Jessica Bitter Email and Phone Number

Temporary Promotion to fill in for vacant Death Valley National Park Museum Curator

I was independently responsible for the appraisal, arrangement, and description of both physical and digital collections. Identified and regulated restricted materials, and interpreted records retention schedules of all agencies under the Department of the Interior. Ensured that digital materials met National Digital Stewardship Alliance preservation standards and Section 508 Accessibility guidelines. Created catalog records and finding aids for archival collections using the Interior Collection Management System (ICMS). Assisted in training and supervising archives interns. Conducted reference research and manage acquisitions, donor relations, outreach initiatives, and interpretive programming for the Yosemite Archives. Yosemite National Park Archives manages many archival contracts for the Pacific West region. I was frequently contracted to conduct archives and records management surveys. This work included on site appraisal as well as generating archives management reports and processing plans.

I was responsible for all tasks related to the reference desk and patron services at the University of Denver Archives. My duties included conducting reference retrieval for patrons, scanning, digitizing, and converting documents, conducting historical research for the university, assisting with the creation of unique exhibits, and negotiating patron outreach. I assisted patrons with making appointments, information literacy instruction, and ordering materials. I also oversaw material circulation and usage tracking. Other projects included accession facilitation and management of accretions to current collections. Job requirements included use of ArchivesSpace, Islandora, Omeka, ABBYY FineReader, and Epson Scan.

I managed the front desk staff of the Nelson Hall dormitory and the Apartments residencies. My duties included the hiring, scheduling, training, and direct management of anywhere between 10 and 30 employees. I was responsible for the mail services of the building, the safety of the residents, the establishment and enactment of emergency and evacuation procedures, and the management of resources and keys for both staff and students.

I studied and applied methods of paper conservation, mold identification and treatment, custom box-building, custom encapsulation, and book recasing.

I processed an accrual of 10 linear feet into the Rocky Mountain Historic Records and Central Files Collection. I inventoried, appraised, arranged, and described the accrual. I catalogued the new records using ICMS, and created and published finding aids for the revised, as well as some newly created, series within the collection. I also functioned as a reference archivist and assisted researchers.

Primary responsibilities included archives processing, reference retrieval, and cataloging during the Summer of 2017. I was personally in charge of the appraisal, arrangement, and description of the Yosemite Protection Collection. I developed a processing plan, devised a hierarchy for the collection finding aid, processed a quarter of the collection materials, and arranged the collection into series. I also digitized, input ICMS metadata, and researched copyright clauses for the Yosemite Slide Collection and museum objects. This position also included preservation work for the museum including basket cleaning, custom mount building, and assisting with the humidifying, flattening, and organizing of oversize maps, plans, and drawings. This internship also included training and work regarding Integrated Pest Management.

While volunteering, my responsibilities included arranging and describing collections, performing declassification of sensitive materials, digitizing materials, and cataloging both physical and digital materials using EMU.