Metadata Librarian

Description

Metadata Librarian
Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor, University Library
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

*Position Available*: The expected start date is as soon as possible after the closing date. This is a 100%, twelve-month, tenure-system appointment.

*Position and Responsibilities*: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign seeks an enthusiastic, collaborative, and experienced professional to serve as one of multiple metadata librarians. The new Metadata Librarian will be responsible for investigating and assessing applicability of current library metadata research being undertaken here and elsewhere. Based on this assessment, and in collaboration with other faculty and staff working with metadata throughout the Library, the incumbent will develop and implement a strategy for updating existing and developing new metadata workflows, as required to support the strategic goals of Content Access Management (CAM), the Library and the Campus. Reporting to the Head of CAM, this position collaborates extensively with colleagues in defining, developing and implementing a new, enhanced, sustainable metadata service infrastructure for the University Library. Work performed in this position is expected to complement the work also performed in Acquisitions, Digital Content Creation, Collection Management Services, IT, Scholarly Commons, and Electronic Resources.

*Specific duties*:

· Define strategies and create best practices and policies for the authoring, harvesting, enhancement, remediation, and transformation of Library metadata that reflect emerging outcomes of metadata research being conducted here and elsewhere

· Provide leadership in the development of relevant metadata standards, policies, and procedures for the Library

· Investigate, design, develop, test, and evaluate ways to maintain and enhance quality of access to UIUC Library and University resources, in both print and digital formats, thereby helping to produce the best environment for the search and discovery of the Library's collections

· In support of new collections, advise on creating consistent and complete item-level metadata compatible with the Library's various access and digital asset management systems

· Collaborate with others to facilitate metadata scheme speciation and adaptation, including the selection of metadata schema, data elements, thesauri, crosswalks, and XSLT stylesheets to make resources accessible through the Library's gateway

· Articulate, pursue, and over time refine an aggressive agenda in research, scholarly publication, and professional service activities in areas appropriate for academic librarianship at the University of Illinois

· Update and create metadata best practices for locally developed digital collections housed in various digital asset management systems; convert and/or create MARCXML, DC-XML, MODS, and other records for collections of full-text resources that the Library ingests into the Voyager cataloging system, Primo Web Scale Discovery service, IDEALS, HathiTrust, and Internet Archive.

· Evaluate platforms in regards to metadata needs for storage, discovery, and delivery of the Library's digital resources.

· Participate in and over time assume a leadership role in national and international research initiatives investigating the role of metadata technologies in libraries.

*Environment*: The University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign is one of the preeminent research libraries in the world. With more than 13 million volumes and significant digital resources, it ranks second in size among academic research libraries in the United States and first among public university libraries in the world. As the intellectual heart of the campus, the Library is committed to maintaining the strongest possible collections and services and engaging in research and development activities in pursuit of the University’s mission of teaching, scholarship, and public service. The Library currently employs approximately 90 faculty and 300 academic professionals, staff, and graduate assistants. For more detailed information, please visit <http://www.library.illinois.edu/>.

The Library consists of multiple departmental libraries located across campus, as well as an array of central public, technical, and administrative service units. The Library also encompasses a variety of virtual service points and “embedded librarian” programs. The Content Access Management (CAM) department consists of 7 permanent and visiting faculty and academic professionals, 20 FTE civil service staff, and academic hourly and student employees engaged in cataloging and metadata creation to facilitate the discovery and delivery of the Library's information resources. The various units in CAM include Monographic Cataloging, Serials Cataloging, Metadata Services, and Database Maintenance. Members of CAM also contribute to electronic resources cataloging, large-scale digitization projects, web scale discovery services, and the creation, harvesting, enhancement, remediation, and transformation of Library metadata. The unit participates in cooperative cataloging programs to support national and international resource sharing.

*Qualifications*: Required: ALA-accredited Master’s degree in Library and/or Information Science (or equivalent); Experience with and working knowledge of XML; Experience with and working knowledge of one or more of these standards: Dublin Core, EAD, METS, MODS, CDWA, LIDO, or VRA; Knowledge of national cataloging standards; Ability to successfully handle multiple priorities; Ability to work in a collaborative team environment; Ability to work autonomously; Strong oral and written communication skills; Strong, positive interaction skills with co-workers. Preferred: Minimum of one year post-Master’s degree experience working with metadata in a digital library environment; Experience in creating, editing, and transforming MARC and/or non-MARC metadata records; Experience with and working knowledge of collection-level metadata schemas; Experience with non-descriptive metadata standards/schemas; Experience with an integrated library system; Experience creating and using XSLT stylesheets to transform metadata records; Experience with metadata issues related to the discovery of academic resources; Experience with user studies and surveys; Experience using XML and XML-related tools and technologies including XML Schema authoring tools and XSLT debugging tools; Knowledge of Library Linked Open Data practices and related technologies; Experience with scripting and programming languages.

*Salary and Rank*: Salary commensurate with credentials and experience. Librarians have faculty rank, and must demonstrate excellence in librarianship, research, and university/professional/community service in order to meet university standards for tenure and promotion. For more information, see <http://www.library.illinois.edu/committee/promo/pta.html>.

*Terms of Appointment*: Twelve-month appointment; 24 annual vacation days; 11 annual paid holidays; 12 annual sick-leave days (cumulative), plus an additional 13 sick-leave days (non-cumulative) available, if needed, each year; health insurance requiring a small co-payment is provided to employee (with the option to purchase coverage for spouse and dependents); required participation in State Universities Retirement System (SURS) (8% of annual salary is withheld and is refundable upon termination), with several options for participation in additional retirement plans; newly-hired employees are covered by the Medicare portion of Social Security and are subject to its deduction.

*Campus and Community*: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a comprehensive and major public land-grant university (Doctoral/Research University-Extensive) that is ranked among the best in the world. Chartered in 1867, it provides undergraduate and graduate education in more than 150 fields of study, conducts theoretical and applied research, and provides public service to the state and the nation. It employs 3,000 faculty members who serve 31,000 undergraduates and 12,000 graduate and professional students; approximately 25% of faculty receives campus-wide recognition each year for excellence in teaching. More information about the campus is available at www.illinois.edu.

The University is located in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana, which have a combined population of 100,000 and are situated about 140 miles south of Chicago, 120 miles west of Indianapolis, and 170 northeast of St. Louis. The University and its surrounding communities offer a cultural and recreational environment ideally suited to the work of a major research institution. For more information about the community, visit: < http://illinois.edu/about/community/community.html> or < http://www.ccchamber.org/>.

*To Apply*: To ensure full consideration, please complete your candidate profile at https://jobs.illinois.edu and upload a letter of interest, resume, and contact information including email addresses for three professional references. Only applications submitted through this website will be considered. For questions, please call: 217-333-8169.

Deadline: In order to ensure full consideration, applications and nominations must be received by *January 10, 2014.*

Illinois is an Affirmative Action /Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who embrace and value diversity and inclusivity.

Myung-Ja "MJ" Han 220 Main Library University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign 1408 W. Gregory Dr. (MC-522) Urbana, IL 61801 217-333-9515 (Main Library) 217-244-7809 (Grainger)