The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is publishing notice of its intent to sole source to Margaret Frankston. Interested parties who are able to provide the services noted below should respond by describing their capabilities prior to the deadline to
[email protected] . Please note this is not a solicitation. The contractor will coordinate and carry out USHMM’s archival, artifact, and oral history acquisitions projects in France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and northern Africa, as well as provide research and guidance to USHMM in its scholarly and international activities and programs in those regions. This will include maintaining working relationships with the representatives of governments, archives, museums, research institutes, cultural and other institutions; researching and locating repositories of relevant Holocaust materials to be surveyed, acquired, and digitized; and assisting the Museum in negotiating archival reproduction agreements with said repositories and affiliated institutions. The contractor will be responsible for conducting or supervising surveys of the collections for relevant Holocaust material; translating surveys and finding aids into English; coordinating and arranging for the microfilming or digitizing of archival documents and record groups; and coordinating and arranging for the shipment of digitized archival materials, surveys and finding aids, and artifacts and other collection materials for the permanent and special exhibitions of the Museum. The contractor will also be responsible for identifying suitable interviewees (including survivors, rescuers, and other eyewitnesses to Holocaust-related events), performing research, scheduling meetings and other logistics, correspondence and other communications with USHMM staff, conducting interviews, quality-control, follow-up, and creating English-language interview summaries. Qualifications Expertise in the history of the Holocaust, in particular in France, Spain, Portugal and northern Africa Expertise networking with representatives of European archives, museums and other institutions Expertise networking amongcommunities of Holocaust survivors and in working with Holocaust survivors on an individual basis Expertise in legal and ethical issues surrounding the acquisition of sensitive cultural heritage collections, and acquisitions representing trauma Deep understanding of museum collections management policies and collections plans, to ensure archival collections and objects acquired meet the strict parameters of the Museum’s collecting scope Ability to communicate the Museum’s archival collecting goals to representatives of other institutions Ability to communicate the Museum’s artifact acquisition goals to owners who may not recognize artifacts that we wish to collect as culturally important At least 10 years experience identifying and acquiring archival collections and museum objects for history museums At least 10 years experience conducting provenance research and / or otherwise authenticating historical artifacts At least 10 years experience conducting oral history interviews, or similar relevant experience Fluency in French, and competency in at least one other European language