Digital Archivist

Description

Founded in 1842, the New York Philharmonic is the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States, and one of the oldest in the world. Each season the Philharmonic connects with up to 50 million music lovers through live concerts in New York City and on its worldwide tours and residencies as well as with its digital recording series; international broadcasts on television, radio, and online; and as a resource through its varied education programs and expansive digital archive.

The New York Philharmonic seeks a Digital Archivist to oversee the digital collections of the New York Philharmonic, including operation of the Leon Levy Digital Archives, a growing repository of millions of pages of archival material made publicly available at https://archives.nyphil.org. The Digital Archivist will manage existing digital assets, facilitate the accession of born-digital collections, and develop a digital asset management system in collaboration with other departments. This position reports to the Director, Archives and Exhibitions and interfaces heavily with the Information Technology department as well as external technology partners.

Responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Develop and implement, in collaboration with other Philharmonic departments, a born-digital archival system that will integrate with the historical collections, serving immediate staff needs.

• Work with internal and external technology partners to maintain and extend functionality of the Hadoop-based Digital Archives platform.

• Research and make recommendations on emerging standards and best practices in digital asset management including DAM software, digital asset preservation, and metadata.

• Draft and maintain clear documentation and policies for the digitization program.

• Monitor and maintain all Archives digital storage devices.

• Maintain and foster use of New York Philharmonic Open Data, including regularly-updated performance history data hosted on GitHub.

• Interface with researchers, musicians and the general public interested in the Digital Archives.  Represent the New York Philharmonic at conferences, working groups, and meetings within the digital archives industry.

• Work closely with Archives and Development staff to shape additional grant-funded projects and help draft proposals and reports.

• Liaise with Digital Media and Audio departments to develop workflows for archiving audio/video content, including the development of online listening systems.

• Supervise volunteers, interns, and part-time staff working on digital archives projects

• Manage additional digital projects within the Archives department as needed.

The ideal candidate will have an advanced Degree in archival management or Library Information Science (MLS degree) or equivalent. Digital emphasis required and a minimum 3 years of experience working with a digital archives collection or as a digital asset management professional.

Demonstrated project management and digital product development skills, including strong understanding of databases and working knowledge of a variety of digital content formats and standards (e.g. XML/XSLT, JSON, OAI-PMH, JPEG2000) and experience managing server-side and/or client-side applications using Java, PHP, JavaScript, and/or HTML/CSS in a window and Linux environment is needed. Deep knowledge of a variety of productivity applications, database systems, and graphic editors is preferred. General technological savvy and an ability to keep abreast of technological developments within the industry are integral for the role. Previous experience with an Enterprise Content Management system a plus.

Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills; keen attention to detail; strong organization skills; flexibility and resourcefulness; and ability to accomplish goals with limited resources in a fast-paced environment are essential. An enthusiasm for classical music is highly valued.

The New York Philharmonic offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, life, long term disability insurance, generous vacation and sick days, 403(B) plan match, commuter benefits, and more.

Please submit a resume and a cover letter along with your salary expectations to resumes@nyphil.org.

No phone calls, please. Although we appreciate your interest, we will only contact applicants we are considering for interview.