Media Preservation Librarian I

Description

Position Description

Reporting to the Head of Conservation and Preservation and working with staff in the Digital and Multimedia Center, G. Robert Vincent Voice Library, Special Collections and the Wallace Conservation Laboratory, as well as other library units and partners at other institutions, the Media Preservation Librarian will:

• Plan, develop and provide leadership for a media preservation program for Library digital and analog collections, including the Vincent Voice Library, Rovi Media Collection and other special collections, by reviewing existing library practices and analyzing needs and establishing policies and best practices that promote long-term stewardship and access to audio visual and moving image materials.
• Identify and work with vendors and complete RFPs for media conversion services; manage the inventory, shipping and quality control process.
• Review and advise on media acquisitions and collaborate on conservation and survey efforts.
• Identify and collaborate with technical and accessibility partners within the library, campus and consortial communities.
• Provide support for the Libraries’ overall preservation program by assisting with environmental monitoring, the integrated pest management program, and the Libraries’ Disaster Response Committee and other preservation activities.

The successful candidate must be broadly focused and adventurous enough to expand or shift their range of responsibilities to meet evolving campus needs, as well as participate approximately quarter-time in a secondary assignment based on the needs of the library and candidate interests and qualifications. Potential secondary assignments could, for example, include work with special collections, metadata services or collection development.

Librarians are appointed as regular faculty in a continuing appointment system and are engaged in professional development and scholarly activities related to their position. Additionally, librarians serve on library and university committees as elected or assigned.

Michigan State University Libraries serve more than 4,900 faculty, 36,000 undergraduates and 11,000 graduate and professional students on a park-like campus of over 5,000 acres. The MSU Libraries have combined holdings of over 6 million volumes with renowned collections in music, film, agriculture, Africana and comic art and cutting-edge services including a makerspace and digital scholarship lab. The Libraries are home to both the Rovi Media Collection, one of the largest publicly accessible media collections in the world, and the G. Robert Vincent Voice Library, a collection of over 40,000 hours of spoken word recordings dating back to 1888. East Lansing is a vibrant community of 50,000 located adjacent to Lansing, the State capital.

Minimum Qualifications

Master’s degree in information or library science from a program accredited by the American Library Association. Knowledge of or experience with media and library preservation. Excellent oral and written communication skills; outstanding interpersonal communication skills including the ability to be flexible in a dynamic and changing environment; exceptional commitment to customer service; ability to work enthusiastically and effectively with diverse faculty, students and staff; ability to work collaboratively and independently; ability to prioritize and balance various unit needs; attention to detail; preparation and commitment to engage in scholarly activity consistent with a library faculty appointment; capacity and commitment to engage independently in continuing professional development.

Desired Qualifications

Familiarity with production, archiving or preserving complex digital objects; knowledge of current library preservation best practices for books, paper and photographic collections; knowledge of best practice for cleaning repair, migrating or rehousing audio visual and moving image materials; knowledge of disaster recovery techniques for media; broad understanding of current trends and tools for sustainability, integrity, authenticity and risk assessment; knowledge of standards-based metadata schema such as MODS, METS and PREMIS. File migration and media conversion practice; use of programming languages such as Python; understanding of the grant-writing process, knowledge of accessibility as it relates to media and media preservation.

Closing Date

5pm on April 17, 2018.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Minimum $52,000; MSU provides generous fringe benefits.
Interested applicants should provide a letter of application, resume and names, addresses and email addresses of three references to http://careers.msu.edu posting number 493910.