Digital Archivist

Description

The Computer History Museum, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, California, seeks an articulate, creative & "can-do" individual for the Digital Archivist position. The Museum’s mission is to preserve and present for posterity the artifacts and stories of the information age. This unique and exciting institution is home to one of the largest collections of computer-related artifacts in the world.  Backed by leaders and innovators of the computer industry, the Museum brings computing history to life through its speaker series, exhibitions, oral histories and website.

Position Summary

The Digital Archivist is responsible for day to day management of the Museum’s new digital repository. The Digital Archivist is responsible for the curation of born digital and digitized objects; playing a significant role in the accession, description and access to digital objects in the Museum’s collection. The position requires an individual who is self-motivated and eager to learn and explore. The successful applicant will have a good base of understanding in a variety of technologies related to digital preservation and digtal curation, and will keep abreast of new technical information and developments relating to the life cycle of digital objects.

Responsibilities

• Develop workflows and procedures, and aid in policy revisions, for the digital repository
• Arrange, describe, preserve, and make accessible born-digital and digitized materials following archival practices
• Help identify, evaluate, recommend, and implement appropriate hardware and software for digital preservation and digitization
• Assist in planning and implementing digitization projects
• Assist in infrastructure development, planning and support for long-term access to the digital collection
• Create reports and other documentation about Museum’s digital object collection
• Take an active role in the Museum’s social media endeavors and promoting the digital collection
• Support Museum special events as needed
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Required Qualifications, Attributes and Skills

• Masters in Library Science, Museum Studies or Bachelor’s in Computer Science
• Two or more years professional experience working with digital objects in an archive, library, historical society  or museum
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Knowledge of administrative, technical, structural and descriptive metadata standards such as Premis, EAD, METS, and MODS
• Experience working on the management and preservation of digital objects
• Expertise with relational databases and/or content management systems
• Skill in coordinating resources and establishing priorities
• Analytical problem-solving capabilities and technical knowledge
• Knowledge of intellectual property issues
• Detail-oriented and ability to be flexible
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines

Preferred Qualifications, Attributes and Skills 

• Basic IT skills including an understanding of networking, MySQL, and Ubuntu
• Experience with Islandora (Drupal and Fedora) or related digital repository management system
• Familiarity with the reading and reformatting of obsolete digital media
• Experience providing reference services
• Experience working with volunteers and interns

The Computer History Museum offers a competitive salary and benefits package including health, dental, vision and life insurance and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.