Brief Description:
Services for the transcription and quality control of digitized, typed and handwritten museum object catalogue cards and creation of transcription protocol documentation.
Statement of work
Contractor shall provide technical, professional, non-personal, work-for-hire services to Cooper
Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum as part of a Transcription Project of approximately 195,000 museum object catalogue cards, headed in conjunction with the Smithsonian’s Digitization Program Office (DPO). This work may include:
Phase I: Pre-Transcription
- Contractor will assist in the reconciliation of duplicate and erroneous filenames in preparation for transcription.
Phase II: Transcription Quality Control
- Contractor will review and approve size-determined batches (approximately 10%) of vendor-transcribed typed and handwritten data for ultimate migration to the museum’s collection information database, The Museum System (TMS).
- Following pre-established guidelines and protocols agreed upon between Transcription Vendor and CHSDM during Pilot Project. Contractor will identify, report and/or correct data omissions and discrepancies (rejected batches) to vendor as part of DPO’s Workflow
and Feedback Cycle.
- Contractor shall complete a set number of records per week, number to be determined mutually agreed upon in accordance with batch size.
- Contractor will make note of card irregularities and consult with Curatorial staff on the recommended solution, adding it to the Transcription Protocol for future project reference.
- Once batch approved, contractor will reconcile filenames of cards without an exact match to existing TMS records and review/remove any interpretation marks.
Phase III: Implementation of data
- Contractor will generate correctly formatted and standardized data for CSV index export, with approved and transcribed data matched to proper TMS fields. All entries will be made on the specified fields and using the required formatting.
- Contractor shall assist in populating catalogue entries for selected museum objects in TMS using final approved CSV index.
- Contractor will review records in TMS to make sure data is accurately imported, fielded, and formatted and make corrections as needed after consulting with curatorial staff.
Qualifications
- The Contractor shall have experience cataloging collection items; creating, and enhancing digital records for historical and cultural material, with strengths in cataloguing and creating records for a wide range of object type, with demonstrated experience
transcribing handwritten materials.
- The Contractor shall have experience with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and museum collection information systems, preferably The Museum System (TMS). The ability to create records for a wide variety of object types is essential.
- The Contractor should be diligent, thorough, detail oriented, meticulous, and consistent in following object cataloguing and data entry guidelines.
- The Contractor shall have a strong background in Design history (Drawings & Prints, Wallcoverings, Textiles, Product Design/Decorative Arts or similar fields), which may be demonstrated by coursework (Master’s degree preferred) and/or work experience.
Period of Performance
This is a one-year term contract, period of performance August 15, 2022 to August 14, 2023. This award will be for 1600 hours (~32 hours/week). Flexible schedule options available.
Job Location: REMOTE
Application Deadline: June 27, 2022
Salary Range: Request for Quote (RFQ included in link below)
APPLY HERE