METADATA SPECIALIST
**This is a temporary, two year appointment with the possibility of
extension.**
The MIT Libraries seek an innovative and energetic professional
with a grounding in metadata skills to develop and supervise a Metadata
Services Unit. This unit will initially review and create metadata
for materials from MIT's OpenCourseWare (OCW) project.
RESPONSIBILITIES: The Metadata Specialist will learn all aspects of
the OCW metadata input system and workflow, and will participate in
metadata processes, including but not limited to editing the IMS/SCORM
descriptive metadata and the technical metadata for non-text formats, and
supplying subject terms as necessary. The Metadata Specialist will
liaise with the OCW project to ensure fulfillment of production
requirements. He/she will plan and implement the Unit’s activities,
developing workflows and documentation, and will supervise a half-time
support staff position responsible for routine descriptive metadata
editing. The Specialist will also identify other potential clients
for metadata services, gradually expanding the service on a cost recovery
basis. He/she will provide consulting services, such as conducting
metadata needs assessments, and drafting metadata components of grant
proposals. Reporting to the Head of Bibliographic Access Services,
the Metadata Specialist will collaborate with colleagues in that
department as well as those in the Libraries’ Systems and Technology
Department and the Digital Library Research Group. Assistance and
guidance will be provided for an initial period of six months by the
Special Formats Cataloger, who has worked with OCW to plan this new
service. The Metadata Specialist will be expected to develop
expertise in and keep current with a variety of metadata standards,
including any or all of the following: IMS/SCORM, IEEE LOM, CIP,
Dublin Core, VRA Core, FGDC, MODS. He/ she will also develop
familiarity with subject thesauri in order to be able to recommend
specific thesauri for various projects. He/she will participate in
committees, projects, and development activities within the MIT Libraries
and beyond.
QUALIFICATIONS: M.L.S or equivalent degree from an ALA-accredited
university strongly preferred, although candidates with applicable
alternative educational background and experience will be
considered. Cataloging and/or metadata experience in a research
library preferred; solid evidence of metadata skills and understanding of
some metadata schema required. Familiarity with XML and with
various library standards such as MARC and Dublin Core, and with
authority control conventions is desirable. Experience working in
an academic environment will be very useful, as will be experience in
launching entrepreneurial initiatives. All of the following are
required: Strong collegial, interpersonal and communication skills;
ability to work in a team setting in a complex, rapidly changing
environment; experience in or demonstrated potential for supervisory
responsibility; evidence of consistency in and aptitude for detailed
work.
HIRING SALARY: $ 42,000 minimum. Salary commensurate with qualifications
and experience.
Position available immediately. Applications must include a cover
letter, resume, and names and addresses of three current references and
should be mailed to:
Search Committee for Metadata Librarian
The Libraries, Room 14S-324
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4307
(Applications may sent online via http://web.mit.edu/hr/ or faxed to
617-253-0583.)
The MIT Libraries include five major subject libraries (architecture and
planning; engineering; humanities; science; management and social
sciences) and several branch libraries in more specialized subject
areas. The Libraries hold more than 2.7 million printed volumes,
and extensive collections of other physical formats. Over 300
digital databases and over 4500 electronic journals are licensed for
access on the Institute’s network. The Libraries recently
implemented Ex Libris’ Aleph system as its public Web-based catalog and
as the support system for user service and processing functions.
The Libraries’ webpage
(http://libraries.mit.edu/)
presents information about library services, as well as access to
information resources through the staff-designed Vera interface. MIT
Libraries maintain membership in the Association of Research Libraries,
the Boston Library Consortium, and OCLC through NELINET, as well as in
EDUCAUSE and the Coalition of Networked Information.
MIT offers excellent benefits including a choice of health plans, a
dental plan, retirement plan, tuition assistance, and a relocation
allowance. The MIT Libraries affords a flexible and collegial
working environment and fosters professional growth of its staff with
management training and travel funding for professional meetings.
MIT is strongly and actively committed to diversity within its community
and particularly encourages applications from qualified women and ethnic
minority candidates.