MarBina Rothblatt Assistant Digital Archivist

Description

MarBina Rothblatt Assistant Digital Archivist
American Philosophical Society
“Promoting Useful Knowledge since 1743”

The American Philosophical Society (APS) is seeking an Assistant Digital Archivist to join its growing collaborative team at the Center for Digital Scholarship (CDS).

THE POSITION

The MarBina Rothblatt Assistant Digital Archivist will work with the Martine A. and Bina Aspen Rothblatt Digital Archivist to ensure the organization, access, and long-term preservation of APS Library & Museum born-digital content, and participate in the accession, migration, processing, and handling of born-digital collections.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Prepare born-digital materials for preservation ingest, stabilization, and storage.
• Participate in reformatting obsolete and at-risk analog media.
• Create original metadata and descriptions for digital resources.
• Conduct finding aids maintenance (could include updates, additions, creating links to the Digital Library).
• Contribute to the development and implementation of digital preservation workflows.
• Collaborate with curators, donors, and the Digital Archivist to survey and ensure proper transfer of born-digital accessions.
• Identify and inventory physical digital media throughout the collections.
• Reading Room duty, including assisting readers, paging and retrieving materials, returning and reshelving materials and keeping track of transactions using the Aeon software program.
• Other duties as assigned by the Librarian or supervisory staff, which might include working on the front desk.

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

• MLIS or equivalent with graduate-level archives coursework or post-graduate digital archives or records management training coursework (May 2024 graduates welcome to apply);
• Minimum 1 year of professional paid or volunteer experience as a practicing archivist;
• Strong command of archival theory and best practices, as related to the preservation and processing of both physical and digital content;
• Familiarity with trends in arrangement, description & management of born-digital materials;
• Familiarity with current digitization and preservation reformatting practices;
• Familiarity with digital library software, especially Islandora, Drupal, and Fedora;
• Familiarity with archival content management systems such as ArchivesSpace;
• Experience with Linux and with command-line interfaces preferred;
• Experience with metadata standards relevant to the archival control of digital collection materials such as EAD, Dublin Core, MODS, METS, and PREMIS;
• Demonstrated ability to be flexible, adapt to change, and successfully collaborate with a wide range of staff and external stakeholders;
• 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).

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/139615. References will be requested for finalists.

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