Historian/Researcher

Position Type: 1099 Contract
Duration: PT Temporary/12 months
Title: Historian/Researcher
Location: 11909 125th Street North, Largo, FL 33774
Monthly stipend: $1,500 per month/20 hours per week
Open until: position filled
Apply: Send resume and cover letter to Monica Drake at mmdrake@pinellas.gov

Position Specific Requirements
Master’s degree or master’s degree-bound in history, public history, anthropology, or folk life studies plus some experience in museum exhibition planning and project management; or an equivalent combination of education, training and/or experience.

Highly Desirable
Keen passion for the history of Pinellas County
Experienced in research, content creation and organization, and superb writing skills
Experience developing, designing, and coordinating museum exhibitions.
Proven competence collaborating with peers and colleagues.
Team-player mentality to work cooperatively and positively with colleagues and the public.
Proficiency working with Microsoft Office suite; Adobe CC, Canva and/or graphic software; and Sketchup or other modeling software

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Knowledge of guidelines and practices of the American Association of Museums.

Project Goals
Heritage Village has identified the need to update the permanent exhibition currently displayed in the Roy Helms gallery. To this end, Heritage Village is working with the Historian/Researcher as the primary Project Manager for Phase I (Planning), Phase II (Concept Development), and Phase III (Text Development). The Historian/Researcher will work collaboratively with community stakeholders, Heritage Village staff, and visitors.
Museum link: Heritage Village – Pinellas County
Getting Started

In the early stages of Phase I, the Historian/Researcher – in collaboration with the Heritage Village staff – should identify existing and potential resources that could become the specific elements featured in the exhibition. Including:

A. Identify and list any available artifact and image collections at the park.
B. Identify and list any potentially available artifact and image collections owned or managed by individuals and other institutions (e.g., special collection at the National Archives).
C. Develop a bibliography, noting the books, periodicals, and other literature of potential use in developing the exhibition.
D. Identify and list subject matter experts.
E. Identify and list any potential resources that might exist or that need to be created for featuring in the exhibition (e.g., new artwork, photography).
F. Note special challenges (e.g., new park with no collection) and special opportunities (e.g., an existing oral history collection of significant relevance).

Planning Phase I (3 months)

In collaboration with Heritage Village staff, the Historian/Researcher will:

a. Research
• Subject matter that will address community needs, support institutional mission, and be the most effective and useful
• Audience and their anticipated attitudes about the subject
• Existing material and collections on the subject matter focus
• Available resources
b. Determine
• How will this exhibition support the museum’s mission?
• How the topic will advance the institution’s goals in terms of collections, scholarship, current or intended audience, and resources?
• Who will be affected and how?
• What’s special about this exhibit and why should people care?
c. Deliverables for Concept Phase
• Draft Exhibit outline
• No less than 2 onsite visitor surveys
• No less than 2 volunteer surveys
• No less than 2 web surveys
• Weekly meetings with Operations Manager and/or Staff (onsite or remote)
Concept Development Phase II (3 months)

In collaboration with Heritage Village staff, the Historian/Researcher will:

a. Draft the exhibition’s mission, big idea, goals, objectives, and target audiences and will begin using this foundation as the basis from which to assess decisions.
b. Determine
• What is the mission and Big Idea of the exhibit?
• What are the goals and objectives of the exhibition?
• Who is the intended audience for your exhibition?
• What are the visitor “walk-aways,” the things you want/expect your visitors to remember or be saying as they walk away from the exhibition?
• How might the narrative unfold? Thematically, chronologically, etc?
• What is the mood or personality of the exhibition? Contemplative, serious, fun, etc?
c. Deliverables for Concept Phase II
• What is the mission and Big Idea of the exhibit?
• What are the goals and objectives of the exhibition?
• Background research (audience and content research)
• Sketches and loose renderings of overall views illustrating the emerging character or mood of the exhibition.
• Exhibition outline v2
Text Development Phase III (Ongoing)
The Historian/Researcher shall develop and prepare a large majority of the written text – in collaboration with Heritage Village staff – that will appear in the exhibition. Write text with reference to the project goals, exhibit objectives, and the resource package.
Exhibit text is integrally related to other elements experienced by visitors. Text must relate to and function within the specific physical and graphic design of the exhibit as a whole.
Text is developed in stages. The Historian/Researcher shall provide increasingly refined drafts of text to the Heritage Village Operations Manager, showing the text’s relationship to other exhibit elements through the content outlines and graphic layouts.
Deliverables for Concept Phase III
A. Text Level 1 – A written description of the subject and purpose of each label or block of text, including draft titles for primary blocks of text; and a sample draft of text that demonstrates style, tone, and reading level (required for Design Development 1).
B. Text Level 2 – The first full draft of all text, to be reviewed for writing style, content, and interpretive effectiveness (required for Design Development 2).
C. Text Level 3 – A more refined draft, revised or re-written as necessary in response to review comments (required for Design Development 3).
D. Text Level 4 – Edited, proofed, and further refined text close to what will appear in the completed exhibition. Level 4 text usually requires additional revisions that were not identified in earlier reviews (required for Production Design 1).

Overall deliverables

At the end of 12 months, the Historian/Researcher will deliver:
• Exhibit outline – draft 1
• No less than 2 onsite visitor surveys
• No less than 2 volunteer surveys
• No less than 2 web surveys
• Weekly meetings with Operations Manager and/or Staff (onsite or remote)
• Exhibition Big Idea and thematic overlay
• Goals and objectives of the exhibition
• Background research (content research)
• Sketches and loose renderings of overall views illustrating a rough design of the exhibition
• Exhibition outline – draft 2
• Exhibit text – Drafts 1, 2,3, and 4