Digital Projects Specialist

Description

“Promoting useful knowledge since 1743”

The American Philosophical Society’s Library & Museum (APS) is seeking a digital humanist to join its growing collaborative team at the Center for Digital Scholarship.

THE POSITION

The American Philosophical Society Library & Museum seeks to hire a Digital Projects Specialist to join a growing collaborative team at the Center for Digital Scholarship (CDS). This position will support the CDS’ efforts to promote outreach and use of the Library & Museum collections through digital project development. The incumbent will contribute to all stages of digital project development, including but not limited to: conducting research for digital projects; identifying, digitizing, and transcribing material for use in digital projects; writing web page text and promotional material; presenting on and developing workshops around projects; and writing and maintaining project code.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Planning, designing, researching, and developing digital projects and initiatives related to the APS Library & Museum collections;
• Contributing to the CDS Open Data Initiative through digitization and transcription of materials, including modeling and quality control of transcriptions;
• Collaborating and advising on digital projects with fellows, interns, and other APS staff;
• Supporting the APS Library & Museum digitization program and digital library through tasks including creation, maintenance, quality control, and management of digital assets, metadata, data and datasets;
• Promoting the work of the CDS in the digital humanities community and remaining versed in current trends and best practices in the field;
• Regular shifts in the Library’s Reading Room;
• Other duties as assigned or developed.

This is a full-time, onsite position with benefits. The Society offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, dental, life insurance, long-term disability, 403b with employer match, and paid days off.

Salary: Full-time, exempt, $50,000 

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’s 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 14 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 Library & Museum Collections visit:
http://amphilsoc.org/library  and  http://amphilsoc.pastperfectonline.com/

Qualifications

• Minimum 1-2 years of professional experience working on digital projects, preferably in an academic library setting;
• Advanced degree in a humanities related field or equivalent digital project experience;
• Demonstrated experience with markup languages for front end web development;
• Demonstrated experience creating or contributing to digital exhibitions;
• Demonstrated experience with digital humanities tools and techniques for building data visualizations, such as text mining, image analysis, mapping, network analysis, and/or dataset curation;
• Experience working with datasets in file formats such as CSV or JSON;
• Facility with any of the following programming languages or tools, preferred: Python, R, SQL, JavaScript, Drupal, Islandora;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Demonstrated ability to be creative, flexible, adaptive to change, and to successfully collaborate and work effectively within and across organizational boundaries.
• The ideal candidate will also have a demonstrated interest in one of the Library’s core collecting areas (History of Science, Early American History, Indigenous Cultures, Anthropology, and Linguistics)

Application Instructions

Please submit a resume or CV with a cover letter detailing your interest in and qualifications for the position to Interfolio: https://apply.interfolio.com/138073. References will be requested for finalists.

We encourage all those interested in learning more about the position to email Associate Director of Research, Engagement, & Technology, Bayard Miller (bmiller@amphilsoc.org).