Post Graduate Conservator (Temporary)
Temporary $50,000 - $53,000 / yearJob Overview
Deadline for application: February 8, 2026
Overview
The Conservation Division of the New York Public Library announces an opening starting September 2026 for a Post-Graduate Conservator in Paper and/or Photographic Materials, a two year, full time position with benefits and including generous support for professional development.
Overview
The Conservation Division of the New York Public Library announces an opening starting September 2026 for a Post-Graduate Conservator in Paper and/or Photographic Materials, a two year, full time position with benefits and including generous support for professional development.
Paper-based special collections and photographic materials at NYPL are spread among multiple curatorial divisions located in the Library’s three Research Centers: the Humanities and Social Sciences Library in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Bryant Park, the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. These collections include manuscript and printed textual and graphic works on paper from all over the world, which extend back to the 9th century, and the full range of the history of photography, including negatives.
This position provides a newly graduated paper or photograph conservator – or a conservator focusing on both specialties – the opportunity to collaborate, learn, contribute to, and work in a vibrant and full conservation lab that supports the varied, unique, and immense collections of NYPL’s three research centers.
This position is located in the Library’s Conservation Division, the staff of which consists of a team of conservators and technicians specializing in bound, flat, and photographic materials. The Conservation Division supports the collections of the Research Centers and provides conservation assessment, treatment, housing, research, and training to advance the preservation of the collection and meet the conservation needs of the Library’s active reading rooms and acquisition, digitization, exhibition, and loan programs.
NYPL Conservation consists of two units, the Goldsmith Conservation Lab and Collections Care, both overseen by the Shelby White and Leon Levy Associate Director of Conservation and located at the Library Services Center in Long Island City, Queens. The Post-Graduate Conservator will report to either the Senior Paper Conservator or the Senior Photograph Conservator as determined to be appropriate; this does not limit opportunities to gain experience in the other area.
Conservation at NYPL is a unit of Preservation and Special Collections Processing, responsible for the processing and cataloging, management, and preservation of the Research Libraries collections.
The mission of The New York Public Library is to inspire lifelong learning, advance knowledge, and strengthen our communities, and we rely on three great resources—our staff, our collections, and our physical and digital spaces—to provide opportunities for learning and growth.
The Selecting Committee will begin reviewing applications on February 9, 2026.
We are looking for someone we can count on to:
Own:
- Their continued development as a conservator, both at the bench and as a professional in an educational work environment
Teach:
- And share their knowledge and experience with the entire conservation team – from high school students to senior conservators – with colleagues more broadly across the Library, and with a broader audience through active outreach
Learn:
- By enthusiastically collaborating with the entire conservation team from high school students to senior conservators and with colleagues more broadly across the Library
Improve:
- Our perspectives and their own with the goal to continually refine the way we do things and help advance the field
Some expectations for this role are that within:
1 month, this person will:
- Be a colleague in the Conservation Division who knows the rest of the team and is known by the rest of the team
- Be familiar with basic conservation workflow processes
3 months, this person will:
- Be a fully integrated teammate in the Conservation Division
- Have taken on projects requiring collaborating with colleagues beyond Conservation, such as curators
- Be fluent in the conservation workflow processes relevant to their projects
6 months and beyond, this person will:
- Have the confidence to work more independently from the Senior Conservator
- Be thinking about research opportunities arising from their projects and possible venues for dissemination
- Contribute to the continued development of the lab
Responsibilities:
- Performs single-item and multi-item (batch) conservation assessment, treatment, stabilization, rehousing, and research of the Library’s special collections according to the AIC Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice
- Contributes to the development and refinement of the lab’s processes and capabilities
- Participates as relevant in the training of Technicians, and Library Pages and Interns (who may be students considering conservation school or students currently in conservation school)
- Participates in lab training and group lab projects
- Engages the public and the library and conservation communities through outreach
- Performs other related duties as assigned
Required Education, Experience & Skills
Required Education and Certifications
- Graduate degree in conservation with a focus on paper and/or photographic materials
- Active membership in AIC (or similar organization such as CACC or ICON) and relevant Specialty Group
Required Experience
- Conservation experience in a conservation lab treating paper and/or photographic materials
Required Skills
- Strong organizational and analytical skills
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Flexibility of mind and commitment to collaboration, growth, and improvement
- Fluency with Google Suite
Managerial/Supervisory Responsibilities:
- At rare times may be sole staff member present for Pages or Interns