Martine A. and Bina Aspen Rothblatt Digital Archivist

Description

Position Description:

The American Philosophical Society Library & Museum seeks to hire the inaugural Martine A. and Bina Aspen Rothblatt Digital Archivist. This entry-level position will establish, develop, and maintain a sustainable digital preservation program for the APS Library & Museum’s growing collection of born-digital assets. The candidate will oversee the organization, distribution, and long-term preservation of the APS Library & Museum’s born-digital content and will manage the accession, migration, processing, and handling of born-digital collections.

Primary Responsibilities

Working closely with, and under the leadership and supervision of, the Head of Digital Scholarship & Technology, the Digital Archivist will be responsible for:

●       Creating workflows and drafting documentation for acquiring, accessioning, preserving, arranging, describing, and providing access to born-digital materials;

●       Preparing born-digital materials for preservation ingest, stabilization, and storage;

●       Collaborating with curators and donors to survey, appraise, and ensure proper transfer of born-digital holdings;

●       Working with Manuscripts Processing and Digital Projects staff to coordinate access to born-digital material;

●       Identifying and inventorying physical digital media throughout the collections;

●       Providing training for relevant APS staff on the functional requirements, best practices, use of tools, systems, standards, and processes related to digital preservation;

●       Will work in the Library’s Reading Room.

Qualifications:

●       MLIS or equivalent with graduate-level archives coursework or post-graduate digital archives or records management training coursework;

●       Minimum 1 year of professional experience as a practicing archivist.

●       Strong command of archival theory and best practices, especially as they relate to the particular issues posed by born-digital content;

●       Familiarity with trends in arrangement, description & management of born-digital materials;

●       Knowledge of copyright, donor restrictions, and permissions issues related to processing digitized and born-digital material;

●       Knowledge of current digitization and preservation reformatting practices;

●       Experience with Linux and with command-line interfaces;

●       Familiarity with programming/scripting languages such as Python, Ruby, XSLT, XML, and bash;

●       Experience with digital library software, especially Islandora, Drupal, and Fedora;

●       Familiarity with archival content management systems such as ArchivesSpace;

●       Experience with metadata standards relevant to the archival control of digital collection materials such as EAD, Dublin Core, MODS, METS, and PREMIS;

●       Experience with tools, workflow implementation, and quality assurance for digital archives;

●       Demonstrated ability to be flexible, adapt to change, and successfully collaborate and work effectively within and across organizational boundaries in a fast-paced, dynamic environment;

●       Strong analytical and problem solving skills and the ability to formulate options and recommend solutions;

●       The ideal candidate will also have a demonstrated interest in one of the Library’s core collecting areas (History of Science, Early American History, Anthropology and Linguistics);

Please submit a resume or CV with a cover letter detailing your interest in and qualifications for the position to Interfolio at https://apply.interfolio.com/74324. References will be requested for finalists. We encourage all those interested in learning more about the position to email Bayard Miller at bmiller@amphilsoc.org.

Applications will be accepted through April 3, 2020.

The American Philosophical Society is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Successful applicants will be asked to show proof that they can legally work in the U.S.

About the APS

The American Philosophical Society (APS), the oldest learned society in the United States, was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for the purposes of “promoting useful knowledge.” In the 21st century, it serves to advance knowledge and promote scholarship in the humanities and social, mathematical, life, and physical sciences. Members of the Society are elected from among the most eminent scholars and civic and cultural leaders in North America and abroad. More than 100 living APS Members are Nobel laureates.

The APS Library & Museum collections make it among the premier institutions for documenting and exhibiting the history of the American Revolution and founding, the history of science from Newton to NASA, Native American languages and culture, and the development of American anthropology. The Library houses over 13 million manuscripts, 275,000 volumes and bound periodicals, 250,000 images, fine art, and other objects. Museum exhibitions interpret these extensive collections for the regional, national, and international visitors who come to Philadelphia’s historic district. In so doing, the exhibitions aim to nurture the spirit of inquiry, promote critical thinking, and engender enthusiasm for object-based learning by using primary source documents and authentic objects. The Library & Museum also hosts a robust fellowship program, offering over 25 short-term and 10 long-term fellowships each year to scholars using its collections.

For Further Information on APS Library & Museum Collections visit:

http://amphilsoc.org/library  and  http://amphilsoc.pastperfectonline.com/