Job Description

Join Our Campus Community! 

Thank you for your interest in joining the University of Wyoming.  Our community thrives on the contributions of talented and driven individuals who share in our mission, vision, and values. If your expertise and experience align with the goals of our institution, we would be thrilled to hear from you. We encourage you to apply and become a valued member of our vibrant campus community today! 

Why Choose Us? 

At the University of Wyoming, we value our employees and invest in their success.  Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to support your health, financial security, and work-life balance.  Benefits include: 

• Generous Retirement Contributions: The State contributes over 15% of your gross salary.  With your mandatory employee contribution, the total contribution toward your retirement plan exceeds 19%.
• Exceptional Health & Prescription Coverage: Enjoy access to medical, dental, and vision insurance with competitive employer contributions, which include 4 deductible options to suit your needs.
• Paid Time Off: Benefit from ample vacation, sick leave, paid holidays, and paid winter closure.
• Tuition Waiver: Employees and eligible dependents can take advantage of tuition waivers, supporting continuous education and professional growth.
• Wellness and Employee Assistance Programs: Stay healthy with wellness initiatives, counseling services, and mental health resources. 

At the University of Wyoming, we are committed to creating a supportive and enriching workplace. To learn more about what we offer, please refer to UW’s Benefits Summary. 

JOB TITLE:  

Assistant Director

JOB PURPOSE:   

The Assistant Director serves as a senior leader of the American Heritage Center (AHC), partnering with the Director to advance the Center's strategic vision, organizational priorities, and operational effectiveness. The position provides leadership for administrative and operational functions, including facilities and security, departmental reporting, collections stewardship, policy implementation, compliance, and resource management to ensure the preservation, protection, and accessibility of state, regional, and nationally significant collections. Acting with delegated authority, the Assistant Director assumes full administrative responsibility for the Center in the Director's absence and represents the AHC in university and external partnerships.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Assist the Director in the management, coordination, evaluation, and day-to-day operations of the American Heritage Center. 
• Oversee assigned administrative and operational functions to support the preservation, security, and accessibility of archival collections. 
• Serve as the primary coordinator for the American Heritage Center's facilities, including building operations, security systems, environmental controls, and specialized collections storage areas. 
• Coordinate facilities maintenance, infrastructure improvements, renovations, and capital projects in collaboration with university partners. 
• Maintain the Center's Emergency Response Plan and coordinate emergency preparedness and response activities with campus and external agencies. 
• Ensure compliance with safety requirements related to facilities, environmental controls, and hazardous materials storage and use. 
• Assist the Director with personnel administration, including recruitment, hiring, performance evaluations, and staff development for assigned departments and units. 
• Oversee the collections acquisition process, including donor consultations, contract coordination, ownership transfer, and implementation of collections policies and procedures. 
• Chair the Acquisitions Committee and make recommendations regarding acquisitions and collection development. 
• Assist with collection donor relations and support the development and implementation of collections initiatives. 
• Advise the Director on the interpretation and application of university policies, donor agreements, records management requirements, and applicable state and federal laws. 
• Review and provide recommendations regarding budgets, policies, procedures, and short- and long-range operational planning. 
• Serve on university and professional committees and represent the American Heritage Center as assigned. 
• Assume administrative responsibility for Center operations in the Director's absence.

SUPPLEMENTAL FUNCTIONS: 

• Perform miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.
• Participate in performance-related goal setting and achievement to meet personal and organizational goals and objectives.
• Attend and participate in training and other personal professional development activities.

COMPETENCIES: 

• Individual Leadership
• Quality Orientation
• Technical/Professional Knowledge
• Collaboration
• Judgment
• Negotiation

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

Education: Master’s degree in library and information sciences, e.g., MLIS, or master’s degree in a relevant field or closely related discipline. Or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience: At least 5 years of progressively responsible work-related experience to include 2 years of supervisory or management experience.

Required licensure, certification, registration or other requirements: Valid driver's license with a motor vehicle record (MVR) compliant with the Driving for University Business SAP. 

Experience Evaluation

Experience requirements are evaluated on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis. Relevant part-time experience will be prorated based on hours worked. For example, two years working an average of 20 hours per week is equivalent to approximately one year of full-time experience.

Applicants must include the average hours worked per week for all current and previous positions. Failure to provide this information may affect the evaluation of qualifications.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:   

• Ten (10) years of progressively responsible administrative experience, with at least five (5) years of that in an archival or library setting.
• Experience with managing facilities. Knowledge of facilities management principles related to environmental controls, security, emergency preparedness, hazardous materials handling, and preservation-quality storage—and experience applying them.
• Experience in managing department personnel and operational activities.
• Expertise in donor relations and collection development, including consultation, negotiation, stewardship, and evaluation of acquisition proposals. 
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and compliance responsibilities simultaneously. 

REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS: 

Complete the online application.  The department additionally requests candidates upload the following document(s) for a complete application: 

1. Cover letter 
2. Resume or C.V. 
3. Contact information for four work-related references (references will only be contacted if you are selected as a finalist for the position). 

Incomplete application packets will not be considered.

This position will remain open until filled. Complete applications received by 10/21/2026 will receive full consideration.

WORK LOCATION: 

On-campus: This position provides vital support to campus customers, and the successful candidate must be available to work and perform essential job functions on campus, understanding our location is at 7,220 feet above sea level. 

WORK AUTHORIZATION REQUIREMENTS: 

The successful candidate must be eligible to work in the United States. Sponsorship for H-1B work authorization or work visa is not available for this position. 

HIRING STATEMENT/EEO:   

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation to apply for a position, please contact us at 307-766-2377 or email jobapps@uwyo.edu. 

ABOUT LARAMIE: 

The University of Wyoming is located in Laramie, a charming town of 30,000 residents nestled in the heart of the Rocky Mountain West. The state of Wyoming continues to invest in its only 4-year university, helping to make it a leader in academics, research, and outreach with state-of-the-art facilities and strong community ties. We invite you to learn more about Laramie by visiting the About Laramie website. 

Located in a high mountain valley near the Colorado border, Laramie offers both outstanding recreational opportunities and close proximity to Colorado’s Front Range and the metropolitan Denver area. Laramie’s beautiful mountain landscape offers outdoor enjoyment in all seasons, with over 300 days of sunshine annually. For more information about the region, please visit http://visitlaramie.org/ 

Dear Western History Association,

I regretfully write to inform you that Dr. Iris Engstrand, Professor Emerita of History at the University of San Diego, died on September 12.

As a longtime WHA member and the 2004 WHA President, Dr. Engstrand made several contributions to the field of western history. She authored 21 books and numerous chapters and articles on Spain, California, and the North American West. In 2000, her article "Of Fish and Men" won the WHA Bolton-Cutter Award.

Dr. Engstrand became involed with the WHA in the 1960s and first presented her scholarship at the annul conference in 1967. In addition to presenting and chairing numerous panels over several decades, she served as the Local Arrangments Committe Co-Chair, Nominating Committee Chair, and on multiple award committees, the WHA Council, and the WHQ Board of Editors.

On a personal note, Dr. Engstrand was in her leadership role as the 2004 President when I started working in the WHA office as a graduate student at the University of New Mexico. In my experience, she exemplified the kind of collegiality that senior scholars commonly extend to others in the field of western history. Her intellectual generosity and curiosity toward emerging scholars reflected the spirit of community that defines the WHA.

The University of San Diego issued a tribute to Dr. Engstrand, which can be found here. The San Diego Union-Tribune will issue an article about Dr. Engstand soon.

Sincerely,

Elaine Nelson, WHA Executive Director

The Lost Region Recovery Project Conference represents a pivotal moment for Midwestern studies. This gathering of scholars will address the current challenges facing regional scholarship while charting a course for renewal and growth in the field.

Our mission is to create a friendly and neighborly Midwestern atmosphere that encourages open dialogue, fosters new collaborations, and plants seeds for a healthy harvest of new work in Midwestern studies.

Contact Information For questions about the conference or to register for the conference, please contact: Kayle Lauck McCormick, Assistant Editor of Middle West Review at kaylemcc@umich.edu

For more on the conference including the schedule visit: The Lost Region Conference

Peter E. Palmquist Memorial Fund for Historical Photographic Research Considered one of the most important photo historians of the 20th century, Peter E. Palmquist (1936 - 2003) had a keen interest in the photography of the American West, California, and Humboldt County before 1950, and the history of women in photography worldwide. He published over 60 books and 340 articles and was a strong proponent of the concept of the independent researcher-writer in the field of photohistory. With co-author Thomas Kailbourn, he won the Caroline Bancroft Western History Prize for their book, Pioneer Photographers of the Far West. 

Professor Martha Sandweiss, Princeton University, wrote that Peter "established new ways of pursuing the history of photography, and with his collections and research notes soon to be accessible at Yale, he will be speaking to and inspiring new generations of students and researchers forever.” 

Established by Peter’s lifetime companion, Pam Mendelsohn, this fund supports the study of under-researched women photographers internationally, past and present, and under-researched Western American photographers through the Great Depression. 

A small panel of outside consultants with professional expertise in the field of photohistory and/or grant reviewing will review the applications in order to determine the awards. Applications will be judged on the quality of the proposal, the ability of the applicant to carry out the project within the proposed budget and timeline, and the significance of the project to the field of photographic history. 

Past recipients and their projects are featured at the Humboldt Area Foundation. 

Range of Awards: $500 - $2,000

Funds must be used for research and, as necessary, expenses for travel, accommodations, and meals. 

November 15, 2026 is the deadline for submissions. 

Grant recipients will be announced in midJanuary 2027. 

Eligibility: Individuals and nonprofit institutions conducting research in either of the fields below are eligible to apply: 

• Under-researched women photographers internationally, past and present. 

• Under-researched Western American photographers through the Great Depression.  

To submit an application please go to the Humboldt Area Foundation link.

The Arizona Historical Society (AHS) awards short-term research fellowships to visiting scholars for one to three weeks of residency in Arizona. Preference will be given to applicants who spend most of their time at AHS archives, but we accept applications for researchers who would utilize other archives in the state.

AHS Reseach fellowships are open to academics, graduate students, and independent researchers. Applicants working on doctoral dissertations and those at the postdoctoral level are especially encouraged to apply. Applications from international scholars are welcomed, but international scholars must have a Social Security Number (SSN) or US Tax ID Number (TIN). Preference is given to projects that have a high probability of publication in the Journal of Arizona History or other scholarly journal. Scholars working on public history projects are welcome to apply, but research at AHS must eventually result in a publishable scholarly work.

At the end of the project, awardees are expected to submit a 2—3-page report on their research experience and are required to engage with AHS’s public audience, either through social media, presentations, or other means.

Awards

Awards range between $500 and $2,000 per project and are intended to defray travel and living expenses. Fellowship funds are not intended to pay for AHS services, like image reproduction or licensing.

Applications for the 2027 cycle will open April 1, 2026. Applications will be due November 1, 2026

We Want More History! 

Help Make History Visible This September
People care deeply about history. This September 25–27, communities across the country will have an opportunity to demonstrate just how much during We Want More History!, a nationwide weekend of history programming.

Museums, libraries, archives, colleges and universities, historic sites, historical societies, community organizations, and many others are planning talks, tours, exhibits, classroom activities, open houses, and other public programs that connect people with history.

You can participate by organizing an event, incorporating the weekend into your teaching, volunteering your expertise, or attending a program in your community. Already have a history-related event planned for September 25–27? Add it to the national event calendar.

Learn more, find participation resources, and explore the event map at wewantmorehistory.org.

The Other America 250 Story: The Domínguez-Escalante Expedition and the Making of the West

Tuesday, August 11, 2026
12:00 p.m. MT | 11:00 a.m. Arizona
Virtual via Zoom

As America 250 celebrations continue across the country, many stories of the American West remain overlooked. This webinar explores the 1776 Domínguez-Escalante Expedition and how its journey through today's public lands across Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico offers important perspectives on conservation, cultural heritage, water, and stewardship that continue to shape the Southwest today.

HECHO HCLC members Eric Carpio and Dr. Nick Saenz will share historical insights while connecting the expedition to today's conservation priorities and the enduring contributions of Hispanic and Indigenous communities to the landscapes we know today.

Register here

TITLE: Editor or Co-Editors, American Historical Review

REPORTS TO: AHA Council through the Council’s Research Division, which exercises oversight over AHA research publications

OVERALL RESPONSIBILITY: As the intellectual leader(s) of the AHR, the co-editors or editor shape the content of the most widely read and cited professional historical journal in the world. Working with three full-time staff members (Reviews Editor, Senior Managing Editor, Managing Editor) of the AHA and with Oxford University Press (our publishing partner), the editor envisions and shapes the journal’s contents and is responsible for creating visibility for the AHR within the public sphere. The editor or co-editors also oversees the peer review process to ensure that the journal continues to be the leading general scholarly publication in the discipline and to showcase top historical scholarship and commentary.

The AHA is open to applications from either a single editor or from teams of two co-editors for this position. Co-editor applicants will be asked to provide an explanation of how they will equally divide the labor and responsibilities between the two parties. Applicants from a range of contexts and institutions are encouraged to apply.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE C0-EDITORS OR EDITOR:

• Review all original submissions and determine their appropriateness for the journal, referring any that have potential to the appropriate members of the Board of Editors.
• Oversee the timely peer review of such original submissions, including composing letters to authors in a prompt and courteous manner indicating acceptance, rejection, feedback from reviewers, and/or requests for revisions.
• Facilitate and encourage submissions of articles and other historical scholarship across all geographical, temporal, and thematic fields, as well as exploration of new methodological approaches where appropriate.
• Commission roundtables, forums, conversations, feature reviews and other types of content for the AHR History Lab to highlight trends in the discipline and to foster conversations among historians around issues of research and pedagogy.
• In consultation with the Board of Editors, commission special issues of the journal that address major issues and concerns in the discipline in innovative ways.
• Encourage publicity, as indicated by high citations, expanded readership, and the stimulation of new debates, in part by flagging high-profile forthcoming pieces to AHA and OUP marketing staff, coordinating possible online articles with AHA staff, promoting the journal at conferences, and/or suggesting media coverage outlets and stakeholder organizations that may be interested in content.
• Conceive of innovative modes of web-based communication for the journal’s content, in conjunction and consultation with the AHA’s web and social media staff.
• Work with the AHA Research Division and Council to determine AHR publication and editorial policies and recommend practices to implement those policies.
• Work to diversify readership, content, and participation in the work of the AHR as reviewers and board members.
• Manage the Board of Editors through meetings and regular individual communication during the year.
• Nominate candidates for the AHR Board of Editors in consultation with the Research Division. Council approves the nominations.
• In consultation with the Reviews Editor, nominate candidates for the AHR Associate Review Editors. Council approves the nominations.
• Nominate candidates for consulting editors as needed in consultation with the Research Division. Council approves the nominations.
• Represent the AHR at the AHA annual meeting.
• Work with the Reviews Editor to resolve occasional issues in the journal’s reviewing process.
• Report annually on prior year’s performance and future plans to the AHA Council.

The editor is an appointed officer of the AHA. As an appointed officer, the editor is a nonvoting member of the Association’s Council and Research Division and is expected to attend biannual in-person meetings of Council on the first weekend in January at the AHA annual meeting, and the first weekend in June in Washington, DC. The editor is also expected to participate in three Research Division meetings annually, two held by teleconference and one held in-person in conjunction with Council meetings in Washington. The editor may be requested to attend additional Council teleconferences as needed.

COMPENSATION:  Resources and arrangements of FTE are negotiable and vary based on institutional context and commitment.

TIMELINE: Deadline for receiving applications is October 1, 2026. 

TO APPLY: Log into your MY AHA account at historians.org/myaha; click “Available Application Forms” in the AHA Awards, Grants, and Jobs section; and select the "Editor or Co-Editors, American Historical Review" link. If you don't have an account, create one for free at historians.org/createaccount.

Upload an Application Packet as a single PDF. Include:

• CV
• Letter that addresses interest, vision for the journal, and a plan for institutional/time commitment and support (no more than 2500 words)
• List of up to 5 scholarly references (references will not be contacted before notifying the applicant)

For more information about the AHA, visit historians.org. Questions regarding the AHA or the search should be sent to Sarah Muncy, managing editor, at smuncy@historians.org. 

The AHA is an equal opportunity employer.

Funeral services for Thomas Lindsay “T. Lindsay” Baker, 79, will be conducted at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at United Presbyterian Church, 1510 W. Westhill Dr., Cleburne, Texas 76033. Burial will be private.

A visitation for family and friends will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday, June 22, 2026, at Rosser Funeral Home, 1664 West Henderson Street, Cleburne, Texas 76033. Condolences may be sent to Mrs. Julie P. Baker, P.O. Box 507, Rio Vista, TX 76093.

---

T. Lindsay Baker, Ph. D. died Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Arizona.

T. Lindsay was born April 22, 1947, to Garnell and Mary Miller Baker in Cleburne, Texas. As a youth, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He graduated from Cleburne High School in 1965 and went on to attend his parents’ alma mater, Texas Tech University, where he received his Ph. D. in 1977. In 1975, he became a Fulbright Lecturer at Wroclaw Polytechnic University, Poland, where he conducted some of the research for his first award-winning book, The First Polish Americans: Silesian Settlements in Texas. A man of diverse historical interests, he taught in the Engineering Program at Texas Tech before accepting the role of Curator of Agriculture and Technology at Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, Texas, in 1978.

Over the next nine years, T. Lindsay produced museum exhibits and books that would educate thousands of heritage tourists and readers of Texas and American history. He displayed his expertise in wind power history in his initial publication on the subject, A Field Guide to American Windmills. It pleased him that it never went out of print. Soon after, came Building the Lone Star: An Illustrated Guide to Historic Sites. With Billy R. Harrison, he documented the story of famed Panhandle trading post, Adobe Walls. His most popular book is likely Ghost Towns of Texas for which he drove over 5,000 miles and found so many sites that a sequel was required.

After two years as Curator of History at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, he joined the Baylor University Museum Studies Department in 1989. T. Lindsay taught hundreds of budding public historians skills that they would rely on throughout their careers, but he also held multiple leadership roles in the department. During this time, he wrote Lighthouses of Texas, which was inspired by childhood visits to his Auntie Etelka’s Galveston home. He published additional works on windmills and windmillers and with his wife, Julie P. Baker, he edited two volumes of slave narratives. In 1997, Hill College called him to serve as the founding director of the Texas Heritage Museum.

In 2002, Tarleton State University appointed him the W. K. Gordon Chair in Industrial History of Texas and Director of the W. K. Gordon Center, appropriately located at the ghost town of Thurber, Texas. He supervised the development of the facility in addition to teaching a selection of distinctive and interactive courses on public history, Texas, and American history. In spite of his many responsibilities, he continued writing. He edited the never-published thesis of early Thurber historian Mary Jane Gentry, The Birth of Texas Ghost Town: Thurber, 1886-1933, to make both Ms. Gentry and her work more well known. By contrast, he explored the darker side of history by crafting A Gangster Tour of Texas focused on heinous criminals of the past. His first book on Route 66, Portrait of Route 66: Images from the Curt Teich Postcard Archives, revealed the rich source material in that collection. Meanwhile, he delighted in testing recipes and collecting cookbooks, photographs, and memorabilia for his deep dive into food culture, Eating Up Route 66: The Foodways on America’s Mother Road, released in 2022.

T. Lindsay made friends across the globe during research trips, conferences, consulting stops, living history events, and pleasure travel. He particularly enjoyed hiking the walking paths of England, but his wanderlust took him on wide-ranging adventures. With a broad smile, he enthusiastically shared his knowledge with thousands of students, scholars, hobbyists, and friends who shared his passions. He remembered the interests of others and would surprise them with an unexpected envelope or an email full of historical tidbits he thought they would appreciate. For this reason and many more, he is known for the kindness, generosity, positivity, and unlimited encouragement he gave freely.

This talented man shot and developed most of his own photographs and drafted carefully hand-drawn maps for his books. He also enjoyed driving his antique automobiles which he tinkered with, or had others tinker with, to make them roadworthy. His professional memberships included the Texas Institute of Letters, the Western Writers of America, and Texas State Historical Association among other organizations.

He resided on the Hill County farm acquired by his great grandparents in 1900. He fixed up the old homeplace, but the house remained much as his ancestors experienced it. When he married Julie P. Shaw in Cleburne on July 7, 1990, they made a happy life together on the farm. They generously shared their rural retreat with family and friends who fondly remember small casual visits and big, joyous holiday gatherings with this loving couple. When he retired from Tarleton in 2017, he embraced writing full time. At the time of his death, he was researching a forthcoming book on Route 66 in Texas.

T. Lindsay Baker is survived by his wife of 35 years, Julie P. Baker; sons, Jason Shaw and wife, Karen, and Adam Shaw and wife, Camille; grandchildren Jordyn Shaw Lee and husband, Scottie, Dallas Shaw and wife, Lexi, Harper, Waverley, and Baker Shaw, Kristin and Jonathan Waldrop; great-grandchildren Easton Lee and Sage Waldrop; and cousins Beth Miller Morgan, Leslie Milller, Stephen Miller, and Sherrianne Graf.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Boy Scouts of America, Doctors Without Borders, or a charity of your choice.

Call for Papers- 11th Annual Eastern Sierra History Conference

October 23 - October 25, 2026

The 11th Annual Eastern Sierra History Conference seeks to enhance awareness, enrich knowledge, and generate recognition of the diverse and complex heritage of the Sierra Nevada region. We are seeking presentations on the history and culture of the Sierra Nevada, the contiguous geographic areas of the Sierra Nevada and the Great Basin, along with research that may have taken place outside of the region but is related to the history of the area. Selected presenters will have the opportunity to have their research published in the Eastern Sierra History Journal, a digital publication sponsored by Sierra Forever and the Claremont Colleges.

This event will be an in-person conference held at the Cerro Coso Community College in Bishop, CA. The Conference will feature keynote speakers in the morning of Friday and Saturday. The morning session presenters will have 40 minutes to speak with 10 minutes for discussion. Afternoon session presenters will have 30 minutes to present with 10 minutes for discussion. Sunday will feature optional field trips to relevant sites around the region. Breakfast, lunch, and light refreshments at breaks will be provided on Friday and Saturday for all speakers and conference attendees. Sierra Forever will also sell relevant books during the conference.

To be considered for this year’s conference, please submit a maximum 250 words abstract along with a brief biographical statement to Michelle Kelly, Education & Events Manager, Sierra Forever at michelle@sierraforever.org by Friday, July 31, 2026.

If you have any questions, please contact Michelle Kelly by email at michelle@sierraforever.org or by phone at (760) 920-9224.