Collections Assistant
- Program stream:
- Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations
- Job title:
- Collections Assistant
- Organization name:
- Textile Museum of Canada
- Job location:
- Toronto, Ontario
- Length of assignment:
- 2018-05-14 to 2018-08-03 (12 weeks)
- Hourly wage:
- $14.50
The Textile Museum of Canada is seeking a highly motivated team player with a friendly disposition for the position of Collection Assistant. The ideal candidate will be engaged in post-secondary education in Collections Care and Curatorial Practices, Arts Management, History, Museums Studies, Fine Arts or a related field. The successful candidate will possess superior organizational and communications skills, and demonstrate an ability to work in a creative and collaborative team environment. Computer skills: experience with MS Office (Word, Excel), Web browsing and email are required; familiarity with database systems, Adobe Photoshop and HTML would be considered real assets. The ideal candidate would also possess a basic understanding of French and have previous experience handling Museum artifacts. This position reports to the Curator, Collections & Access, and works with all departments of this mid-sized institution.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities include the following:
Prepare textiles for photography; finding works, pull from storage and create details lists to track works.
With due care, handle and move artifacts from Museum’s permanent collection storage areas to designate an area for photography purposes.
Ensure accurate re-storing of artifacts following photography sessions.
Assist photographer with the photo shoots.
With processed images in hand, create a detailed spreadsheet to link images to the database, transfer images to Rackspace.
Update collections database with detailed information on new acquisitions, and any related source material.
Update collections database with exhibitions records, labels, and loan records.
Maintain the collections database with general clean-ups.
Working with curatorial and education teams on digital interpretation strategies.
Other duties as assigned
Other:
Works to further the goals and objectives of the Museum and participate actively in the life of the institution. Act in a respectful, accountable, and generous manner towards other staff, volunteers, and the general public.
Requirements:
• Excellent communications, interpersonal and analytical skills, including demonstrated conflict resolution skills.
• Experience handling Museum artifacts.
• Knowledge of office procedures and demonstrated administrative skills.
• Self-motivated; ability to problem solve independently and manage workflows and deadlines without supervision.
• Impeccable attention to detail, adaptability, multi-tasking and time management are all skills necessary for this position.
• Strong computer skills (MS Office Suite, Web browsing, and email are required; familiarity with database systems, Adobe Photoshop and HTML).
• Experience working with volunteers.
• Prior art museum experience and knowledge of museum operations, standards, practices, and procedures.
Additional Info:
This is a full-time Monday to Friday contract position for between 6 and 16 weeks pending funding approval. The position requires availability for occasional evenings and holiday hours. Hourly rate: $14.50
This position is being hired through Young Canada Work, and the following eligibility requirements must also be met:
• be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada. (Note: Non-Canadian students or graduates holding temporary work visas or awaiting permanent status are not eligible).
• be legally entitled to work in Canada.
• be between 15* and 30 years of age at the start of employment (*where permissible under provincial/territorial labour laws).
• meet the specific eligibility criteria of the program to which you apply.
• be registered in the YCW online candidate inventory.
• be willing to commit to the full duration of the work assignment (minimum 30 hours a week).
• not have another full-time job while employed in a YCW job.
How to Apply:
Qualified candidates should email their cover letter, resume and three references (including email and phone #’s) as a single document attachment to hrsearch@textilemuseum.ca. The email subject line should read <title of position applied for> <followed by applicants last name>.
Kindly note that we will accept no phone calls. We thank all applicants for their interest, but advise that only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
The Textile Museum of Canada maintains a Board of Trustees approved Anti-Racism, Access and Equity Policy. Respect, accountability, and a generous manner towards other staff, volunteers, and the general public are requirements for all staff. The TMC is committed to achieving representation of equity-seeking groups on its staff by ensuring that members of said communities have unbiased access to employment. The Textile Museum of Canada is an equal opportunity employer.
About the Textile Museum of Canada
Established in 1975 and originally incorporated as The Canadian Museum of Carpets and Textiles, the Textile Museum of Canada (TMC) has established itself as a vibrant cultural place that promotes community engagement through our programs and services. Our operations are driven by a committed Board of Directors, Committee Members and staff of 13 employees, as well as a vital and engaged community of more than 150 volunteers.
As the only national museum in Canada exclusively dedicated to the study and presentation of textiles from cultures around the world, we occupy a unique position among other leading cultural institutions in the country. The universality of textiles is at the heart of our work, and provides the stimulus and opportunity to engage communities around us as well as thousands of national and international visitors.
The TMC’s main activities focus on the exhibition, collection, conservation and research of art, craft and design from around the world. Through our artistic and educational programs, delivered in both physical and virtual forms, we build on a long history of connecting creativity, cultures and human histories through the materials of everyday lives. A repository of more than 14,000 rare textile artifacts spanning 2,000 years of human history, the TMC explores the diverse cultural expressions of human experiences through all our programs.
Back to search