Elma Lewis Digital Project Assistant, Northeastern University Library (Boston, MA)
Posted October 14, 2026
Description:
The Northeastern University Library is hiring part-time assistants for a grant-funded project supported by Boston’s Community Preservation Department. The project, Black Art and Joy in Boston (and Beyond): Elma Lewis and the National Center of Afro-American Artists, focuses on digitizing, cataloging, and publishing materials from four archival collections documenting the life and legacy of Elma Lewis (1921–2004). These collections include her personal papers, as well as records from the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts, the National Center of Afro-American Artists, and its museum, highlighting her work to promote Afrocentric visual and performing arts.
Part-time assistants will contribute to the descriptive work for the Elma Lewis collections, with assignments determined by project priorities. The assistant will work within the highly collaborative Digital Production Services department and also partner with staff from Archives and Special Collections. Hybrid and fully remote work available.
Position Duties:
- Catalog textual materials in spreadsheets according to departmental standards and project-specific instructions from the Project Librarian
- Perform post-production processing of digitized texts
- Assist with automated captioning workflows for audiovisual materials
- Develop contextual documentation about the people, places, and objects represented in the collections
Qualifications:
Required
- Some experience with metadata creation
- Demonstrated interest in inclusive cataloging and reparative description
- Strong attention to detail
- Ability to thrive in a collaborative environment
Preferred
- Enrollment in an American Library Association (ALA)-accredited Master of Library Science (MLS) or Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS), or equivalent experience
- Professional experience with metadata schemas and item-level archival cataloging
- Experience using Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS), Dublin Core, or Encoded Archival Description (EAD)
- Familiarity with authority files and controlled vocabularies, such as Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), Library of Congress Name Authority File (LCNAF), and Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT)
- Knowledge of controlled vocabularies and thesauri
- Exposure to inclusive and reparative description principles
- Proven ability to work independently
- Strong communication skills
Hours and Compensation:
- Pay rate: $21/hour
- Hours: 15-18 hours a week
- Location: Hybrid and fully remote work available
How to Apply:
Visit the Workday listing to submit your application (resume required).