Asst. Digital Archivist – Massachusetts Archives, (Boston, MA)
Posted May 18, 2023
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