Metadata Services Specialist

Description

Position Available: As soon as possible after closing date of search. This is for a 100% time, 12-month Academic Professional position in the Content Access Management (CAM) department in the Technical Services Division of the University Library.

Duties and Responsibilities: The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign seeks an innovative and experienced professional to serve in the position of Metadata Services Specialist. This is an academic professional position for an individual with a master’s degree in library or information science, preferably with at least two years of metadata experience. Reporting to the metadata librarian and metadata team leader within the Content Access Management Unit, this position will primarily support metadata creation and management of digital collections, with duties extending to the Library’s other metadata services. The Metadata Services Specialist will develop and establish efficient metadata workflows and maintain high standards of quality for metadata production and management of digital collections to support discovery and access, and contribute to the long-term stewardship of the Library’s rich digital collections.

The Metadata Service Specialist: • Creates, edits, and enhances metadata for digital collections • Formulates and implements best practices for metadata management of digital collections • Leads and participates in meetings relating to digital collections creation and their access with the Digital Content Creation unit, Library IT, and other units of the Library • Investigates and proposes additional solutions for metadata management of the Library’s digital collections • Provides metadata training and consulting services to staff and colleagues • Monitors systems upgrades and implements appropriate new system functionalities • Identifies, evaluates, and stays current with emerging metadata trends, practices, and standards

This position may participate in research activity regarding issues in digital library development and the impact of implementing emerging metadata-related information technologies in discovery services. As the information landscape changes, this position may be asked to cover additional, evolving services or functions related to enhancing the discovery and delivery of the Library’s digital content.

Environment: The University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign is one of the world’s preeminent research libraries. 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. 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. For more detailed information, please visit <http://www.library.illinois.edu/>.

The Content Access Management (CAM) department consists of 8 permanent faculty and academic professionals, 20 FTE civil service staff, and academic hourly and student employees who catalog and create metadata to facilitate the discovery and delivery of the Library's information resources. The various units in CAM include Monographic Cataloging, Serials Cataloging, Foreign Language Cataloging, Electronic Resources Cataloging, Metadata Services, and Database Maintenance. Members of CAM also contribute to 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 or Information Science • Experience with MARC, Dublin Core, MODS, or other metadata schemas and standards • Experience in creating metadata for various types of resources • Experience with digital assets management tools, including CONTENTdm, ArtStor SharedShelf, Omeka, or others • Demonstrated knowledge of XML, XSLT, or other data processing technologies • Effective organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills • Ability to work independently as well as cooperatively and flexibly with a wide variety of staff in a rapidly changing environment

Preferred: • At least two years of working experience with metadata creation and management in an academic or research library setting • Familiarity and understanding of library Linked Data • Familiarity with RDF and the Semantic Web • Experience participating in metadata-driven research projects • Experience and ability to provide metadata-related training and instruction

Salary and Rank: Salary commensurate with credentials and experience.

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 the 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.

Deadline: In order to ensure full consideration we urge candidates to submit application materials on or before July 20, 2015.

Illinois is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with a disability. Illinois welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who embrace and value diversity and inclusivity.