Digital Library Data Administrator

Description

Stanford Libraries has an opening for a Digital Library Data Administrator for the Stanford Digital Repository (SDR). This person has primary responsibility to ensure consistent specification, collection, generation, and enrichment of metadata for objects in the Stanford Digital Repository. The incumbent will serve as a resource in creating metadata and supporting metadata creation by others, identifying and resolving both metadata and content problems, and will play a key role in the Library's efforts to coordinate best metadata practices in support of improving the discoverability and long-term management of the library's digital assets.

Within the Libraries, this position reports to the Stanford Digital Repository Operations Manager. The post-holder is an integral member of SUL's digital library team, and works closely with its product and service managers in shaping and supporting SDR, as well as other developers and system administrators in system engineering and delivery. The successful candidate will bring experience and passion leveraging metadata and information technologies to maximize the value of digital repositories in enriching the research enterprise.

This is a four-year fixed-term position with the possibility of an extension.

Duties and Responsibilities

Oversight and management of repository metadata (50%)
Responsible for overall quality and consistency of all forms of object metadata for specific collections and across all collections through requirements and proactive quality assurance reviews; responsible for defining mappings, transforming and remediating metadata through a variety of tools or simple scripting; identifying problems with processes or data, performing root cause analysis and troubleshooting for data issues in the pipeline as well as resolving exceptions where appropriate. Scope includes all forms of metadata -- bibliographic description (in collaboration with the Metadata unit), technical forms of metadata like content descriptions, and administrative metadata that ensures proper repository policy and process rules apply.

Standards and best practices (30%)
Working with colleagues in DLSS, the Metadata unit, Special Collections, subject specialists, and the repository community to define best practices for descriptive and technical metadata to enhance discovery and provide long term viability of digital repository objects. As a primary metadata practitioner, participate in the analysis and adoption of new metadata standards, specify requirements for tools and metadata management interfaces, in particular help identify requirements and specifications for, and validate development of, a next generation metadata management interface to replace Metadata Toolkit, one that supports traditional descriptive metadata as well as new forms like RDF and linked data.

Documentation and training (10%)
Author and/or coordinate documentation of metadata requirements, processes and procedures. Provide user documentation, consulting and training for distributed online metadata management.

Operations support (10%)
Reporting of overall status of quality and accessioning; perform routine administrative tasks such as schema conversions; investigate and resolve data related production issues; provide management support, for instance running SDR operational reports as identified by the SDR Operations Manager.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated successful experience in understanding of the purpose and structure of library-related metadata
• Knowledge and experience with MODS, EAD and similar metadata standards associated with bibliographic collections; a familiarity with traditional cataloging practice and rules
• Demonstrated experience with one or more non-bibliographic metadata standards, such as technical, preservation, structural, packaging and transfer metadata schemes.
• Working knowledge of XML, RDF and other machine actionable metadata languages
• Demonstrated experience with online or PC-based applications for data analysis and reporting
• Demonstrated experience with basic tools, such as XSLT or scripting, to transform or remediate metadata, or demonstrated ability to learn similar new tools
• Demonstrated analytical and problem solving skills combined with attention to detail
• Demonstrated experience in strong oral and written communications
• Demonstrated experience working independently, as a team member, and across organizational boundaries
• Demonstrated flexibility to be organized, productive and effective in a dynamic environment, involved with a variety of simultaneous projects.
• MLS or equivalent in knowledge and experience

Desired:

• Broad knowledge of library and repository functions, services, and requirements.
• Awareness of digital preservation issues, concepts, and practices
• Experience with metadata transformations and cross-walking tools
• Familiarity with Stanford Libraries and its Digital Library environment