Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. Note: Federal employees with permanent status or individuals eligible for special appointing authorities should apply to Job Announcement #23R-GC-309545-MPA-SLA. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

This position serves to support the only museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to historical and contemporary design, Cooper Hewitt Library, and its collection of more than 110,000 volumes play a pivotal role in fostering scholarship and advancing discourse that illuminates the importance of design both historically and in the present day.

In this position, you will perform:

• Research and development work will involve expertise in curation of rare books and distinctive collections of/on American, European, global, and contemporary design. Perform original research, writing and other duties associated with collections research and cataloging and define topics of genuine significance that will support publications, exhibitions, and future scholarship.
• Research on existing rare books and distinctive collections, as well as main collections (onsite and offsite) and new items for acquisition in support of the library’s collection development plan will require the review/enhancement of catalog records, safe/secure handling and storage of collections, donor/creator stewardship and supporting digital initiatives.
• Support for exhibition initiatives using rare books and distinctive collections will involve loans, consultations, curation within Smithsonian and with outside partners, outreach in collaboration with education colleagues on corollary programming to initiate and develop ways to interpret, expand audiences and optimize opportunities to disseminate knowledge about design history and design scholarship.
• Service as a specialist in reference and information research and technologies to work with researchers in advanced fields of knowledge will require using a wide variety of databases and primary source materials using rare and distinctive library and archive collections.
• Write within chosen historical field (e.g. scholarly essays, book chapter) and for museum or library visitors.
• Speak publicly and address wide audiences.

Conditions of employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
• May need to complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.

Qualifications

You must meet these Basic Education Requirements:

(A) Degree: museum work; or in an applicable subject-matter field.

Or

(B) Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Or

(C) Four years of experience that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4-year course of study as shown in A above.

In addition to Basic Requirements above, you must have the following:

Selective Placement Factor:

Proficiency to read at least two European languages, preferably Italian, French and/or German mandatory to perform research, writing and other duties associated with collection research, cataloging, as well as planning exhibitions.

For GS-11:

Specialized Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system.  For this position specialized experience is defined as conducting original research on rare and distinctive collections in a research/museum library, supporting collection development/management, exhibition, and educational programs, providing public service in the form of reference assistance with rare and distinctive collections and responding to external research inquiries.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Or

Education: Three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree related to the position may be substituted to meet the experience requirements.

Or

Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications. For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above.  The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:

1. Ability to conduct in-depth research and write within areas of expertise for scholarly and general audiences.
2. Ability to perform collections management duties supporting acquisitions, cataloging, storage, and conservation. Knowledge of library techniques for information access, dissemination, and preservation.
3. Ability to perform exhibition planning/production and related publishing, outreach, and assessment.
4. Knowledge to understand and evaluate technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.
5. Ability to communicate in writing.
6. Ability to communicate orally. 

Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria:

• Best Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job-related competencies above.
• Better Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job-related competencies above.
• Good Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements but does not satisfy most of the job-related competencies above to a substantive degree.

This category rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position.

Important Note:

Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.