Digital Collections Program Manager, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Posted May 12, 2017

Harvard Library seeks a skilled, innovative, and collaborative professional to serve as Digital Collections Program Manager at Houghton Library. The incumbent leads, coordinates, participates in, and/or collaborates on a series of initiatives and activities designed to build digital collections that facilitate access to and discovery of the library’s holdings, as well as new research and teaching methods utilizing digitized collections. This position will help conceive and implement an evolving strategy designed to expand the library’s digital presence and to make Houghton’s extraordinary collections available in digital form, and in new and innovative ways. On a day­to­day basis, the incumbent will coordinate processes to identify digitization priorities, and will plan, manage, and carry out projects, create workflows, and serve as a liaison to the Harvard Library Imaging Services, Digital Preservation Services, digitization vendors, and other partners on campus and off. The successful incumbent will possess strong technical skills and knowledge, communicate effectively, work collaboratively and collegially with a broad -spectrum of colleagues, and demonstrate the ability to grow and change.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Coordinates with Houghton and Harvard Library colleagues to plan, prioritize, and manage projects to digitize archives, manuscripts, rare books, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and other special collections materials.
• Supervises a staff of 1.5 FTE involved in facilitating digitization of material ordered by library users and metadata creation for digital collections.
• Solicits widely for digital project proposals and coordinates processes to set digitization priorities, involving curators, public services staff, administration, and other colleagues.
• Collaborate with colleagues in Houghton and in the Harvard Library to identify, design, and implement systems and platforms that promote effective discovery and use of digitized holdings.
• Works with curators and other staff to develop and analyze proposals with and from partner institutions for joint digitization projects.
• Works closely with colleagues in Harvard Library Preservation Services to ensure the timely digitization and conservation workflows.
• Collaborates with Library Technology Services in digital preservation endeavors, including the maintenance and enhancement of the Harvard Library Digital Repository Service.
• Explores and implements emerging trends and best practices in digital collection creation and management.
• Working with the Accessioning Archivist, assists in developing a born­digital program and workflows.
• Participates in grant writing efforts, creating work plans and developing budgets for digitization projects.
• Oversees the development and maintenance of documentation for digitization workflows.
• Working with the Head, Rare Book Team, the Head, Manuscript Section and the Technical Services Librarian, assists in planning and policy creation for the Technical Services Department.
• Represents Houghton within the Harvard archival and library community, both informally through communication and collaboration, and formally by serving on Harvard Library committees and working groups.
• Maintains an active presence in local and national professional organizations.

Basic Qualifications

• B.A., M.L.S. from an ALA­accredited academic program required.
• A minimum of two years of experience with digital collections, preferably in an academic or research library.
• Demonstrated project management experience.
• Understanding of EAD, MARC, MODS, METS, and other metadata standards.
• Demonstrated experience working in library bibliographic systems.
• Experience working in a Special Collections/archives environment.

Additional Qualifications

• Demonstrated understanding of digitization standards, techniques, and workflows.
• Demonstrated understanding of the issues involved in the use and preservation of digital collections, both reformatted and born­digital.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work creatively, collaboratively, and effectively as a team member, and independently.
• Understanding of current developments within the digital library profession and demonstrated commitment to engage in ongoing professional development and service to the profession.
• Experience implementing new technologies and other techniques to improve work processes.
• Capacity to thrive in a changing working environment.

Additional Information

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• This position includes lifting and moving of materials weighing up to 40 pounds and pushing heavily loaded book trucks.
• Work is performed in an area with library materials that may contain allergens or irritants such as paper dust and/or mold.

At the Harvard Library, our work is enriched by our diverse campus community. Our unique and wide­ranging abilities, experiences, and perspectives are integral to achieving Harvard University’s mission of excellence in research, teaching, and learning for our patrons, our collections, and our workplace. We believe that an inclusive environment that cultivates and promotes understanding, respect, and collaboration across our diverse workforce enables our success.

We encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and abilities to apply to be a part of our community of over 700 staff members. Our work with faculty, students and researchers to explore answers to intellectual questions, enduring and new, and to seek solutions to the world’s most consequential problems, requires that we not only reflect, but also champion our diverse society.

A global leader, the Harvard Library is a pre­eminent research library that acquires, disseminates, and preserves knowledge. Harvard’s Library holdings range from traditional print collections to rapidly expanding inventories of digital resources. It is the work of the Harvard Library to provide the University’s faculty, students, and researchers–now and in the future–with comprehensive access over time to all of these materials.

Learn more about our contributions to the academic enterprise by visiting us at http://lib.harvard.edu/about-us and about the Harvard University community at http://hr.harvard.edu/why­harvard.

The Harvard Library is a proud member of the ACRL Diversity Alliance.

EEO Statement We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by law.