Associate Museum Librarian, Cataloging and Metadata

The Metropolitan Museum of Art•The Met Fifth Avenue, NY

7d•Onsite

About The Position

About the Metropolitan Museum of Art The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online. Since its founding in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. We are committed to fostering a collaborative and respectful work environment with a staff as diverse as the audiences we engage. Our staff members are art lovers who are passionate about working toward a common goal: creating the most dynamic and inspiring art museum in the world. At The Met, every staff member – from security officers to researchers to scientists and beyond – lives by our core values of respect, inclusivity, collaboration, excellence, and integrity. Respect: Engage one another with collegiality, empathy, and kindness, always. Inclusivity: Ensure that all are and feel welcome and valued. Collaboration: Reach across boundaries to exchange ideas and work together toward our shared mission. Excellence: Lead the cultural world in quality and expertise—and inspire curiosity and creativity. Integrity: Hold ourselves to the highest moral standards, admit when we fall short, and then evolve. ABOUT WATSON LIBRARY Thomas J. Watson Library is The Met's research library. With its collection of more than one million volumes, extensive digital collections, and online resources, Watson Library is one of the world's most comprehensive art libraries. The library's holdings reflect the global and encyclopedic nature of The Met, with books ranging in date from the late fifteenth century to current scholarship, in all fields covered by The Met. The library's mission is to support the research activities of the Museum staff and to offer access and outstanding services to an international community of students and scholars. The staff of the Sherman Fairchild Center for Book Conservation are responsible for the preservation of Watson’s collection, and for other Met departmental collections. GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES: This position performs original and complex copy cataloging adhering to current national and international standards (e.g., RDA, LCNAF, LCSH, PCC); engages in name authority record creation (NACO); contributes to the department’s continued engagement with reparative cataloging practices; and increases awareness, discoverability, and use of the library’s collections through publications, presentations, programs, digitization, and social media. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES: Applies specialized subject and metadata expertise, and performs original and complex copy cataloging of library material; Creates high-quality descriptive and technical metadata in MARC and non-MARC formats for physical and digital collections, including serials; Performs original and complex copy cataloging for print and electronic materials following RDA standards in all subjects collected by the library, including materials in Romance and other European languages; Creates and enhances LC/NACO records, and participates in linked data initiatives involving NACO, Wikidata, and other vocabularies; Creates TMS records for library material that is exhibited publicly; Plays a leading role in cataloging material from all Departmental Libraries, as well as managing projects related to the handling of Departmental Library projects; Increases awareness, discoverability, and use of the library’s collections through publications, presentations, programs, and social media; Contributes to the metadata creation of the library’s digital collections; Assists in coordinating the cataloging and processing of library materials by Watson staff, interns, and volunteers; Provides reference assistance and research support to Museum staff and visiting researchers in Watson, including 3-4 weekend days per year; Maintains a course of professional development through participation in professional associations or other professional activities external to the library, and brings best practices and innovative approaches to Watson Library; Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

ALA-accredited master’s degree in library or information sciences required
Five years’ experience in a professional position in a museum or academic library required
At least five years of experience in original and complex copy cataloging, with demonstrated fluency in cataloging print, digital, continuing resources, and online resources required
Experience with OCLC Connexion, MarcEdit, OpenRefine, and an integrated library system required
Excellent instruction and communication skills, and the ability to provide high-quality reference services and to make presentations to a broad range of researchers from novice to advanced required
Ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders including curatorial and research staff, fellows, and local academic programs required
Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to establish positive and productive collaborations with library colleagues and museum staff required
Ability to plan, manage, and oversee multiple projects, meet deadlines, and prioritize work in alignment with the strategic goals of the library and the Museum required
Ability to perform detailed work accurately and independently required
Knowledge of cataloging and classification practices, standards, and schema such as MARC, RDA, AACR2, LCSH, and Program for Cooperative Cataloging standards (NACO, SACO, BIBCO) required
Reading knowledge of at least one Romance or other European language

Nice To Haves

M.A. in Art History or significant experience working in the humanities preferred
Experience creating records in TMS preferred
Experience creating and updating NACO records and coordinating linked data initiatives that involve NACO records preferred
Experience with automated methods to improve or enhance bibliographic records and metadata at scale preferred
Proficiency in a second and third language strongly preferred
Experience with large cataloging projects preferred

Responsibilities

Performs original and complex copy cataloging adhering to current national and international standards (e.g., RDA, LCNAF, LCSH, PCC)
Engages in name authority record creation (NACO)
Contributes to the department’s continued engagement with reparative cataloging practices
Increases awareness, discoverability, and use of the library’s collections through publications, presentations, programs, digitization, and social media
Applies specialized subject and metadata expertise, and performs original and complex copy cataloging of library material
Creates high-quality descriptive and technical metadata in MARC and non-MARC formats for physical and digital collections, including serials
Performs original and complex copy cataloging for print and electronic materials following RDA standards in all subjects collected by the library, including materials in Romance and other European languages
Creates and enhances LC/NACO records, and participates in linked data initiatives involving NACO, Wikidata, and other vocabularies
Creates TMS records for library material that is exhibited publicly
Plays a leading role in cataloging material from all Departmental Libraries, as well as managing projects related to the handling of Departmental Library projects
Contributes to the metadata creation of the library’s digital collections
Assists in coordinating the cataloging and processing of library materials by Watson staff, interns, and volunteers
Provides reference assistance and research support to Museum staff and visiting researchers in Watson, including 3-4 weekend days per year
Maintains a course of professional development through participation in professional associations or other professional activities external to the library, and brings best practices and innovative approaches to Watson Library

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
403(b) basic retirement plan and optional matching retirement plan with an outstanding employer match
Considerable paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and 13 Museum holidays
Long-term disability coverage
Flexible Spending Accounts & Health Savings Account (pre-tax income for eligible health care expenses)
Commuter benefits (pre-tax income for parking or mass transit expenses)
Free financial-planning services
Financial assistance for relevant coursework, seminars, and training programs
25% discount for staff in Museum shops
A subsidized staff cafeteria
Access to the Museums Council pass, which grants free admission to various museums and cultural institutions