The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the country’s first and foremost civil and human rights law organization. Founded in 1940 under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall, who subsequently became the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice, LDF was launched at a time when the nation’s aspirations for equality and due process of law were stifled by widespread state-sponsored racial inequality. From that era to the present, LDF’s mission has been transformative–to achieve racial justice, equality, and an inclusive society.

LDF’s litigation, policy advocacy, organizing, and public education programs in the substantive areas of criminal justice, economic justice, education and political participation seek to ensure the fundamental and basic human rights of all people to quality education, economic opportunity, the right to vote and fully participate in democracy, and the right to a fair and just judicial system.

In 2015, LDF celebrated its 75th anniversary with the launch of the Thurgood Marshall Institute. The Thurgood Marshall Institute at LDF is a collaborative hub within LDF that combines a multidisciplinary approach to advocacy with LDF’s traditional litigation strengths to advance a modern vision of racial justice. The Institute’s goal is to advance racial equity, justice and a more inclusive democracy through research and public education, targeted policy reform advocacy and communication campaigns.

The Thurgood Marshall Institute at LDF seeks a Library and Research Associate. The Associate will report to the Director of Archives and Records. This position can be based in LDF’s New York office and may require occasional travel to the Washington, D.C. office. This is a part-time position anticipated at 17.5 hours per week.

As of March 7, 2022, LDF transitioned to a hybrid work environment. Any candidate selected for this position should be prepared to work in the office location assigned up to two days per week.

 

Responsibilities:

  • Providing reference services to attorneys and other staff, including both immediate reference and in-depth research.
  • Facilitating staff access to legal records, historical documents, social science materials, government information, and other resources.
  • Supporting case research using LDF’s internal archives, the LDF and NAACP records at the Library of Congress, and outside sources.
  • Conducting biographical research on civil rights leaders and their connections to LDF.
  • Updating the Library and Archives Intranet site and tracking usage statistics.
  • Training staff, especially new employees, on the use of available research tools.
  • Leveraging archival material and other historical information to support Communications projects.
  • Developing and writing historical content for website and social media
  • Providing research support for interdepartmental special projects, including major anniversaries
  • Managing and cataloging acquisitions of print titles, digital resources, and relevant databases
  • General library maintenance including shelving books and monitoring circulation
  • Monitoring and reporting on library and research expenditures and assisting in annual budget process
  • Creating and updating a library collection development policy
  • Documenting the usage of library resources and compiling metrics
  • Promoting library and archives resources and services to staff; initiating new outreach opportunities
  • Undertaking any other duties as requested by the Director of Archives and Records

Qualifications:

  • Commitment to the racial justice mission of LDF
  • Master’s degree in Library and Information Science or related field
  • Three years of relevant library experience
  • Familiarity with legal research methods and resources
  • Knowledge of Library of Congress Classification
  • Excellent communication skills

The salary for the position is a $45 hourly rate. LDF offers a rich platform of benefits including medical (Empire), dental (Cigna), vision (NVA), flexible spending accounts (Flex Facts), transit/commuter plan, life insurance, AD&D, voluntary life & AD&D (UNUM), AFLAC, Employee Assistance Plan, and Health Advocate.  As well as the many healthcare benefits, LDF offers a 403b plan with employer match, and a robust vacation, sick, and personal time program to ensure employees have a healthy work-life balance.

This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts or requirements or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned. This description does not constitute a contract of employment and LDF may exercise its employment-at-will rights at any time.

Please note that LDF requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Accordingly, successful candidates must be fully vaccinated and submit proof of vaccination prior to the commencement of employment unless they qualify for a reasonable accommodation for bona fide medical or religious reasons.

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The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to you without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, age, veteran status, medical condition or disability, genetic information, gender identity, or any other protected status under federal, state, or local law.

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