Manager Of Archives at Cooks County Government in Chicago, Illinois

Job Description:

OVERVIEW

The Secretary to the Board of Commissioners seeks a Manager of Archives to work

closely with staff and elected officials to lead the collection and preservation of

archives, papers, manuscripts, photos, records and other material that reflect the

rich history of Cook County. Supervises a team of full-time employees and

contractors. Provides strategic leadership in determining policies associated with

preservation and Cook County archival efforts. Works closely with the Secretary to

the Board of Commissioners Office staff, Cook County Historian, elected officials, all

bureaus, departments, agencies, and units under the Offices of the President.

Cook County offers great benefits and the chance to participate in a strong tradition

of public service. Cook County is home to more than five million residents, roughly

45% of Illinois' population. Cook County Government provides a range of vital

services and programs that enhance the quality of life for residents across the

region. These services range from health care to urban planning. Cook County is

committed to empowering its employees to bring our constituents the best that

public service has to offer.

WHY PURSUE A CAREER WITH COOK COUNTY?

In addition to providing employees with a challenging, rewarding environment for

career and personal growth, we are proud to also offer some of the best benefits in

the public sphere, including:

Top Tier Medical Benefits: Medical Plans, Prescription Drug Benefit, Dental

Plans, Vision Plan and 7 Additional voluntary benefit plans

Flexible Teleworking Options

Generous, Flexible Paid Time Off (13 paid designated holidays; Minimum of

10 vacation days annually; Up to 4 personal days annually; and Paid sick

leave)

Pension Plan

Financial Support Programs and Resources: Life Insurance, Flexible Spending

Accounts - Dependent Day Care, Commuter Benefits, Discounted Parking,

PSLF Eligibility, Deferred Compensation and Education Tuition Stipend

Health/Wellness Perks: Flexible Spending Accounts-Health Care, Employee

Assistance Program and MyHealth Connections wellness program.

Please review carefully the Employee Benefits page. For benefits questions contact Risk Management at 312-603-6385

or email risk.mgmt@cookcountyil.gov.

SNAPSHOT OF COOK COUNTY:

Serves 5.28 million residents of Chicago and its inner suburbs

o 2nd largest county in America

o Larger than 27 states

Cook County employs over 22,000 employees who work in a variety of skilled jobs and trades.

o Nearly 80% unionized workforce

o 15 unions represented

o 63 separate collective bargaining agreements

Highway - Cook County maintains almost 600 miles of roads and highways.

Land - Cook County assesses the value of more than 1.5 million parcels of taxable land and collects and

distributes tax funds as a service for local government taxing bodies.

Safety - Cook County provides vital services to local government, from conducting elections in suburban areas

to offering 911 services in unincorporated areas and municipalities.

LOCATION:

Located in the Loop District of downtown Chicago, one of the most formidable business districts in the world, the area

has an astounding number of cultural foundations, stunning parks such as Millennial Park and Maggie Daley Park, steps

away from the Chicago Riverwalk, award-winning restaurants, and plenty of shopping! In addition, Chicago is serviced

by multiple bus and train lines for public transportation from the suburbs to the city, taxis are plentiful, public parking

garages for motorist, and bicycle share rentals and local bike lanes for bicyclist.

ROLE SUMMARY

The Manager of Archives works with Cook County residents at-large to facilitate strategic leadership in developing

the intellectual and physical infrastructure to create and establish an archival repository for Cook County

Government Offices Under the President that reflect the rich history of Cook County. Serves as the Cook County

Government expert on agency-wide archival management processes. Directs and manages special projects,

including County Historian scholarship and salvage and demolition projects throughout all Cook County.

Responsible for assembling, cataloguing, preserving, and managing valuable collections of historical information

for Cook County. Ensures all archival materials, physical and digital, are safeguarded discoverable, accessible, and

usable in support of Cook County's mission, purpose, and transparency.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

Establishes and implements strategic leadership to establish Cook County Government Archives, which includes

contributing to legislation such as ordinances and resolutions to support the operations of the Cook County Historic

Archives and Records Office.

Leads, evaluates, and manages personnel administration activities for up to (4) FTE professional staff and up to (12)

paraprofessional staff including the County Historian.

Assesses training needs, coordinates staff development programs, mentors, and instructs staff through in-service

training, seminars, small classroom instruction, and conferences.

Participates in the preparation of the Cook County Historic Archives and Records Office annual operations and

personnel budgets, and monitors expenditures to ensure fiscal responsibility.

Participates in the development of service contracts for external vendors, providing services to support the archives.

Establishes and implements long-range planning.

Develops and interprets archives policies and procedures to include the collection and development of policy, archival

management, and best practices for government archives, which includes preservation, conservation, digitization

standards, and oral history program and outreach projects.

Develops, establishes, and manages a Cook County Historic Archives and Records Office library to include a collection

of books, magazines, and other publications for internal staff and external use extended to the public.

Acquire archival materials, including non-active records throughout Cook County including holdings of the Offices

Under the President, elected officials, and County-wide communities to reflect all municipalities.

Duties will include conducting archival appraisal, collection development, selecting and utilizing content and data

management tools, migration, digitization, and digital preservation.

Participates in peer-organized meetings to strategize about challenges in the field, opportunities for internal and

external collaborations, including information professionals throughout Cook County municipalities.

Establishes and maintains partnerships with County municipality agencies and local organizations (e.g. civic and cultural

institutions and schools) in order to promote archive use and programs.

Responsible for remaining abreast with archival practices; obtaining memberships with local and national associations

and consortia; and participating in professional development opportunities, including facilitating presentations,

lectures, workshops, attending conferences, completing courses, and certifications.

Creates and/or works with public information campaigns to increase awareness and utilization of archival collections

and programs.

Identifies, coordinates, and manages the supplies, services, and equipment needs of the Archives.

Participates in monthly Board meetings and fulfilling special requests from the Secretary to the Board of

Commissioners.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Knowledge of the law and library administration. Extensive knowledge of policies and procedures of Library Management. Ability to make policy recommendations. Ability to develop, coordinate and implement programmatic changes. Ability to prepare departmental budget and allocations of funds and maintain the department operation under budgetary constraints. Extensive knowledge and understanding of legal bibliography. Must possess thorough knowledge of legal systems of law and legal reference work with emphasis on laws of the United States. Good interpersonal relation skills. Must be able to demonstrate tact and diplomacy dealing with employee issues in a wide range of diverse situations.

Must be able to demonstrate good administrative and supervisory skills. Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing. Possession of excellent writing skills; ability to articulate through written documents. Excellent organizational skills. Possess the ability to institute problem solving techniques in diverse and sometimes emotional situations. Ability to manage multiple projects effectively. Skilled in Lexis/Nexis, Westlaw, Work Perfect and Microsoft Windows.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree, PLUS a minimum of three (3) years

professional Law Library experience OR, an equivalent combination of professional work experience, training, and

education.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Graduation from an accredited School of Law with a Juris Doctorate. Master's degree in library science from an

institution accredited by the American Library Association. Five (5) years or more of professional experience as a Law

Librarian. Prior supervisory or managerial work experience.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Sedentary Work

Sedentary Work involves exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally or a negligible amount of force frequently to

lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may involve

walking or standing for brief periods of time.

The duties listed are not set forth for purposes of limiting the assignment of work. They are not to be construed as

a complete list of the many duties normally to be performed under a job title or those to be performed temporarily

outside an employee's normal line of work.

EMPLOYMENT TERMS

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT: Pursuant to the Shakman Consent Decree, Supplemental Relief Order and the Cook County Personnel Rules, this position is exempt from the County's career service rules, is at-will and political reasons or

factors may be considered when taking any employment action. As an employee in a Shakman Exempt Position, if you do

not currently live in Cook County, you will have six (6) months from date of hire to establish actual residency within

Cook County.