Associate Archivist for Digital Assets, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston, MA
Posted November 4, 2016
The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s increased use of technology and the ongoing digitization of its extensive Archival holdings has generated a wealth of digital content. With the planned rollout of a new Digital Assets Management System, we are seeking an Associate Archivist for Digital Assets to join our Archives department reporting to the Director of Archives and Digital Collections.
In this role, you will implement the long term preservation, organization and distribution of the BSO’s digitized and born-digital material in a variety of file formats relating to all facets of the BSO. Working closely with a variety of departments, you will bring your attention to detail, communication and problem solving to assist in bringing our vast digital resources to the next level.
Responsibilities:
- Implement a DAM system to streamline access to born digital assets and digitized assets. Serve as point person with vendor to ensure the deployment of the system meets functional contract requirements. Work with outside vendors to integrate the performance history data (recorded in OPAS) into the DAM system.
- Survey BSO departments in order to find digital assets to be integrated into the system.
- Manage the content of specific collections of digital assets for use by the public or to specific groups through websites or other distribution methods.
- Maintain a thorough and up-to-date understanding of digital file formats, electronic records management, and digital persistence practice and theory.
- Identify and train asset creators. Provide ongoing training and promotion of the DAM system to integrate the system into the organization. Create and enforce user roles and permissions.
- Develop taxonomies and metadata structures to ensure consistency within the DAM system. Maintain and integrate existing internal controlled vocabularies and formatted information.
- Generate and analyze system performance utilizing built-in analytics and reporting tools.
- Work closely with DAM stake holders to ensure data flows are meeting organizational needs.
- Create, support and document “best practices”. Analyze and implement solutions to system utilizing user experience, search performance and identification of system slowdowns. Develop and update a user manual.
- Work closely with staff to ensure organizational consistency in terms of file uploads, metadata and company policies and procedures.
Qualifications: Master’s degree or equivalent from an ALA accredited program with a concentration in information science, archives management, library science or comparable program, or Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field and minimum of 2 years relevant experience. Knowledge and experience with digital asset management systems, hosted or cloud-based platforms. Advanced knowledge of metadata schemas and standards including experience with standards such as MES and PREMIS as well as with archival description including Dublin Core, etc. Demonstrated knowledge of digital archives, electronic record management and digital preservation practice. Knowledge of archival management practices of time based media, born digital complex objects. Experience programming with languages like PHP and Python, application automation and data manipulation languages like SQL a plus. Ability to strategize and troubleshoot at the cross section of DAM, stakeholders and processes. Interest in and knowledge of classical music and related experience in performing arts organizations preferred.
To apply: Associate Archivist for Digital Assets | Boston Symphony Orchestra | bso.org