Metadata & Digitization Specialist
IMPORTANT - This is a grant-funded, two-year position.
We are seeking a Metadata & Digitization Specialist to support the Eleanor & Lester Levy Family Curator of Sheet Music and Popular Culture in enhancing access to the Sheridan Libraries collections of popular sheet music. The Lester Levy Sheet Music Collection, comprising over 30,000 popular songs, is one of the premier research archives in American popular music and a key digital repository at the Sheridan Libraries. Due to the high visibility of the Levy Collection, the Sheridan Libraries have become a destination for new collections of historic sheet music which have yet to become publicly accessible.
The Metadata & Digitization Librarian will enhance access to the library’s collections of American popular sheet music through archival processing, metadata creation, and digitization of new collections. They will also provide recommendations for supplementing the existing metadata and digital objects in the Levy Collection, and suggestions for new acquisitions.
Specific Duties & Responsibilities:
- Process archival collections of sheet music in Archives Space utilizing departmental best practices for processing and reparative description.
- Accession new donations of sheet music; identify collections for de-accessioning.
- Identify sheet music for digitization; digitize sheet music in collaboration with Digitization Specialist.
- In collaboration with the Library Applications Group, add newly digitized songs to the library’s digital repository.
- Assist the Curator and Research Assistant in identifying new collections for acquisition.
- Evaluate the existing metadata and images in the Lester Levy Sheet Music Collection, applying new best practices for expanding research access (e.g. alt-text, enhanced subject headings).
- Identify opportunities for enhancing researcher access to catalogued and digitized sheet music collections, such as IMSLP.
- Assist in providing reference and digitization services to faculty, students, staff, and members of the general public.
- Other duties as assigned.
Special Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Knowledge of relevant standards for archival description including DACS and EAD, familiarity with other metadata standards such as Dublin Core.
- Familiarity with Western music history; ability to read music.
Minimum Qualifications
- MLS from an ALA-accredited library school or an advanced related degree.
- Three years professional library experience.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with ArchivesSpace software for archival description.
- Understanding of copyright issues as related to archival materials and sheet music.
- Familiarity with digital repositories such as Islandora, DSpace, or AM Quartex.
- Archival certification, formal archival education, or coursework in archival studies.
Classified Title: Librarian III
Job Posting Title (Working Title): Metadata & Digitization Specialist
Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PD
Starting Salary Range: $62,900 - $86,500 - $110,100 Annually ($75,000 targeted; Commensurate w/exp.)
Employee group: Full Time
Schedule: M-F, 8:30am-5pm
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Hybrid/Homewood Campus
Department name: Special Collections
Personnel area: Libraries