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Metadata Librarian, UMass Amherst, Amherst, MA

Posted August 30, 2016

UMass Amherst, the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system, sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, 90 miles from Boston and 175 miles from New York City. The campus provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers. 

As a gateway to knowledge, the UMass Amherst Libraries are key partners in teaching, learning, and research at UMass Amherst and in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Supporting freedom of inquiry, the Libraries foster a diverse and inclusive environment in which to engage with ideas and acquire the critical skills necessary for lifelong learning. 

The UMass Amherst Libraries seek a dynamic and innovative librarian to assist with metadata creation for description, discovery, access, administration and preservation of both digital and physical objects produced, acquired or held by the Libraries and to provide technical support for the metadata in the Libraries’ institutional repository, digital collections platforms, and other discovery systems. This will include metadata cleanup, editing, enhancement, migration, mapping and transformations using tools such as Oxygen, MarcEdit, and OpenRefine as well as cataloging material using traditional rules such as RDA, LCSH, LCC, MARC, NACO authority rules, etc. The Metadata Librarian will also provide consultations, training, creation and maintenance of documentation, quality control, investigation of new tools & standards, and development of standards and best practices. May also help coordinate and supervise others involved in creating metadata for local digital collections held by the UMass Amherst Libraries.

Required Qualifications:

  1. Master’s degree in library science – or equivalent degree – from a program accredited by the American Library Association, or its appropriate equivalent in librarianship from another country, or have appropriate equivalent experience
  2. Minimum of two years professional experience, preferably in an academic library.
  3. Knowledge of the use of cataloging principles, and an understanding of controlled vocabularies, taxonomies, and ontologies
  4. Experience with manual and automated metadata creation and management
  5. Working knowledge of metadata standards (e.g. MARC, Dublin Core, EAD, VRA Core, METS, MODS)
  6. Working knowledge of metadata tools and systems for creating, editing, harvesting and transforming metadata (e.g. XML, XSLT, XPath,  Oxygen, MarcEdit, OpenRefine, OAI-PMH)
  7. Experience working with digital repository platforms and providing technical support for digital repositories and digital collections
  8. Demonstrated understanding of digital library standards and best practices\
  9. Aptitude for complex, analytical work with an attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities and competing deadlines
  10. Effective verbal and written communication skills
  11. Aptitude for technology

Preferred Qualifications:

  1. Knowledge of and experience applying AACR2/RDA, MARC, LCC, LCSH
  2. Experience working with Integrated Library Systems, Discovery Systems, and OCLC Connexion
  3. Working knowledge of one or more structured programming languages (e.g. PHP, Perl, Python, Java)
  4. Knowledge of web-based APIs
  5. Experience in name authority work and disambiguation systems such as NACO, ORCID, and VIAF
  6. Familiarity with linked data concepts
  7. Supervisory and project management experience 

SALARY COMMENSURATE WITH ADVERTISED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Application Instructions:

Please apply on line at http://umass.interviewexchange.com/candapply.jsp?JOBID=75890 and submit a letter of application, resume, and contact information (phone and email) for three professional references by October 10, 2016 for priority consideration. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is strongly committed to excellence and actively supports cultural diversity.  As part of a commitment to its own multicultural community, the Library seeks an individual with a demonstrated commitment to diversity and one who will understand and embrace University initiatives and aspirations.  The University of Massachusetts Amherst is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer of women, minorities, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities and encourages applications from these and other protected group members.

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