Metadata and Technical Services Archivist

Description

Position Summary:

Lead Special Collections’ implementation of metadata standards and best practices, and associated metadata management technologies. Create, maintain, document, and improve local standards and practices for creating archival description and other related metadata. Conduct staff and student training on metadata and local technology. Manipulate metadata using programmatic tools in order to check its quality, improve, enable efficient workflows, run reports, provide insights, and answer staff questions.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Metadata Standards & Systems: Create, maintain, and improve local standards and practices for creating archival description and other related metadata. Provide expertise on metadata schema selection and implementation. Be a superuser and key stakeholder for the ever-evolving technology supporting Special Collections’ metadata management, which currently features ArchivesSpace. Plan for and lead metadata system migrations and integrations. Identify opportunities for system development and improvement.

Metadata Manipulation: Manipulate metadata using programmatic tools in order to check its quality, improve it, enable efficient workflows, run reports, provide insights, and answer staff questions. Evaluate donor-provided and other non-standard metadata and devise efficient ways of re-using it when advantageous.

Documentation & Training: Create and maintain user-friendly local documentation for metadata creation standards, metadata tool use, and other related activities. Conduct training for staff, students, faculty, and the public on creating metadata according to local standards and using related technology. Serve as a champion for good metadata practices.

Professional Engagement: Remain up-to-date in relevant areas in order to track the development of emerging standards, tools, and issues. Actively participate in communities relevant to the position’s other duties, particularly user communities such as the ArchivesSpace user groups.

Reference and Other :As a member of the Special Collections department, provide reference and research service for patrons, including scheduled reading room coverage. Participate actively in the shared decision making for Special Collections; perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Education/Experience: Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited program or an advanced degree in a related disciplinary field, with formal training in archival theory and practice required. Minimum one year full-time (or equivalent part-time) experience working in a manuscripts or archival repository required; experience also working with rare books a plus. Experience as a project lead and as a peer trainer strongly preferred. Experience or training in user-centered design and agile methodologies preferred.

Skills: Knowledge of archival theory and literature related to description and access required. Knowledge of metadata structures, standards, and best practices: DACS, EAD, MODS, DC, and RDA required; ArchivesSpace data models and PREMIS preferred. Knowledge of metadata standards relevant to digital preservation strongly preferred. Demonstrated understanding of current U.S. copyright law as relevant to preservation and use of library and archival materials preferred.

Some experience with a programming or scripting language (Python preferred). General knowledge of APIs and their application to library metadata work. Some experience with data transformations (extracting metadata from one system or structure, transforming it, and loading it into another system). Knowledge of relational database models and SQL strongly preferred. Experience with with data transformations (extracting metadata from one system or structure, transforming it, and loading it into another system) strongly preferred.

Ability to devise and apply creative solutions to technological problems, ability to seek out and evaluate tools for performing technological work, and drive to study and learn new skills with a high degree of independence all required. Ability to articulate technical concepts to a variety of audiences required.

Ability to work in a team-based environment as well as independently. Ability to adapt to, lead, and thrive in a quickly-changing work environment. Excellent communication (verbal and written), interpersonal, problem solving, and analytical skills.

echnical concepts to a variety of audiences);

Working knowledge of collection management, preservation and access platforms such as ArchivesSpace, Archivematica, Drupal, Fedora Commons, Omeka, and MetaArchive. In-depth knowledge of digital preservation standards: PREMIS and OAIS. Knowledge and experience writing in HTML and XML, structural databases, as well as related schema EAD / MARC and standards Dublin Core, METS, and MODS.

Additional Information:

Smith College is an EO/AA/Vet/Disability Employer