Career Center

Department: NUL Repository & Digital Cur
Salary/Grade: NEX/13

Job Summary:

Under the direction of the Metadata Coordinator, the Digital Curation & Metadata Assistant assists with digitization and born-digital workflows, and long-term preservation of and access to a wide range of digital objects for the Northwestern community. This position will work in consultation with Northwestern University Libraries staff to make digital objects accessible by generating metadata for a variety of library collections materials and faculty or student owned content, transforming metadata to support new research or software development goals, and supporting digital collections processing.

Please Note: This position is eligible for a hybrid work schedule.The target budgeted minimum starting salary for this position is $21.45 hourly. Offers will be based on candidate experience and education, as well as equity within Northwestern University. This position is in a bargaining unit represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 73.

For full consideration please include an offer letter when applying.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Enhances access to the library’s digital collections through creation of new descriptive metadata and transformation of existing metadata. Provides input into and helps synthesize conversations with subject liaisons, faculty, staff and students to identify metadata needs. Ensures the completeness and accuracy of materials descriptions and adheres to national and local standards for descriptive metadata in a variety of schemas and encodings.
• Intakes and analyzes faculty and library collections that have been identified as candidates for digitization and/or ingestion into the digital repository. Expedites collection requests for digitization and tracks order statuses through the workflow to completion. Creates inventories of materials in library and faculty-owned collections to prepare for digital reformatting or digital accessioning. Conducts independent research as needed to understand issues that may impact these workflows.
• Contributes to the development of procedures to expand the scope and volume of digital objects submitted by the Northwestern community to the digital repository. Creates and maintains documentation for metadata generation systems, including data dictionaries and use cases, and investigates new tools for use in metadata creation and transformation.
• Participates in the implementation and ongoing support of systems that preserve and provide access to digital collections including testing systems during upgrades and rollout of new releases of software. Supports software and project development and supports the delivery of production systems.
• Participates in departmental and working group meetings, committees, task forces and special projects as needed. Assists staff with basic departmental coverage as needed. Assists with administrative tasks for the workgroup. Hires, trains, and supervises student assistants as needed. Other duties as assigned.

Miscellaneous

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.
• 5 years of library experience or relevant experience required
• Knowledge of descriptive metadata standards.
• Experience working with members of a team.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.
• Advanced knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet, email, and databases software programs.
• Strong customer service skills

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Communicates effectively one-to-one, in small groups and in public speaking contexts; writes precise, well-organized emails, letters and proposals while using appropriate vocabulary and grammar.
• Successfully uses multiple software programs independently.
• Working knowledge of relational databases.
• Deals effectively, not just with concrete tangible issues, but also abstract conceptual matters.
• Plans, organizes, and schedules in an efficient, productive manner; anticipates contingencies and pays attention to detail; targets projects or initiatives that require special attention and focuses on key tasks when faced with limited time and/or resources.
• Initiative. Exhibits energy and desire to achieve; sets ambitious goals and acts decisively; takes action that no one has requested to improve or enhance job results and avoid problems.
• Problem Solving. Formulates realistic plans and contingencies and establishes appropriate measurements of anticipated results.
• Adaptability. Works effectively in an environment in which the parameters may change daily; adjusts behavior to meet the needs of different people and situations.
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions
• Physical requirements include lifting / carrying / moving of objects and books weighing up to 30 pounds.
• Ability to reach, bend, climb, stoop, crouch, lift, push and/or pull objects and/or furniture while retrieving materials.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with descriptive, technical, and administrative metadata throughout its lifecycle.
• Experience working with digital assets and digital technologies
• Experience finding information sources to aid in metadata creation
• Awareness of current metadata generation and transformation practices.
• Awareness of digital repository practices and current research
• Awareness of current digital preservation practices.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Strong problem solving skills.
• Ability to explore alternatives and identify opportunities to improve procedures and practices. 
• Experience using tools for transforming metadata, such as MARCEdit or OpenRefine.

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life’s challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you’re interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern requires all staff and faculty to be vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to limited exceptions. For more information, please visit our COVID-19 and Campus Updates website.

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Click for information on EEO is the Law.
  

#LI-RM1