Cataloger III

Library Systems & Services LLC•Washington, DC

14h•$85,000 - $95,000•Onsite

About The Position

LAC Federal is seeking a highly experienced Cataloger III – Senior Cataloging & Metadata Specialist to provide advanced cataloging, metadata remediation, and technical expertise in support of a major federal research library in the Washington, DC area. The role is a senior technical resource for complex original and copy cataloging, foreign-language bibliographic description, serials remediation, and enhancement of legacy records following the library’s migration to Ex Libris Alma. The position supports modernization of scientific, historical, multilingual, and specialized research collections. It requires applying established cataloging standards, improving bibliographic accuracy and discovery, and independently resolving challenging bibliographic and metadata issues. The position is full-time and on-site in Washington, DC.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS/MLS) from an ALA-accredited institution or an equivalent internationally recognized qualification.
At least seven years of progressively responsible professional cataloging experience, including substantial complex original and copy cataloging experience.
At least three years of advanced cataloging experience involving complex serials, foreign-language materials, specialized research collections, or significant bibliographic metadata remediation.
Advanced proficiency in RDA, MARC 21 bibliographic and holdings formats, OCLC cataloging tools, and established authority-control standards.
Professional experience using Ex Libris Alma for bibliographic and holdings record creation, editing, import/export, or metadata remediation.
Ability to independently perform complex original cataloging, including subject analysis, classification, authority research, and resolution of incomplete or inconsistent bibliographic information.
Proficiency in original and copy cataloging in at least one specified target language: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Persian/Farsi, Spanish, Italian, German, Hebrew, Greek, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Russian or another Slavic language, Thai, Burmese, or an applicable Ethiopian language.
Ability to accurately interpret and transcribe bibliographic information in the relevant original language and script and apply appropriate romanization or transliteration standards.
Experience cataloging or resolving complex serials bibliographic records, including title changes, linking relationships, and holdings issues.
Advanced working knowledge of LCSH, LCC, LCNAF, and established bibliographic identifiers.
Experience identifying and correcting complex metadata errors, including malformed MARC fields, incorrect access points, duplicate records, and inconsistent descriptive or holdings data.
Ability to work independently, exercise sound professional judgment, conduct complex bibliographic research, and maintain high standards of accuracy and consistency.
Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to explain complex cataloging issues to technical and nontechnical colleagues.
Ability to work full-time on-site in Washington, DC, and meet applicable federal facility access requirements.

Nice To Haves

Ten or more years of professional cataloging experience in a major research library, national library, academic library, museum, or specialized scientific information environment.
Professional cataloging proficiency in two or more target foreign languages, particularly Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Persian, Spanish, or Italian.
Advanced experience with CONSER, PCC, BIBCO, and cooperative cataloging standards and practices.
Expertise in Ex Libris Alma metadata management, including normalization rules, import profiles, Alma Analytics, and bibliographic/holdings data validation.
Experience supporting major library services platform migrations, especially from Horizon or another legacy integrated library system to Alma.
Experience correcting Unicode/UTF-8 encoding problems, diacritical errors, non-Latin script inconsistencies, and MARC 880 field linkages.
Experience using MarcEdit, OpenRefine, scripting tools, or other applications for batch bibliographic data analysis, transformation, and quality control.
Familiarity with BIBFRAME, linked-data modeling, RDF, persistent identifiers, and emerging bibliographic metadata standards.
Experience cataloging scientific publications, natural history collections, rare or specialized materials, and complex electronic resources.
Experience providing technical mentoring, reviewing other catalogers’ work, developing cataloging procedures, or serving as a subject matter expert on metadata quality.

Responsibilities

Perform advanced original and copy cataloging of complex monographs, serials, electronic resources, and specialized research materials using RDA, MARC 21, OCLC WorldCat, and authority-control practices.
Catalog materials independently in one or more foreign languages, including complex description, subject analysis, original-script transcription, romanization, and authority verification.
Serve as a senior technical resource for complex cataloging questions, unusual bibliographic materials, authority-control issues, and nonstandard descriptive situations.
Analyze, correct, and enhance legacy bibliographic and holdings records after migration to Ex Libris Alma, including encoding errors, diacritical inconsistencies, MARC 880 linkages, duplicates, and incorrect bibliographic relationships.
Perform complex serials cataloging and remediation, including successive-entry cataloging, title changes, mergers, splits, continuations, linking fields, ISSN verification, and holdings accuracy.
Evaluate and upgrade older bibliographic records to current RDA and MARC 21 practices, improving consistency, access points, and discovery across print and electronic collections.
Conduct advanced authority research and metadata enhancement using LCNAF, LCSH, Library of Congress Classification, and other applicable controlled vocabularies and authority resources.
Support large-scale metadata cleanup through record analysis, batch editing, normalization, and validation using Alma and approved metadata processing tools.
Review complex records prepared by other catalogers or remote foreign-language specialists, identify quality deficiencies, and recommend corrections to meet institutional standards.
Collaborate with the Project Manager/Senior Serials Cataloger to develop and refine procedures, technical specifications, quality assurance standards, and production workflows.
Support backlog reduction, inventory reconciliation, withdrawals, and collection maintenance through advanced bibliographic verification and resolution of record-level discrepancies.
Contribute technical expertise to metadata modernization initiatives, including BIBFRAME readiness, linked-data practices, persistent identifiers, and bibliographic data interoperability improvements.