Contract Database Specialist, ASOR, Boston, MA

Posted April 4, 2016

About ASOR

ASOR (The American Schools of Oriental Research) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization located at Boston University whose mission is to initiate, encourage, and support research into, and public understanding of, the history and cultures of the Near East and wider Mediterranean world, from the earliest times. ASOR is apolitical and has no religious affiliation (see http://www.asor.org/). The ASOR archives houses materials documenting a century’s worth of ASOR’s contributions to the history and archaeology of the Near East.

ASOR seeks a contract Database Specialist and Web Designer to oversee the migration of archival information from a SQL file backup of a database into a format that can be used by the ASOR staff. The data was previously stored in Archon (an open source archival content management system, which uses PHP and MySQL and has a web interface). The Specialist will ingest this SQL file into a new database so the data can be accessed again.  The Specialist will determine if it is possible to use Archon to ingest this data and have a working web interface.

Database Specialist Job Description:

Contractors may submit proposals for only Phase One or both Phases One and Two.

• Phase One: Minimal Requirement for Database Migration: to transfer the SQL file contents into a format that ASOR’s staff can access. This will entail setting up a blank database and migrating data into it.
• Phase Two:  Ensure that there is a web interface to access the database, either by using an application that incorporates a web interface, or by designing a website for this purpose. 

Both of these phases may require the Specialist to:

• Develop strategies to migrate the SQL file contents, which include text and images, into a new, functional database.
• Perform quality control checks to ensure that all the data is successfully migrated or retrieved for inclusion in the new database.
• Design, document, implement, and maintain the database architecture in support of the application development and QA processes. 
• Perform assigned tasks in the areas of database modeling and technical design, performance monitoring, capacity planning, and database performance tuning. 
• Possible add-on for Step Two: Provide operational support for development, test and production environments. 

Education and Experience:

Two to four years of experience in SQL database development and management is required. A specialty in database management, analytics and info-graphic design is desired. Familiarity with content management systems, particularly Archon or Archives Space, is desired. 

Contact Information:

For more information: contact ASOR Archivist and Website Manager Cynthia Rufo ([email protected] or 617-353-6570).