Research Center Site Manager

Description:

A hub for scholarship and training, the Art Institute Research Center brings together the museum’s Ryerson and Burnham Libraries, the Art Institute of Chicago Archives, and the department of Academic Engagement and Research with the aim of fostering engagement and access to the Art Institute of Chicago’s rich research offerings.

The Research Center stewards resources that illuminate the histories and contexts of the museum’s vast art collection, as well as primary sources that are singular or rare works of paper-based art, archives, and historical documentation. The Research Center’s ~34,000 square feet are composed of eight collection areas and seven office suites, as well as spaces dedicated to microforms and scanning, packing, and receiving of collection materials, and the historic Franke Reading Room where researchers and classes access collection materials. The Ryerson and Burnham Libraries care for 670,000 print titles and 100,000 auction catalogs, and maintain 200 current serial subscriptions and extensive digital collections. The Archives stewards the museum’s art and architecture archives, institutional archives, imaging archives, and digital preservation efforts. The Archives physical collections amount to ~20,000 linear feet, approximately two million items, and thousands of digital records. The Research Center supports museum staff in all of their research endeavors, and maintains public hours to serve the art research community, faculty and students, artists and architects, and inquisitive scholars from around the world.
ABOUT THE POSITION

Reporting to the Executive Director, and working in partnership with the Directors of the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries and the Art Institute of Chicago Archives, the Research Center Site Manager plays a key role in monitoring and managing the systems and spaces that enable the smooth operation of the center.
Collaborating with colleagues across the three Research Center areas, and with the museum’s departments of Information Services, Facilities, Protection Services, Conservation and Science, Capital Programs, and Visitor Services, among others, the successful candidate will lead efforts to optimize spaces and technologies to improve accessibility for patrons, ensure environmental stability for collections, and maximize technological functionality in public-facing services. The Manager maintains a bird’s-eye view of Research Center operations and oversees the logistics that enable the center to operate efficiently and to maximum effect. They bring problem-solving skills, detail-orientation, and enthusiasm for making all the pieces work together to a critical role that helps the Research Center to be a welcoming and inclusive place.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Monitor spaces

• Provide day-to-day oversight of the public areas of the Research Center
• Opening and closing duties for Research Center spaces, including lights and locks
• Liaise with Facilities and manage work orders
• Manage keys and keycard devices and access privileges
• Supervise receiving room and shipments in and out, serve as the point-person for mailroom, offsite collection and dock deliveries and move materials when needed
• Check environmental and pest conditions in all collections areas, and liaise with IPM, Facilities and Capital Programs as needed
• Implement schedules for housekeeping, staff upkeep, or maintenence needs and submit Jira orders for services
• Participate on the Research Center’s Disaster Prevention and Disaster Action teams, maintain guides for staff
• Plan and implement office systems, layouts, and equipment procurement
• Revise and order wayfinding signage

Manage scheduling

• Coordinate with faculty to schedule and prepare for class visits, and supervise class visits to consult materials in the reading room
• Assist the Assc. Director for Digital Research Systems and Strategies in optimizing technological resources for our scheduling and service needs
• Maintain department calendars