Digital Archivist

Description

One of ten University of California campuses, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is located in Westwood Village, approximately five miles from the Pacific Ocean near Santa Monica. Comprised of the College of Letters and Science and 11 professional schools, the 419-acre campus features 163 buildings. UCLA has more than 4,000 faculty and academic staff and approximately 26,000 employees overall. Founded in 1919, UCLA offers 337 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and has more than 28,000 undergraduates and 12,000 graduate students. Academic excellence, faculty distinction, and a comprehensive curriculum are hallmarks of UCLA, which is a member of the Association of American Universities. Among the faculty are fourteen Nobel Laureates, twelve Rhodes Scholars, ten National Medal of Science winners, a Fields Medal Winner, eleven MacArthur Grant winners, and seventy-eight Guggenheim Fellows. UCLA is California's largest university and is a model for public institutions of higher education. As the seventh largest employer in the region, UCLA generates almost $14 in economic activity for every $1 state taxpayers invest in UCLA and generates an annual $11.9 billion economic impact for the state of California.

Consistently ranked among the top 10 academic research libraries in North America, the UCLA Library is comprised of 10 major libraries and 11 library wide departments including the Southern Regional Library Facility, the remote storage facility for the southern UC campuses, all of which report to the University Librarian. In addition, there are 12 affiliated library units located on the campus. There are approximately 105 librarians on the campus, and the UCLA Library has a staff of approximately 300, and approximately 400 - 500 student employees. The Library has an organizational structure that includes the use of teams in conjunction with departments and units. The library collection consists of more than 9 million volumes and more than 78,000 current serial titles and an aggressively expanding electronic resources collection. The Library's annual budget is in excess of $44 million; more than $10 million supports the acquisition of print and digital material, and the library is part of the California Digital Library. The UCLA Library is a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and the Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC).

Library Special Collections (LSC) is an enterprise-wide, organizational entity within the UCLA Library System that integrates special collections resources, services, and operations. Central to this re-organized unit is a curatorial team of four subject experts (Performing Arts, University Archives, History of Science and Medicine, Collecting Los Angeles), three format specific curators (Rare Books, Visual Materials, Manuscripts), and the Head of the Center for Oral History Research. LSC also includes three administrative sections: Collection Management, Research and Instructional Services, and Administrative Services. The Collection Management Section centralizes the acquisitions, rare book cataloging, and processing of special collections materials; coordinates lending processes; and facilitates collaboration with the Cataloging and Metadata Department and the Preservation Program. The Research and Instructional Services Section integrates public services for LSC, including centralized reference and instructional services, and exhibitions and programs. The Administrative Services Section consolidates the planning, budget, human resources, fundraising, assessment, technology, and events functions of LSC. The entire staff of approximately 40 FTE work together as a team to build, preserve, and provide access to the outstanding special collections of the UCLA Library.

The Collection Management Section includes the Digital Initiatives group, which is responsible for maintaining a born-digital archives management program, managing digital projects, and facilitating online access to digital collections and archival description. The Digital Initiatives group works closely with LSC staff, as well as staff from the Digital Library Program, Digital Initiatives and Information Technology, the Preservation Imaging Unit at SRLF, the Cataloging and Metadata Center, and the Preservation Program to undertake a holistic approach to digital initiatives across UCLA Library.

Position Duties

Reporting to the Head, Center for Primary Research & Training and Digital Initiatives, the Digital Archivist leads and supports LSC efforts to acquire, describe, preserve, and provide access to born-digital special collections material and to facilitate projects and programs that provide digital access to analog holdings. The Digital Archivist works in a highly collaborative manner with curatorial, professional, and technical staff in LSC and the UCLA Library, as well as with faculty and students, to enhance LSC digital services and operations, complete specific digital projects, and to lead the continuing development of a sustainable born-digital management program. In a liaison role to the Digital Library Program, Digital Initiatives and Information Technology staff, Cataloging and Metadata Center, UCLA Library digitization production facilities, Teaching and Learning Services, and the Research Library Collections, Research, and Instructional Services, the position provides expertise on issues related to management of digital special collections materials.

Specific duties and responsibilities include

• develops and implements policies and procedures that facilitate acquisition, preservation, arrangement, description, and access to born-digital materials in accordance with emerging standards and best practices
• collaborates closely with curators, other library staff, and collection donors to survey, appraise, and ensure proper transfer of born-digital holdings
• trains archival processors and students to process hybrid and born-digital collections and make them available for research
• collaborates with LSC public services staff and UCLA Library systems staff to facilitate discovery and access to digital materials
• collaborates with DIIT staff to develop preservation strategies appropriate for digital materials
• oversees the building and maintenance of the necessary hardware and software systems in LSC to manage digital collections
• collaborates with LSC, UCLA Library staff, faculty, and students to explore new research methodologies enabled by digital archives and to develop technical platforms to facilitate this research
• coordinates with LSC staff and UCLA Library staff to plan, prioritize, and carry out projects to digitize archives, manuscripts, and rare books in order to provide broader access to these materials and encourage their use in teaching and learning
• participates in the conception and development of grant applications to help UCLA Library build infrastructure for born-digital materials and to complete digital projects
• represents UCLA Library in UC-wide and national, regional, and local committees and forums on matters relevant to digital special collections management.

Required Qualifications

• ALA-accredited Master's Degree in Library or Information Science OR an advanced degree in an appropriate subject discipline with relevant special collections or archival training
• Minimum of one to two years professional experience working in special collections in an academic or research library
• Thorough knowledge of archival theory and practice as demonstrated through experience performing archival appraisal, arrangement, description, and preservation
• Knowledge of and experience with strategies and technology such as digital forensics, digital preservation, and systems developed or adopted by the archival community for managing born-digital materials
• Familiarity with standards for description and preservation of special collections holdings including EAD, MARC, MODS, METS, DACS, RDA, and PREMIS
• Knowledge of and experience with standards and best practices for digitization of archives, manuscripts, rare books, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and other special collections holdings.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, organizational skills, and time management skills.
• Commitment to professional issues demonstrated through strong interest in local or national committee work, research, or publication
• Working knowledge of standard computer office applications such as Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint or other productivity software
• Capacity to thrive in the exciting, ambiguous, future-oriented environment of a world-class research institution and to respond effectively to changing needs and priorities.
• Ability to initiate and maintain cooperative working relationships with co-workers, supervisors, and managers, and to represent LSC in a professional manner to relevant constituencies. Ability to work harmoniously and as a team player, thrive in a team-based environment, and skill in fostering teamwork among others.
• Ability to get to work reliably and on time and to be present in the workplace during normal working hours.
• Commitment to fostering a diverse educational environment and workplace and ability to work with a diverse student and faculty population

Desired Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience with project management and work flow design and implementation for digital projects
• Knowledge and experience with a variety of computer operating systems, storage systems, and file formats
• Demonstrated knowledge and ability to stay abreast of privacy, confidentiality, copyright and use policies associated with special collections materials
• Experience in writing funding proposals