Digitization Coordinator

Description

Hello Code4Libers,

Amherst College is looking for a Digitization Coordinator to run our digital reformatting operation and manage student workers. Please take a minute to peruse our posting<https://apply.interfolio.com/39585>. We'd love for you to pass it along to colleagues, former students, mentors/mentees, or anyone else you know who may be interested and qualified. I'd also be happy to answer any questions you or colleagues have about the job.

Sincerely,

Sarah

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Amherst College: Staff Search: Frost Library
Digitization Coordinator
Location: Amherst, MA 01002

Full-time, year-round position, grade 18, hourly rate commensurate with experience and qualifications.
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The Amherst College Library seeks a "Digitization Coordinator" to coordinate digital reformatting operations aimed at preserving and improving access to library and archival collections in all formats. The Coordinator trains and supervises student digitization workers. In collaboration with colleagues, creates and documents digital production workflows and processes. Occasionally works with outside vendors to digitize specialized formats. Helps develop, cultivate, and support a diverse student workforce. Leads in efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming environment.
Amherst has profoundly transformed its student body in terms of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and nationality, among other areas. Today, nearly one quarter of Amherst's students consists of Pell Grant recipients, and many more are first-generation students; nearly half of our students are non-immigrant minorities. We seek candidates who have experience working in a multicultural environment and/or are interested in supporting a diverse student body.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

* Coordinates the daily operations of the Digital Production Studio, including digitization, color management, and quality control activities.

* Evaluates requirements of digitization projects and makes recommendations for appropriate methods of capture.

* Digitizes archival material.

* Trains digitization staff and student employees.

* Supervises student employees, sets and coordinates work schedules, oversees and evaluates work performed by students, and sets and enforces workplace expectations.

* Manages quality control for material digitized in-house.

* Tracks digitization statistics.

* Coordinates overall digital collections workflow, involving pre-digitization surveys, digitization, review, coordination with metadata specialists, and hand-offs for ingest into the digital collection.

* Manages storage of digital content on servers prior to ingest into the digital collection.

* Maintains digitization priority list with colleagues.

* Participates in department planning.

* Designs, documents, and oversees efficient digital production workflows supporting the creation of digital objects that conform to digital library standards

* Investigates and recommends digitization hardware and software; monitors and maintains specialized hardware and software to capture, manipulate, and save images.

* Contributes to the development of policies, guidelines, and best practices; maintains documentation on digitization best practices.

* Selects vendors to digitize collections as needed, in consultation with supervisor.

* Communicates with vendors on issues related to hardware, software, and digitization of special formats such as audio and video.

* Works with digitization vendors to establish project requirements and ensure quality of digital objects.

* Performs other duties/functions as requested.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required:

* Bachelor's degree.

* Formal education in media production, photography, information management, or fine or applied arts; OR equivalent work experience.

* Background in film photography, digital photography, and/or graphic arts; or experience in a production-oriented digital studio environment; or experience in the imaging of two- and/or three-dimensional objects for cultural heritage institutions

* Knowledge of best practices for digitization.

* Experience using and supporting numerous types of digital imaging equipment, including flatbed scanners and digital cameras.

* Experience supervising others and managing others who perform technical work

* Project management skills.

* Ability to color calibrate monitors; experience managing objective and subjective quality control assessments and performing color correction and image manipulation using standard digital-imaging software.

* Ability to work independently and collaboratively. Ability to work closely with colleagues from all library departments and with students, faculty, staff and college administrators.

* Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills. Ability to communicate with technical and non-technical individuals.

* Experience handling archives/special collections/institutional records.

* Commitment to further the college's mission of diversity and inclusion.
Preferred:

* Experience digitizing two and three dimensional objects to digital preservation standards for cultural heritage institutions.

* Familiarity with academic library and archives environments.

* Experience supervising undergraduate students.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information (e-mail and/or telephone number) for three professional references. Applications will be reviewed until position is filled.
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Amherst College is an equal opportunity employer and encourages women, persons of color, and persons with disabilities to apply. The College is committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty, administration, and staff.
Amherst College, one of the premier liberal arts colleges in the nation, is located in Amherst, Massachusetts, a town of approximately 35,000 residents in the western part of the state. The college's community is composed of about 1,800 students from 49 states, plus D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and 54 countries around the world, and about 1,000 staff and faculty. The college's scenic 1,000-acre campus includes a 500-acre wildlife sanctuary<https://www.amherst.edu/mm/78261> and the Book & Plow Farm<http://www.bookandplowfarm.com/>; three museums: Emily Dickinson Museum<https://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/>, Beneski Museum of Natural History<https://www.amherst.edu/mm/44872> and Mead Art Museum<https://www.amherst.edu/mm/72371>; and multiple educational and cultural venues and resources through the Five College Consortium. The town of Amherst offers an amazing variety of coffee shops, restaurants and entertainment, and a very active outdoor life. Our vibrant campus, diverse community and beautiful surrounding, makes Amherst College and the Town of Amherst a great place to work, learn and live!