders.
- Prepares outgoing and incoming loan documentation and receipts.
- Provides rights and reproductions documentation when requested.
- Coordinates with photographers for high-resolution images.
- Manages paper and digital files and creates forms as needed to ensure efficient workflow.
- Assists with budget and strategic planning.
- Coordinates with IT to ensure collections database and multimedia servers are maintained and ensures staff technology requirements are satisfied.
- Oversees collections storage security by monitoring humidity and temperature fluctuations.
- Ensures a secure environment for collections and staff, pest management, HVAC and cleaning personnel.
- Inventories collections.
- Manages student workers.
- Maintains statistical data.
- Updates conservation records with conservation treatment reports provided by independent conservators.
- Attends training.
- Trains users.
- Coordinates with moving and setups and other collections handlers to ensure the safe transportation of artwork, artifacts, and collections.
- May provide guidance and delegate administrative tasks to other museum services staff.
- May make process recommendations for improved operational efficiency.