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Visual Resources Librarian for Islamic Architecture, MIT Libraries, Cambridge, MA

Posted April 15, 2016

The MIT Libraries seek a knowledgeable professional with image metadata expertise to join the Aga Khan Documentation Center (AKDC). The Center supports the teaching of, and research on, the history and theory of architecture, urbanism, environmental and landscape design, visual culture, and conservation, as well as the practice of architecture, in Muslim societies, with particular focus on research and teaching activities of the Aga Khan Program in Islamic Architecture. The Visual Resources Librarian has responsibility for managing and ensuring access to the Center’s materials and collections and will play an important role in supporting digital scholarship at MIT.

Reporting to the Program Head, the Visual Resources Librarian participates in building and developing the AKDC collections by identifying, evaluating, and processing images, digital resources, historic photographs, textual sources, and ephemera. To ensure digital access to all AKDC materials, the Librarian creates item- and collection-level cataloging and indexing for visual materials in all formats and assists in the development and implementation of appropriate and forward-looking image metadata schemes. S/he acquires and manages copyright permissions as appropriate. Supporting the Center’s responsibility for the curation of the intellectual and content core of Archnet, the Visual Resources Librarian works with the Archnet Content Manager to ensure that metadata and materials are entered into the database correctly and promoted to the site.

Advancing the Center’s ability to support teaching and research, the Librarian provides teaching images in appropriate formats and other visual resources for classroom lectures and course websites. S/he assists in the preparation of online research guides, reference tools, and finding aids for Islamic architecture. And, s/he works with other MIT Libraries groups supporting interdisciplinary and digital scholarship.

The Librarian coordinates and prioritizes production of various digital products (scanning, uploading, and cataloging) and tracks workflows and timely service to users. Special projects for access to and dissemination of Islamic visual culture will be developed through collaborations with other stakeholders.

The Librarian collaborates with diverse MIT colleagues, AKPIA Documentation Center at Harvard, and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Participation on committees and in system-wide initiatives to enhance the quality and impact of library services is a responsibility of all MIT library professionals. Additionally, the Visual Resources Librarian will be expected to engage professionally with fellow professionals through research, writing, presentations and/or professional service activities and to keep current with and develop knowledge of emerging technologies and trends in the community.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS for the position include:

  • MLS/MLIS or an advanced degree (Master’s level or higher) in the history of art and architecture related to the study of the Middle East, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • Familiarity with architectural description, as well as editing and/or curatorial experience.
  • Expertise in image metadata standards and online data creation tools, including XML, HTML, MARC, Dublin Core, VRA Core, and general open source software.
  • Experience with digital image file management with tools such as FileMaker, Excel, Photoshop, and Archivist Toolkit/Archives Space, and ability to work with image databases.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills including demonstrated ability in working successfully within a diverse community.
  • Strong organizational skills with proven ability to manage projects and competing priorities, to adapt to change, and to work successfully in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to be flexible, collaborative, and to work across organizational boundaries.

Preferred

  • Advanced degree (Master’s or higher) in the history of art and architecture related to the study of the Middle East. Visual Resources Librarian for Islamic Architecture Data and Specialized Services
  • Reading knowledge of at least one Middle Eastern language (Arabic, Farsi, Turkish).
  • Working knowledge of one or more western European languages.
  • Knowledge of the contemporary field of Islamic art and architecture historical study and its constituents.
  • Knowledge of other archival collections projects related to visual culture and history of the Middle East.
  • Experience participating in an academic/professional community via a virtual platform.
  • Two or more years of related professional library experience.

SALARY AND BENEFITS: $55,000 is minimum entry-level salary. Actual salary and appointment classification (Librarian I or II, or other) will depend on qualifications and experience. MIT offers excellent benefits including a choice of health and retirement plans, a dental plan, tuition assistance and a relocation allowance. The MIT Libraries afford a flexible and collegial working environment and foster professional growth of staff with management training and travel funding for professional meetings.

Apply online at: http://hrweb.mit.edu/staffing/. Applications must include cover letter and resume. Priority will be given to applications received by May 16, 2016; position open until filled. MIT is strongly and actively committed to diversity within its community and particularly encourages applications from qualified women and minority candidates.

The MIT Libraries support the Institute’s programs of research and study with holdings of more than 2.9 million print volumes and 3.1 million special format items, and terabytes of MIT-owned digital content. In addition, rare special collections, Institute records, historical documents, and papers of noted faculty are held in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. Library resources and services are accessible to students and researchers through the Libraries’ website (http://libraries.mit.edu/), and library spaces are widely available for both collaborative work and quiet study. Library resources are supplemented by innovative services for bioinformatics, GIS, metadata, social science and other research data. Through a culture that encourages innovation and collaboration, the MIT Libraries are redefining the role of the 21st century library – making collections more accessible than ever before, and shaping the future of scholarly research. Library staff, at all levels, contribute to this spirit of innovation and to the mission of promoting learning, discovery and the advancement of knowledge at MIT and beyond.

The Libraries maintain memberships and affiliations in ArchivesSpace, arXiv, Association of Research Libraries, the BorrowDirect, DDI Alliance, DuraSpace, HathiTrust, CLIR/Digital Library Federation, Coalition of Networked Information, Coalition of Open Access Policy Institutions, EDUCAUSE, National Digital Stewardship Alliance, NISO, North East Research Libraries, OCLC Research Library Partnership, ORCID, and TRAIL. The Libraries utilize Ex Libris’ Aleph for its integrated library system and have recently deployed EBSCO’s Discovery Service. DSpace@MIT, a digital repository developed over the past ten years by the MIT Libraries, serves to capture, preserve and communicate the intellectual output of MIT’s faculty and research community. Other MIT repositories include: Dome, a second DSpace instance, providing access to a sizable image collection and other digital collections owned by the MIT Libraries; the MIT Geodata Repository for a diverse collection of GIS Data; and MIT’s DataVerse for licensed social science datasets.

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