Historian

Summary

The position is located in the Center for Exhibits and Interpretation/Publishing Office and is under the administrative direction of the Director of Publishing.

The position description number for this position is 463640.

The salary range indicated reflects the locality pay adjustments for the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan area.

This is a non-supervisory, bargaining unit position.

Relocation expenses will not be authorized for the person(s) selected under this vacancy announcement.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Current and Former Federal Employees only. Failure to submit an SF-50 to certify eligibility for consideration will result in disqualification.

Duties

The position serves as the Historian for the Library of Congress. The Historian is the primary technical expert on the history of the Library of Congress and as the expert, (1) researches, compiles, and organizes the Library’s institutional memory; (2) provides advice, consultation, and verification of Library history in public-facing content; and (3) represents the agency in public outreach on issues pertaining to the Library’s history.

Develops and maintains an accessible centralized digital repository that contains authoritative summaries of the Library’s key historical events, policies, programs, and operations. Manages the collection and processing of oral interviews of former employees to facilitate accessioning into Library Collections. Consults with representatives of the Manuscript Division to review and maintain the contents of the Library’s Archive, representatives of the Office of Communications to document key events and developments as they occur, and representatives of the Librarian’s Office to evaluate the historical significance of official correspondence.

Makes recommendations to Library staff on the historical value of records; encourages preservation of historically valuable library materials; identifies and collects photographs, papers, and artifacts with historical significance.

Continuously supplements the Library’s historical body of knowledge by conducting research on topics and events of historical significance to the Library and related institutions (including, but not limited to, recorded interviews, analysis of primary and sources, and consultation with colleagues, former employees, and other historians). Identifies gaps in the Library’s historical documentation, and through professional research and consultation, provides the information needed to close those gaps.

Provides advice, consultation, and verification to the Exhibits Office, Publishing Office, Office of Communications, Visitor Services Office, and other directorates and divisions to ensure accurate characterizations of Library history in public-facing content. Advises senior leaders and staff on the Library's history. Conducts research and consults with other historical authorities to help resolve conflicts of fact and/or interpretation.

Provides historical expertise on the Library of Congress and its role in history to the media, Members of Congress, the scholarly community, and the general public. Works with the Office of Communications to ensure accurate responses to historical inquiries from the news media and members of the public, and with the Congressional Relations Office to ensure accurate responses to historical inquiries from Members of Congress. Serves as a liaison between the Library and professional history organizations and historians at other federal agencies. Serves as a historical ambassador for the agency by participating in and/or contributing to appropriate professional meetings and conferences, publications, and scholarly and civic events.

Advises and assists scholars and other researchers in identifying and obtaining access to pertinent archival records for historical studies. Assists researchers in developing historical studies and conducting research on the Library's history and its role in U.S. government and history. Gives guidance to researchers to help them with the Library’s historical studies and access to documents as well as directing them to other sources.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

ELIGIBILITY: THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS OPEN TO CURRENT AND FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ONLY. Any applications that do not include an SF-50 to certify eligibility will be disqualified.

Library of Congress employees are prohibited from using illegal drugs, including marijuana. The Library is part of the Federal Government and abides by federal law, so regardless of individual state or District of Columbia laws, marijuana use is illegal, considered criminal activity, and can affect your employment at the Library. In addition, past or current drug use and activities (e.g., selling or distributing) may deem you ineligible for employment.

Qualifications

Applicants must have had progressively responsible experience and training sufficient in scope and quality to furnish them with an acceptable level of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position without more than normal supervision.

Ability to develop and organize records and information for a historical knowledge repository.**

Ability to conduct information research and knowledge management.**

Ability to communicate in writing.**

Ability to perform liaison duties.**

Ability to perform client services and outreach activities.

Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.

Education

EXPERIENCE: At least three full years of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility in either the public or private sectors.

- OR-

EDUCATION: Ph.D. or successful completion of at least at least three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited college or university in a field directly related this position.

- OR-

Successful completion of a combination of the education and the experience described above.

You must submit a legible copy of your college/university transcripts to your online application. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at the time of application. Official transcripts will be required if selected.

Foreign Education – Education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed equivalent to conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. If your college/university is outside the U.S., your transcripts must be accompanied by a report from a credential evaluation service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE). Failure to submit a foreign education evaluation report will result in disqualification of your application.

Additional information

Although it is the Library's policy to afford the maximum pay benefit to employees when setting rates of pay, a new appointee who has had no previous Federal service will generally be paid at step one of the grade.

The Library of Congress is an equal opportunity employer.

Applicants must submit a complete application package that is received by the closing date of this announcement.

Appointment/retention is subject to a favorable evaluation of an appropriate personnel security/suitability investigation. For more information, please see:

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please email . The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position. The proof or disability/certification may be issued by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of the applicant’s college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The letter must verify that the applicant has a severe disability and must be dated within three years of the date of the application. Certification from health care providers are not accepted. For more information contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at or email . FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.

The Library of Congress is the national library of the United States and is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service.

The Library reserves the right to fill a lesser or greater number of vacancies indicated during the life of this vacancy announcement.

Initial permanent appointments to the Library of Congress require completion of a one-year probationary period. Probationary periods served at other Federal agencies do not count toward this requirement.

The Library of Congress may offer repayment for all or part of federally insured student loans. However, not all service units within the Library of Congress participates in the repayment of federally insured student loans. Therefore, determination to repay a federally insured student loan is subject to approval by the appropriate service unit.

A “Not to Exceed" (NTE) status is used to identify an appointment with a specific ending date. However, the Library has the right to separate a NTE employee at any time due to either performance issues or budget constraints.

Are you a veteran? Please indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming in your application materials and/or applicant profile and provide the appropriate supporting documentation to validate your claim. Those applying for 5-point preference must submit Member Copy 4 of your DD 214. Those applying for 10-point preference must fill out an SF-15 (click for the form) and provide the required documentation listed on the back of the form. If required supporting documentation is not attached, Veterans' Preference will not be considered in the application process.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

The Library of Congress evaluates applicants through an applicant questionnaire and a structured interview. Applicants may also be screened for some jobs through licensing, certification, and/or education requirements, a narrative/application review, and/or a preliminary telephone interview. The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that are marked with a double asterisk in the vacancy announcement and the applicant questionnaire are considered the most critical for a position. To be considered for final selection, applicants must demonstrate fully acceptable experience in these designated KSAs in the narrative/application review, preliminary telephone and/or full structured interview. The various assessment tools listed above are designed to verify or explore applicants' experience, knowledge, and training directly related to the job in order to identify the best qualified applicants for selection.

You may for this vacancy.

Required Documents

REQUIRED FROM ALL APPLICANTS: Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent). Failure to submit an SF-50 to certify eligibility will result in disqualification.

If you are relying on education to qualify for this position, you must submit your transcripts with your application. See "Education Requirements" for further information.

Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position. The proof or disability/certification may be issued by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of the applicant’s college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The letter must verify that the applicant has a severe disability and must be dated within three years of the date of the application. The program does not accept certification from health care providers. For more information contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at or email . FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.