Proposed Faculty Rank
Research Assistant (or Associate) Librarian
Department
00013 - UT Academic Library Consortium
Track
Non Tenure Track
New Position to Begin

Details

The Mountain West Digital Library ( MWDL ) seeks an energetic, innovative, and accomplished professional for the position of Digital Metadata Librarian. This is an excellent opportunity to work with collaborative and enthusiastic colleagues who are dedicated to building services for digital libraries and archives. Hosted at the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah, this position serves the Mountain West region as a key part of the MWDL Service Hub for the Digital Public Library of America, which aggregates metadata from partnering libraries, museums, and archives in six states for sharing both regionally via the MWDL portal at http://mwdl.org/ and nationally via the DPLA portal at http://dp.la/.

Research Librarian (non-tenure track career-line faculty) at the J. Willard Marriott Library, with rank (Assistant or Associate) based on experience and vote of Marriott Library faculty.

This is a 1 FTE non-tenure-track career-line faculty position funded for two years from the start date. The position will be reviewed for possible continuation at that time. Continuance of the position beyond two years is dependent upon recommendation of the MWDL Director, continuing funding and approval of the MWDL Governing Board, and continuing approval of the Dean of the Marriott Library.

Preferred consideration will be given to all applications received by July 15th, 2017.

The Digital Metadata Librarian of the Mountain West Digital Library supports the improvement of metadata standards and metadata in digital collections from MWDL partners, including memory institutions in Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming. This position will also be responsible for creating, maintaining, and repurposing digital object metadata for the Marriott Library, including any collections, subjects, languages, and formats as assigned using the MWDL Dublin Core Application Profile or other necessary metadata standards.

Working with all employees in MWDL and reporting to the MWDL Director, the successful candidate will:
• Facilitate the harvest of collections metadata into MWDL and from there into the Digital Public Library of America ( DPLA ):
a. Perform metadata audits of new collections and spot-check existing collections for ongoing conformance to standards.
b. Work with new partners and repositories to resolve metadata issues and Open Archives Initiative ( OAI ) interoperability issues.
c. Work with Web Discovery Services team at Marriott Library to execute ingestion of new collections into Ex Libris Primo. Modify normalization rules and XSL transformations as needed.
d. Coordinate with DPLA staff regarding mapping and ingest of metadata into DPLA portal.
• Complete metadata work on the Marriott Library collections and conduct quality assurance on existing metadata for collections marked for MWDL ingest.
• Respond to questions about metadata from partner institutions.
• Describe new collections on website and promote them via social media. Design topic browse pages for website.
• Conduct periodic collection analyses of MWDL and prepare roadmap of our collection coverage.
• Work with appropriate task force(s) within MWDL Digitization Committee and with DPLA staff to improve metadata policies and best practices.

Additional responsibilities: Assist the MWDL Director with investigation of new technologies of interest to member repositories and other collection partners. Participate actively in appropriate professional societies and report on outcomes and work processes developed at occasional professional conferences. Other duties as assigned as MWDL grows and develops.

Required Qualifications
• MLS / MLIS from an ALA -accredited graduate school or equivalent degree either completed or anticipated within one year OR the equivalent combination of a relevant advanced degree and experience working in an academic library.
• Digital metadata emphasis in graduate school or equivalent in work experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and in a team environment.
• Excellent communication skills and dedication to collaborative team-building across multiple institutions.
• Skill with using Microsoft Office software suite or equivalent.
• Capacity to thrive in the fast-paced, future-oriented environment of a research institution and to respond effectively to changing needs and priorities.
• Demonstrated proficiency and capability with information technology systems in the context of an academic library.
• Successful completion of a criminal background check, as required by Utah state law (http://www.regulations.utah.edu/humanResources/5-130.html).

Preferred Qualifications
• Two years of experience working with assigning metadata for digital materials.
• Experience with digitizing materials and managing a digital collection and other digital library-related tasks, working with CONTENTdm or other leading digital assets management system.
• Experience with Open Archives Initiative ( OAI ) harvesting.
• Demonstrated comfort with the evolving technology landscape of libraries and emerging descriptive metadata practices.
• Familiarity with XML , XSLT , and tools or scripting languages for transforming metadata.
• Familiarity with libraries, archives, and museums in the Mountain West region.
• Reading, writing, or speaking skills in a second language.

Compensation: $53,000 for 1.00 FTE effort. Excellent paid benefits including 14.2% retirement fund contribution; vacation, sick, and professional development leave; health care plan including medical and dental coverage; and participation in various additional insurance programs.

Additional Information

The Mountain West Digital Library ( MWDL ) was founded in 2001 by the Utah Academic Library Consortium and is hosted at the University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library. Other MWDL staff includes a director and three student assistants. MWDL maintains a portal at http://mwdl.org for sharing digital collections about the Mountain West region, from partners in Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming. The portal aggregates metadata for over 960,000 digital materials in a variety of formats, including photographs, maps, artworks, videos, animations, oral histories, pioneer diaries, finding aids, scholarly publications, teaching presentations, vital records, government publications, and sounds of the West. Partners include academic libraries, public libraries, museums, archives, historical societies, and government agencies. Partners work together to establish interoperability standards for metadata and online harvesting and to share expertise and resources via a regional hub system.

The J. Willard Marriott Library is an ARL library at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, with holdings of nearly 3 million volumes, over 60,000 journals in electronic and print formats, and a considerable number of other networked electronic resources. Highlights include Special Collections (with Rare Books, Book Arts Program, Multimedia Archives, and Middle East Library), Digital Library with over 100 digital collections (including Utah Digital Newspapers, Arabic Papyrus, Parchment, and Paper, and Western Soundscape), an Espresso Book Machine, a 250-computer Knowledge Commons, and seating for over 3,000 users. Teaching facilities include 20 classrooms, labs, and seminar rooms, and a 200-seat auditorium. The University of Utah, the state's flagship university, has a student population of over 32,000 and is situated on a 1,500-acre urban campus in Salt Lake City.

Nestled against the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains, Salt Lake City is the largest city in the Intermountain West, with a population of over 1 million. Residents may choose from a wide variety of cultural, entertainment and recreational activities. The city's international airport, 25 minutes from campus, is the fourth largest hub for Delta Air Lines and serves additional major carriers, providing excellent access to cities around the West. Within a few hours' drive are Utah's five world-renowned national parks, seven national monuments, and many national recreation areas and state parks. The city is a popular skiing and snowboarding destination and hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics. For more information, see the Marriott Library Profile at http://lib.utah.edu/pdf/Marriott-Library-Profile.pdf.

EEO/Diversity Information

The University of Utah is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and does not discriminate based upon race, national origin, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, status as a person with a disability, genetic information, or Protected Veteran status. Individuals from historically underrepresented groups, such as minorities, women, qualified persons with disabilities and protected veterans are encouraged to apply. Veterans' preference is extended to qualified applicants, upon request and consistent with University policy and Utah state law. Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process will be provided to individuals with disabilities. To inquire about the University's nondiscrimination or affirmative action policies or to request disability accommodation, please contact: Director, Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 201 S. Presidents Circle, Rm 135, (801) 581-8365.

The University of Utah values candidates who have experience working in settings with students from diverse backgrounds, and possess a strong commitment to improving access to higher education for historically underrepresented students.

Notice

The University is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems ("URS"). To be eligible for retirement contributions, you must be hired into a benefit-eligible position. Employees with prior URS service may elect to enroll in the URS within 30 days of hire. Regardless of whether they are hired into a benefit-eligible position or not, individuals who previously retired and are receiving monthly retirement benefits from URS must notify the Benefits Department upon hire. Please contact Utah Retirement Systems at (801)366-7770 or (800)695-4877 or the University's Benefits Department at (801)581-7447 for information. This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check and/or drug screen.

Special Instructions for Candidates

Preferred consideration will be given to all applications received by July 15, 2017.

When prompted to do so, please upload a list of three (3) professional references.

Open Date
05/24/2017
Close Date

Open Until Filled
Yes
Requisition Number
PRN00115CF
Type
Faculty


To apply please click here!