Music & Audiovisual Archivist

Description

Reporting to the Director of the World Music Archives & Music Librarian, the Music & Audiovisual Archivist will manage daily operations of the WMA and ensure quality control in processing digital and physical materials. They will oversee workflows and student staffing related to the development, maintenance, and accessibility of materials in all formats held by the WMA. Additionally, they will manage processing and digitization of audiovisual and music materials in Wesleyan's other Unique Collections. Library staff work collaboratively, and this position will actively engage with staff across the library and the university to meet the responsibilities of this position and to contribute to the Libraries' overall success.

The Wesleyan University World Music Archives (WMA), part of the World Music Archives & Music Library, is a research and teaching collection of over 20,000 rare or unique audio and video recordings and other documents and objects, reflecting music making as social and creative practice across the world.  From its roots as an ethnomusicological teaching collection of Native American music, it has expanded to include significant holdings in musical traditions from South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, West Africa, Southern Africa, and the British Isles, as well as jazz, experimental, and traditional music from North America. In coordination with the Music Department and Arts Production, it also serves as the repository for recordings of music-related events on campus. Formats in the WMA include audio and video recordings on a wide variety of analog and digital media, manuscripts, printed documents and scores, ephemera, and photographic materials.

Responsibilities include: 

• Lead the archival processing and preservation of WMA collections, including all stages of physical and intellectual arrangement and description, digitization (both in-house and outsourced), and quality control. 

• Build and maintain the WMA’s digital collections and help manage the World Music Archives & Music Library’s digital files and metadata to ensure preservation, appropriate access, and usability.  

• Train, supervise and/or coordinate graduate student assistants and library paraprofessional staff in the archival work outlined above.  

• Develop, maintain, document and update efficient workflows for all archives functions and recommend changes as needed, in conversation with the Director of the WMA & Music Librarian. 

• Provide reference and research assistance to students, faculty, and other users of WMA collections, conducting background research as necessary to understand the materials, and communicating with researchers as well as individuals and communities documented in our collections to understand their needs and to ensure ethical and appropriate access. 

• Collaborate with the Director of the WMA and other music collections staff to: develop archival collections; facilitate use of collection items in teaching, research, exhibition, and events; manage or participate in small- or large-scale projects, such as preservation initiatives, collection assessments, or grants; and support the goals and initiatives of the Libraries. 

• Handle reference requests for music and audiovisual materials in the University Archives and other Unique Collections units as needed, serving at the Special Collections & Archives reference desk up to a few hours each week on a regular schedule. 

• Perform archival processing and preservation of music and audiovisual materials in other Unique Collections units as needed. 

• Coordinate with the Library’s Digital Initiatives department on outsourced digitization, digital preservation, and digital collections, making use of shared workflows and resources. 

• Oversee the WMA's inventory of analog and digital audiovisual equipment, coordinating regular maintenance, repair, and replacement, working with appropriate vendors as necessary. 

• Perform other duties as assigned.