POSITION IDENTIFICATION
TITLE Digital Archivist
CLASSIFICATION NUMBER 5201
GRADE 44
CLASSIFICATION Exempt
IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR Head of Special Collections
MAJOR ADMINISTRATOR Dean, Library Services
GENERAL FUNCTION
The Digital Archivist is responsible for the digital materials given to and created by the Special Collections and Archives including the creation of metadata records and for policies regarding the creation, storage, preservation, organization, description, and access to these materials. The Digital Archivist is responsible for initiating and maintaining outreach, reference, and collection development activities for the University Archives and other archival collections related to regional history and culture.
MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE QUALIFICATIONS
Education: A Masters in Library Science (MLS) from an American Library Association (ALA) accredited program or a graduate degree in history (or related discipline) is required. Significant graduate-level coursework in archival administration/theory is required.
Experience: A minimum of two years of experience in processing digital archival collections, including experience in creating metadata descriptions, digitization, and care of born-digital materials.
Skills: Effective interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills are required. Familiarity with cataloging, various computer applications, and establishing metadata descriptions required. The ability to develop knowledge of, respect for, and skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds is required. Experience in outreach activities and supervisory experience are preferred.
Certification: Digital Archives Specialist Certificate from the Society of American Archivists is preferred.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Helps to ensure the accessibility of the digital resources of the University Archives and other special collections by determining the appropriate intellectual organization and digital storage structure, analyzing the intellectual content of the source material, and conducting historical research for the preparation of metadata descriptions.
2. Designs and manages digital collections by establishing the metadata schema, controlled vocabularies, and exercising quality control of the software, equipment and metadata records.
3. Creates policies and procedures for managing born-digital materials for ingest, storage, preservation, organization, description, and access.
4. Helps to preserve the intellectual and artifactual value of physical archival material by determining the need for performing conservation procedures such as, document cleaning, repair, deacidification, and humidification.
5. Provides access to archival collections by compiling finding aids, creating collection-level records or metadata descriptions, creating finding aids or controlled vocabularies to assist online researchers, and maintaining a database on collections and storage space allocation.
6. Provides reference services for all collections in the Special Collections and Archives Department.
7. Initiates and perpetuates collection development activities by maintaining donor contacts, conducting field surveys, appraising potential collections, and acquiring/accessioning collections which meet the department’s collection development policies.
8. Assists in fundraising activities, administrating and developing existing endowment programs, and obtaining internal and external grant funding for processing projects, records surveys, interpretive exhibits, and publications.
9. Promotes knowledge and use of the collections by making presentations, talks, and/or interviews to the media, library groups, historical societies, and elementary through college classes.
10. Coordinates and promotes exhibits in Special Collections and Archives and develops displays for special events outside the department.
11. Contributes to a work environment that encourages knowledge of, respect for, and development of skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds.
12. Remains competent and current through self-directed professional reading, developing professional contacts with colleagues, attending professional development courses, and attending training and/or courses required by the Head of Special Collections.
13. Contributes to the success of Special Collections and Library Services by performing all other duties as assigned.
SUPERVISION
The Digital Archivist is supervised by the Head of Special Collections and supervises student assistants.
OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES
OCTOBER 2014
