If you have any questions about the position or our application process, reach out to us at recruiting-u@smith.edu.

LibrariesJob Description

As a member of the Technical Services unit within Special Collections, Smith College Libraries, the Digital Archivist will provide practical implementation, expertise, and leadership in areas related to born-digital and digitized collection materials. The Digital Archivist will carry out specialized activities related to digital collections, and will provide ongoing training and oversight to others in the department who will carry out some of these activities as well. The Digital Archivist will take appropriate actions to support a diverse workforce and participate in the College's efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment

Essential Functions

Digital Content Management (50%)

• Oversee and maintain existing file storage systems and associated local standards to ensure the ongoing preservation of approximately 35 TB of content

• Reestablish, maintain, improve, and carry out or support others in the department to carry out workflows and activities for accessioning, describing, storing, and accessing born-digital materials

• In consultation with others in the department and libraries, design, test, and carry out new workflows and activities for appraising, processing, and facilitating routine access to born-digital materials

• In collaboration with others in the department, carry out and oversee the collection and description of web-based content, currently done using Archive-It and ArchivesSpace

• Locate, prepare, and deliver digital content that is not available online directly to faculty, staff, and researchers

• Evaluate, coordinate purchases of, and maintain hardware and software specific to the needs of digital materials in Special Collections, which are not otherwise supported at the Library, College, or Consortial level

• Develop and maintain standards for digitization of collection materials, in close consultation with the public services staff

• Collect and report on relevant statistics and qualitative/quantitative metrics about digital collections and their growth, management, and use

Training and Consulting (20%)

• Train staff and student employees in the department to carry out established workflows with digitized and born-digital content, and ensure the ongoing quality of this work

• Work with donors and collection Stewards to facilitate the transfer of born-digital materials to Special Collections

• In collaboration with the Metadata Archivist and others, ensure that the department follows appropriate professional standards for descriptive, structural, and administrative metadata for digital materials

• Understand and represent Special Collections’ unique needs in digital preservation and access initiatives at the departmental, library, campus, and consortial levels

• Create and maintain documentation and training materials intended for audiences with a variety of technology skill levels

• Communicate and work effectively with a cross-section of technical and non-technical staff, including archivists and librarians, faculty and students, administrators, developers, IT staff and donors.

Planning and Project Management (20%)

• Working with the Digital Library Applications Administrator/Developer and campus Information and Technology Services, incrementally improve and automate processes whenever possible using command-line tools, scripting languages, and enterprise-level integration platforms

• Lead a project for the migration of content to a modern digital preservation system

• Serve as project manager on unit and departmental projects on a rotational basis

Professional Engagement and Development (5%)

• Remain current with relevant emerging standards and professional best practices, and their real-world application

• Learn and adopt new technologies and skills in a supportive, but largely self-directed environment

• Actively engage in relevant professional opportunities and communities

General Operational Support (5%)

• As a member of the Technical and Digital Services team, provide general operational support to Special Collections and the Smith College Libraries when and where needed. For example: serve regular hours in the reading room; provide reference backup support; serve on library and consortial committees.

• May work some evenings and weekends for special events as needed.

• Perform related duties as assigned.

All employees are expected to participate in the College's efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment

Minimum Qualifications (knowledge, skills, education, experience, certifications, licenses)

• Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited library school or equivalent degree, with formal training in archival theory required; other educational backgrounds will be considered in combination with significant additional training and/or experience that specifically addresses the knowledge and skills required for the position.

• Strong cultural competencies and a demonstrated commitment to anti-oppressive professional practices.

• Three years of experience working with special collections, including a minimum of two years working with born-digital materials.

• A demonstrated understanding of archival arrangement, description, and appraisal, and experience applying archival principles in a digital environment

Skills

• An understanding of digital objects in various formats (text, image, audio, video, etc.) and best practices and standards associated with each format

• Demonstrated aptitude for learning and applying new technical skills, such as using command-line tools and writing simple programs/scripts required

• Demonstrated analytical and organizational skills, including project/program management

• Experience collaborating with and training people from diverse backgrounds and with various levels of technological proficiency

• Experience managing or assessing large collections of digital content preferred

• Experience working with multiple computer platforms including Linux, Windows, and/or macOS, working knowledge of Python, and/or experience with APIs preferred

• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills including service orientation with ability to interact with diverse constituencies

The salary range for this role is $55,000-70,000, commensurate with experience and internal equity.

Please attach BOTH a current resume and a cover letter in order for your application to be considered for this position . Be sure you have provided all attachments before submitting your application. You will NOT be able to attach additional files after you have hit the Submit button.

Review of applications will begin

June 20, 2022

Compensation Grade:

Grade I

Position Type:

Regular

About Smith College

Located in Northampton, MA, Smith College is one of the largest women’s colleges in the country and is dedicated to excellence in teaching and research across the liberal arts. A faculty of outstanding scholars interact with students in small classes, as advisors, and through student-faculty research projects. The College is a member of the Five College Consortium with Amherst, Hampshire and Mt. Holyoke Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Students cross-enroll and faculty cross-teach across the Five Colleges.

Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 151B, it is the policy of Smith College to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship. The policy regarding requests for reasonable accommodation applies to all aspects of employment, including the application process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact our recruiting team at recruiting-u@smith.edu.

Diversity and a culture of inclusion among students, staff, faculty, and administration are crucial to the mission and values of Smith College. We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, age, color, religions, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression or veteran status in the recruitment and employment of faculty and staff, and the operation of any of its programs and activities, as specified by all applicable laws and regulations. Women, minorities, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.