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Asst. Digital Archivist – Massachusetts Archives, (Boston, MA)

ABOUT THIS POSITION:

This position is within the Office of the Massachusetts Secretary of State, Archives Division, located at the Massachusetts Archives in Boston, Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Archives houses approximately 30,000 cubic feet of records documenting Massachusetts’ government from the colonial period forward, including six TB of digital records. Our collections are increasingly born-digital or are digitized to facilitate public access to the information. These records require a high level of management and description to ensure their continued accessibility over time.

POSTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Assistant Digital Archivist supports the Senior Digital Archivist in securing, preserving, managing, and making accessible inactive, permanent records that document Massachusetts state government. The Assistant Digital Archivist also supports the work of the Records Management Unit as directed by the Senior Digital Archivist through assistance in maintaining existing software solutions related to the Statewide and Municipal Records Retention Schedules. The Assistant Digital Archivist is responsible for the following:

Assistance in facilitating the transfer of born-digital records to the Archives

Processing digital records, including arrangement and description of digital records

Importing records descriptions into the Archives’ collections management database

Preservation of digital records, including ingest and migration of records in the Archives’ trusted digital repository

Support in managing and maintaining the Archives’ trusted digital repository

Assistance in drafting, maintaining, and updating policies related to the digital archives program

Assistance in developing and facilitating large-scale digitization projects in partnership with Digital Commonwealth, including support in generating comprehensive item-level metadata for digital surrogates

Assistance in identifying grant opportunities and developing grant proposals to further the digital archives program

Facilitating updates to the Statewide and Municipal Records Retention Schedules

Ad-hoc projects related to archival processing, records transfer, records management, in-house digitization, archives outreach, and support for the Massachusetts Archives operation in general.

KNOWLEDGES, SKILL AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

Master’s degree in Library and/or Information Science from an ALA-accredited program, or a degree in a relevant subject area, such as Information and Data Science or Computer Science

Understanding of archival standards, best practices, and methods for transfer, appraisal, acquisition, arrangement, and description of born-digital materials

Knowledge of digital preservation best practices, current issues, strategies, and standards

Knowledge of metadata standards

Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail

Excellent communication and project management skills

Ability to work in a dynamic office environment

About us

The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office comprises 23 departments across 19 locations around Massachusetts.

As the third-ranking constitutional officer in Massachusetts, the Secretary of the Commonwealth serves as the chief election officer, chief information officer, and chief securities regulator in Massachusetts. Additionally, the office is charged with registering business entities and lobbyists, distributing grants for historic preservation, safeguarding the state’s public records and artifacts, and much more.

Whatever your background or area of interest, there is a place for you at the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office.

Statement of Diversity and Anti-Discrimination

The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer. As a representative of the Commonwealth and its residents, the Office strives to ensure that those working in our office reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.  The Office encourages applicants from a broad spectrum of backgrounds to apply for positions.

It is the policy of The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Disability Accommodation

Qualified individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.  We will gladly assist applicants in need of an accommodation.  For assistance, contact ADA Coordinator Michael Owens at 617-312-3272 or [email protected].

Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement for Employment

As a condition of employment, successful applicants will be required to have received COVID-19 vaccination or an approved exemption as of their start date. Details relating to demonstrating compliance with this requirement will be provided to applicants selected for employment. Applicants who receive an offer of employment who can provide documentation that the vaccine is medically contraindicated or who object to vaccination due to a sincerely held religious belief may make a request for exemption.

Remote work

This position is not eligible for remote work.

Total Compensation

As an employee of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you are offered a great career opportunity to influence a wide spectrum of services to the diverse populations we serve – but it’s more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package features an outstanding set of employee benefits that you should consider towards your overall compensation, including:

75% state paid medical insurance premium

Reasonable Dental and Vision Plans

Flexible Spending Account and Dependent Care Assistance programs

Low cost basic and optional life insurance

Retirement Savings: State Employees’ Pension and a Deferred Compensation 457(b) plan

12 paid holidays per year and Sick, Vacation, and Personal Time

Tuition benefits for employee at state colleges and universities

Short-Term Disability and Extended Illness program participation options

Incentive-based Wellness Programs

Professional Development and Continuing Education opportunities

Qualified Employer for Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness Program

How to Apply:

To apply please send: 1) a copy of your resume 2) a cover letter 3) 3 references to [email protected]

DO NOT APPLY USING MA.GOV

Qualifications:

Knowledge of state and local government organizational structures, operations, and functions

Experience in digital preservation and digital repositories

Knowledge of digital preservation tools, such as BitCurator, Bagger, DROID, and Preservica

Knowledge of standards, best practices, methods, and tools for audiovisual preservation and reformatting

Knowledge of tools for web capture and harvesting social media, such as ArchiveSocial, Webrecorder/Conifer, and Archive-It

Familiarity with HTML and CSS

Familiarity with XML, XSLT, and XPath

Familiarity using command line interfaces

Engagement in digital preservation community groups and collectives, such as the Council of State Archivists (CoSA) State Electronic Records Initiative (SERI), the Society of American Archivists (SAA) Electronic Records Section (ERS), code4lib, and the BitCurator Consortium

Official Title: Reference Archivist

Primary Location: United States-Massachusetts-Boston-

Job: Unclassified

Agency: Secretary of State

Schedule: Full-time

Shift: Day

Job Posting: May 17, 2023, 10:13:04 AM

Number of Openings: 1

Salary: 45,000.00 – 50,000.00 Yearly

If you have Diversity, Affirmative Action or Equal Employment Opportunity questions or need a Reasonable Accommodation, please contact Diversity Officer / ADA Coordinator: Michael Owens – 6173123272

Hybrid Work Eligible: No