Description

The Archives & Collections Manager at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum performs and manages essential museum-related collections and management tasks. Designated as Wisconsin's official maritime museum, the Wisconsin Maritime Museum cares for a collection of over 20,000 three-dimensional objects. In addition, the collection includes more than 60,000 photographs, 7,000 books, 15,000 periodicals, 9,000 blueprints, and a large manuscript collection. It is one of the largest maritime collections on the Great Lakes and reflects the museum’s mission of documenting the role of Wisconsin in maritime history. 

The Archives and Collections Manager oversees comprehensive museum collection management, including artifact care, accessioning, cataloging, and database maintenance, while advising on collection management policies. Directs collections and archives volunteers, supports curatorial research, exhibit preparation, and project management. Fields public and interdepartmental research inquiries to expand collections access and engagement. 

Requirements

• Maintaining WMM’s collections policy documents. Prepare materials for several incoming loan renewals. Routine inventorying and monitoring of materials both at the museum and at the Wisconsin Maritime Heritage Center.  Clean artifacts in the galleries as needed. 
  Answering general inquiries in a timely manner about maritime history, shipwrecks, historic watercraft, etc., as well as the history of the museum, items that used to be on exhibit, old programs, and general requests for information.
  Providing collections-related information to other departments as needed, for example, providing the number of donations in a year for our taxes, helping source images for social media, supporting outreach programs, etc.
• Managing institutional records. Purchasing supplies for collections.  Assist with research for exhibits. Assist with artifact selection for exhibits. Preparing artifacts for exhibits and managing exhibit-related files generated. Provide input on facilities upgrades related to collections. Handling calls about potential donations, making recommendations to the Collections Committee, scheduling and leading the monthly meetings, record keeping. Processing new accessions-ensuring paperwork is completed, preparing accession files, cataloging materials, finding storage locations.
  Handling research and reproduction requests. Managing incoming and outgoing loans. Managing storage spaces and overseeing any organizational/housing projects. Managing collections database (PastPerfect)
  Supervising collections volunteers. Supervising on-site researchers. 
  Assist with programming as needed. 
  Updating and maintaining registration documentation. 
• A minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year institution of higher learning (preferred). 
• Experience working in museum collections, specifically maritime collections.
• Exhibit installations and project management. Familiarity with Google Suite and Microsoft programs; PastPerfect and collections databases
• This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the Collections Manager position and it is not intended to be an exhaustive list of qualifications, duties, or responsibilities associated with the job.