At The Huntington, we believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices working together will enable us to support and promote the appreciation of the humanities, the arts, and botanical science. The Huntington is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, disability, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law.
Founded in 1919, The Huntington is a collections-based research and educational institution open to the public, housing world-class library, art, and botanical collections. Its mission is to support research and promote education in the arts, humanities, and botanical science and to display and interpret its extraordinary resources for diverse audiences.
Here we are committed to the highest of standards in all that we do – from preserving and protecting the collections, to exhibitions, educational and scholarly programming, visitor and reader services, and beyond. Achieving excellence across these pursuits requires a diversity of perspectives, expertise, experience, and methodologies.
At The Huntington, our organizational Culture is shaped by the following core values: Intellectual curiosity, Collaboration, Stewardship, Belonging, and Integrity.
Intellectual Curiosity: Knowledge, lifelong learning, and a spirit of inquiry are at the core of our mission and organizational culture.
Collaboration: Teamwork and a collaborative attitude are important at all levels of The Huntington. We foster relationships internally among our departments and externally with organizations throughout the community.
Stewardship: We are committed to the care and development of our collections, our financial and physical resources, our staff, and our community.
Belonging: We strive to attract and maintain a workforce of individuals with diverse talents, backgrounds, and perspectives. Our organizational culture promotes a sense of welcome, inclusion, and connection.
Integrity: We value respect and honesty, working to fulfill our mission with honor and ethical principles.
About the Role
The Library Special Projects Assistant will participate in the inventory of the core book collections and help ensure projects adhere to requirements and timelines. The assistant will barcode and box items, create and update spreadsheets, track progress, and contribute to the project. Under the direction of project team leaders, they will assist in quality control and troubleshooting.
The assistant will also provide broad support within Access Services to provide excellent service to readers and staff which includes circulation duties and stacks maintenance.
This is a limited-term position, contracted through June 30, 2027 at 37.5 hours per week. This position works on a flexible and rotating schedule, including evening hours. Has frequent contact with readers and other Library staff members. Reports to the Access Services Librarian.
Essential Duties
Working on inventory projects relating to the rare and general book collections
Creation of item records for circulation and inventory management of rare book materials
Bibliographic searching in the integrated library system to locate item records
Performs physical work lifting, handling, and boxing rare materials with care and accuracy.
Under the guidance of the project team leaders, provides support for requirements, timelines, and data integrity.
Supervises both the Rothenberg Reading Room and Ahmanson Reading Room. Monitors seat assignments, capacity, and reader reserve shelves.
Provides backup for other library assistants as needed.
Candidate Requirements and Experience
Knowledge, skills, and abilities:
Excellent interpersonal skills. Must be able to communicate with readers and colleagues effectively, as well as work independently and as part of a team.
Excellent handling skills. Ability to prioritize work that is time-sensitive and high-volume.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially Excel. Experience with spreadsheets and data a plus.
Aptitude for learning library access control systems.
Must be able to lift and move heavy volumes and boxes safely. Ability to maneuver large book trucks; climb ladders.
Comfortable with routine and/or repetitive work.
Associate’s degree preferred.
Library circulation work or paging experience preferred.
Working Conditions
Normal office environment, open stack library area, and secured special reading room. Much work is performed on a personal computer. The employee will be required to handle heavy materials, book trucks, and valuable, fragile, and rare materials.
Compensation & Benefits
We provide competitive compensation, generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees including:
Pay Rate: $22.00/hr.
Medical, Dental, Vision
403(b) basic retirement plan and optional matching retirement plan with an outstanding employer match
Considerable paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and holidays
Discounts for staff in The Huntington Store and restaurants
Access to the Museums Council pass, which grants free admission to various museums and cultural institutions
Free passes each month to welcome family and friends to visit the grounds
The Application Process
Please submit a cover letter and CV/resume as a single PDF attachment.
You will have the opportunity to submit additional documents on the “My Experience” section of the application.