Error during command authentication.
Error - unable to initiate communication with LISTSERV (errno=10061, phase=CONNECT, target=127.0.0.1:2306). The server is probably not started.
Cataloging Librarian - Five Colleges, Incorporated
Location: Amherst, MA
Salary: $55,000-60,000
Employment Term: Full-time
Employer Contact:
[log in to unmask]
Job Summary
The Cataloging Librarian supports a National Endowment for the Humanities-funded grant (MCMC Enrich/Discover) related to data preparation and enrichment for six museums of the Five College Consortium
& Historic Deerfield. The Cataloging Librarian will broaden access to the museum collections through the assignment of subject headings to art and artifacts in the repositories’ collections. Through careful analysis
of existing description and intellectual organization of collections data and, where appropriate, through the creation of new data in concert with stakeholders, the Cataloging Librarian will add subject terminology
to existing museum records. This work supports discovery of museum collections resources across the Five Colleges and Historic Deerfield, and will involve the use of data analysis and manipulation tools in addition
to open data sources and thesauri. This position will also participate in the development of governance and local standards for subject headings in the museum's shared collections management system.
Importance of Diversity to our Educational Mission
Five Colleges, Incorporated and its five associated institutions (Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts Amherst) are committed to supporting and sustaining a diversity
of people, backgrounds, experiences, ideas and points of view for the essential contribution this diversity makes to educational missions of our organizations. In support of this commitment Five Colleges requires
all of its employees to work cooperatively and effectively with the diversity of people at the colleges (students, faculty members, other employees) and within the organization itself.
Duties
- Become familiar with Five Colleges and Historic Deerfield museum systems, workflows, collections,
- and project goals
- Participate in the creation of a local authority file for subject headings in collections management
- system
- Follow current standards and best practices for museum cataloging and metadata
- Provide instruction and training to metadata practitioners around providing subject access
- Refine work plan for subject heading assignment, including priorities, milestones, and target
- completion dates
- Coordinate with the MCMC Enrich/Discover project staff and stakeholders to achieve the goals of the MCMC Enrich/Discover grant
- Advise a diverse range of stakeholders (may include faculty, curators, staff, and student community) on best practices for reparative description
- Edit or add, produce, import, and export subject records for objects in collections management system
- Create links to object records from subject headings in the authority file
- Update collections management system with appropriate subject headings from authority file which may include, but are not limited to: correcting or adding subject records; reviewing and correcting obsolete
or inappropriate subject or keyword assignments; adding additional metadata to object records related to the assignment of subject headings from various sources (e.g., term unique identifiers, attribution, relationship information)
- Generate documentation for new or revised procedures
- Perform and document quality control practices
- Other related duties as assigned
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree plus five years relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
- Experience with original cataloging and/or metadata creation and management in a museum, library, or archives environment
- Experience working with visual resources collections data
- Demonstrated experience applying descriptive and structural metadata standards and controlled vocabularies to cultural heritage resources
- Demonstrated ability to work sensitively and effectively with a variety of collections stakeholders across departments, disciplines, and communities
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and ability to present to diverse audiences, specifically racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse communities
- Experience communicating, balancing needs, and working collegially across complex organizations or in a consortial environment
- Demonstrated experience with designing and executing projects on a deadline
- Adaptability and responsiveness to shifting priorities
- Proficiency with office software (Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Google Suite)
- Familiarity with data and content standards for cataloging collections of unique materials (e.g., CCO, DACS, RDA, DCRM)
- Knowledge of subject analysis and classification systems
- Basic familiarity with principles of linked and linked open data
- Passionate about working in an organization that values and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism
- Capacity to meet (with or without accommodation) the physical expectations of the position, which include: ability to comprehend written and verbal communication; ability to evaluate printed materials,
and material on computer screens; ability to communicate effectively in person, by telephone, by videoconference, and via email; and ability to sit or stand for extended periods
- Ability to pass a post-offer background check
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in library and information science, visual arts, or museum studies
- Experience with and strong interest in implementing best practices for cross-collection (museum, library, archives) or interdisciplinary discovery solutions
- Experience working in a museum setting
- Experience leading library or classroom instruction sessions
- Demonstrated knowledge of the history of art and/or material culture
- Demonstrated experience with collaborative metadata governance and the creation of content standards
- Demonstrated experience in applying subject access for visual resources or unique collections
- Demonstrated interest in critical and reparative cataloging
- Strong and/or scholarly interest in questions relating to the creation, maintenance, transparency, ownership, and transmission of information relating to cultural heritage resources
- Experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic background
Application Information
Before applying, review the full
Cataloging Librarian position description. For priority consideration, apply by August 18, 2023, via the
Smith College job portal.
NOTE: When applying, you will not be prompted to submit a cover letter. Please be sure to upload both a current resume AND a cover letter. Files cannot be added after clicking the Submit button.
Inquiries about this position should be directed to
[log in to unmask]