State of Maryland

An Archivist Trainee is the beginning level of professional archival work. Employees in this classification are expected to acquire knowledge of the material housed in the Maryland State Archives. Employees in this classification work closely with trained Archivists in order to learn about the organization of the Archives, the significance of the materials stored there, and how to make these materials available to the public. Employees in this classification may perform some routine aspects of archival work such as assisting trained Archivists with research projects and independently undertaking some very simple research projects. Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.  

Employees in this classification receive close supervision from an Archivist Supervisor. Employees may work a rotating shift and may be required to work Saturdays. Work effectiveness is evaluated through a review of in-person and online work with the public and other agencies, conferences, and a review of written work products to determine the quality, completeness, and timeliness of work assignments.   

Positions in this classification are evaluated using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work Sections of a class specification.            

The Archivist Trainee and the Archivist I are differentiated on the degree of supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees.  The Archivist Trainee performs the duties under close supervision.  The Archivist I performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.

Learns to provide reference assistance to patrons in the public Search Room and by telephone, email, and by mail;

Serves on one or more ad-hoc teams or work groups formed to deal with specific issues;

Learns to access, inventory, and shelve archival records;

Learns to prepare finding aids for records series;

Learns to prepare analyses and reports as assigned;

Learns to retrieve and return records in archival storage;

Prepares correspondence and answers inquiries concerning assigned projects;

Learns to conduct detailed research on a specific subject as assigned;

Learns to represent the Archives before government groups, genealogical and historical societies, and professional archival organizations;

Learns to represent the Archives as the point of contact for other government agencies and provide guidance on records issues and procedures;

Learns to interact with vendors;  

Learns to make recommendations on issues such as records appraisal, finding aid development, and project design;

Learns to monitor the environment of the physical plant and the condition of holdings;

Learns to appropriately maintain archival environment monitoring temperature, humidity, and pest control and take appropriate corrective action, as needed. 

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of archival science;

Knowledge of basic archival principles and techniques;

Knowledge of reference and research methods used in compiling and organizing data;

Knowledge of the function and organization of state governments;

Ability to answer inquiries from the general public, officials, and agencies by locating the information requested, organizing data, and preparing responses in letter or report form;

Ability to communicate with sufficient skill to explain to visitors and researchers how to locate records and use finding aids;

Ability to extract bibliographical information from publications;

Ability to edit materials for publication;

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the staff and public officials;

Ability to exercise patience and courtesy in dealing with the public.

Education: Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.

Experience: Four years of experience in professional archival work with public records.

Notes:

1.  Candidates may substitute academic credit from an accredited college or university at the rate of thirty credit hours for each year for the required experience.

2.  Candidates may substitute two years of experience in the Archival Assistant series classification for required education and experience.   

Employees may be required to lift up to 50 pounds when record shipments arrive and climb ladders.  Employees in this classification must exercise caution during the retrieval and replacement of heavy volumes from library shelves, particularly when using library ladders.  Employees may work a rotating shift and may be required to work Saturdays. 

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.  

This classification is not assigned to a bargaining unit, as indicated by the designation of S (Supervisor), M (Manager), T (Agency Head), U (Board or Commission Member), W (Student), X (Used by Agency or Excluded by Executive Order), or Z (Confidential).  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial, and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining. 

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series.  NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance level in a classification series.  In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in an NCP series, an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class, as defined by the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.