Alfred University
POSITION DESCRIPTION FORM Title of Position: Digital Projects/Archives Manager
Department/School: Scholes Library; University Libraries
Title of Supervisor: Digital Projects/Collection Management Librarian
Part lI: Position Summary
Responsible for overseeing the acquisition, organization, processing, description, care and accessibility of archive collections for the New York State College of Ceramics Archives.
Provide archival reference service for faculty, staff, students and external researchers.
Manage and maintain the digital collections for Scholes Library. Responsible for performing routines associated with all aspects of creating and managing local digital collections including identifying materials for collections, training/assisting faculty, staff and students in submitting materials, digitizing materials, creating and organizing metadata. Digitizes documents and images according to best practices and established standards. Creates metadata and catalogs digital material.
Part III: Requirements:
Formal Education: Associate's Degree or equivalent required; Bachelor's degree preferred.
Experience: Academic library experience or formal archives training preferred. A demonstrated interest in history and/or digitizing material also preferred.
Additional Knowledge/Skills:
Ability to learn and follow standardized practice for digitizing and archival collections; excellent organizational skills with attention to detail and accuracy; strong written and oral communication skills; good interpersonal skills with researchers and donors; discretion dealing with personal and confidential materials; experience with digital projects and metadata; familiarity with computer software such as FileMaker Pro, Microsoft Word, Excel, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe
Lightroom; willingness to learn new technology; familiarity with New York State College of Ceramics history and personnel helpful; the ability to learn and effectively use specialized software, including the library’s integrated library system; an understanding of how databases are constructed and used for the storage and retrieval of information; comfortable teaching others; integrity; and the ability to act independently in coordination with supervisor.
Part IV Job Responsibilities
New York State College of Ceramics Archives:
● Re-house, process, inventory, and describe archival materials according to professional standards; create finding aids; maintain updated records.
● Research and answer archival reference questions, providing assistance by email, telephone, or in-person.
● Evaluate records and materials for preservation and retention. Identify out-of-scope materials and make recommendations for transfer to appropriate repository.
● Responsible for the proper handling of various material formats, including photographs, paper, microform, audiovisual, realia, and memorabilia.
● Maintain and update policies and forms.
● Participate in exhibitions and class visits to archives.
● Work in such a way as to conform to accepted preservation methods and practices, and Identify ways to protect and preserve collection.
● Work independently with little or no supervision or checking of work.
● Handle confidential and valuable archival material.
● Responsible for the safety and security of the collections.
● Index new material to the collection in the Archives subject database by creating standardized subject headings, requiring a high degree of accuracy.
● Member of the AU Libraries’ Archives Team.
Digital Projects:
● Responsible for managing Scholes Library collections in Alfred University Research and Archives (AURA) and the image collections in JStor Forum.
● In coordination with the librarians, work on setting standards and timelines for completing digitization projects.
● In collaboration with librarians, develop policies and workflows for the addition of material to digital collections.
● Collaborate with appropriate Scholes Library staff to manage and oversee the libraries’
joint digitizing efforts.
● Scan original primary source materials from the NYSCC Archives, Scholes Special Collections or other collections as assigned.
● Create master images for researchers and electronic repositories.
● Maintain knowledge of digitization standards and metadata for digital collections.
● Provide for the production of digital images for faculty and students to support classroom instruction, presentation, and internal library needs.
● Manage workflow and archiving of digital resources in compliance with archival description, care and storage standards, quality assurance, digital preservation, naming conventions, and record keeping.
● Provide first-line technical support for digitization equipment and training. Includes selection and configuration of appropriate hardware and related software. Includes equipment to support the migration of "analog" audio/visual materials to digital formats.
● Convert analog archival material into digital format according to best practices; create TIFF and PDF preservation files; create JPEG and other derivative files as needed.
● Provide consultation and oversight for copyright policy development and digital rights for the library's digital assets. This includes development, organization and storage of digital rights & permissions documentation in conjunction with the librarians.
● Make modifications to database structure as necessary to improve cataloging workflow and effective access.
● Maintain detailed statistics of items digitized, added to digital collections and overall usage.
● Create and enter metadata for digital files into appropriate software using controlled vocabulary.
● Participate in the ongoing development, implementation, and assessment of systems that directly support the digital collections.
● Responsible for the documentation, digitization and maintenance of projects like the College of Ceramics MFA Image Archive Collection.
● Acts as contact for questions related to the digital collections.
● Maintains and supports the Scholes Library Audio-Visual Classroom equipment including digital projectors, audio and digital media players in coordination with the Alfred University Systems team
● Stays current with trends in digitization, metadata, etc. through ongoing staff development (readings, listservs, workshops, etc.)
● Hires and supervises student workers for both the college archives as well as for digitization projects.
● Trains staff and student workers on how to add files and metadata to digital collections and checks their work as needed.
● Member of the AU Libraries’ Digitization Team.
Other:
● Commitment to support the Libraries’ values of free and open pursuit of knowledge;
support for intellectual and cultural diversity; innovation, collaboration, and creativity;
excellent service; and effective communication.
● Participates in safety training and complies with safety rules, regulations, and protocols.
● Performs additional duties and assist with special projects as assigned.
This job description is an accurate reflection of the work performed by the position.
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Supervisor Signature Date
