Digital Collections Librarian: Assistant or Associate Librarian

Miami University Alumni Association•Oxford, AL

2d•$55,000 - $72,000•Onsite

About The Position

Miami University Libraries seeks a collaborative, knowledgeable, and service-oriented Digital Collections Librarian to lead its digital collections program, with primary responsibility for digitized and born-digital special collections and shared responsibility for digital preservation. Reporting to the Head of Special Collections & Archives, the Digital Collections Librarian develops sustainable practices for managing digital materials throughout their lifecycle—from selection, acquisition, and rights review through digitization, description, preservation, discovery, use, and assessment. The librarian collaborates with library colleagues, partners, patrons, and community stakeholders. The position advances teaching, research, digital scholarship, exhibitions, and public engagement involving the distinctive collections of Miami University Libraries.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS) from an ALA-accredited institution (or international equivalent) completed by date of appointment.
Appointment as Associate Librarian requires an established record of service and scholarship as described in the requirements.
Education or experience related to digital collections, digitization, born-digital materials, digital preservation, metadata, archives, or a closely related area.

Nice To Haves

Experience coordinating projects or workflows and working collaboratively with others.
Effective written and oral communication skills.
Experience contributing to or managing digital collections, digitization, born-digital archives, digital preservation, metadata, or related projects in a library, archives, museum, cultural heritage organization, or comparable setting.
Experience developing, documenting, assessing, or improving digital project workflows, policies, procedures, or services.
Experience with digital collections, digital preservation, repository, archival management, or content-management platforms.
Knowledge of metadata, archival description, digitization, and digital preservation standards and best practices.
Knowledge of or experience with digitization technologies, equipment, and software—including high-resolution imaging, film and audiovisual capture, image processing, color management, and quality-control tools—for creating preservation-quality digital representations of varied collection formats.
Experience with born-digital materials, metadata transformation, web archiving, audiovisual preservation, digital forensics, or related technologies and workflows.
Knowledge of copyright, privacy, intellectual property, accessibility, cultural sensitivity, and ethical stewardship as they relate to digital collections.
Experience supporting instruction, research assistance, digital scholarship, exhibitions, outreach, or the use of primary sources in teaching and learning.
Experience coordinating projects and building collaborative relationships with colleagues, student employees, faculty, researchers, donors, or community partners.

Responsibilities

Lead the planning, implementation, documentation, and assessment of projects involving digitized and born-digital special collections and archival materials.
Develop and manage sustainable workflows for selection, acquisition, digitization, quality control, repository ingest, digital preservation, discovery, and access.
Establish policies, technical specifications, and procedures for born-digital materials, web archives, digitization, digital preservation, storage, migration, and long-term access.
Assess preservation risks, evaluate emerging technologies and professional practices, and collaborate with Library Technology and other partners on infrastructure, security, backup, integrations, and service improvements.
Coordinate and supervise the work of student employees, interns, and other project participants.
Develop and assess metadata practices that support the description, management, preservation, discovery, and reuse of digital collections.
Create, transform, remediate, and migrate descriptive, administrative, structural, technical, and preservation metadata using appropriate standards and tools.
Support the administration and development of digital collections, archival management, and digital preservation platforms, including system configuration, testing, upgrades, troubleshooting, and integration with other discovery systems.
Promote accessible, inclusive, user-centered, and culturally responsible access while addressing copyright, privacy, intellectual property, donor restrictions, cultural sensitivity, and other legal and ethical considerations.
Promote the discovery and use of Miami University Libraries’ digital and physical distinctive collections through research assistance, consultations, instruction, outreach, and public programming.
Collaborate with faculty, students, researchers, and campus partners to integrate primary sources and digital collections into teaching, research, digital scholarship, and experiential learning.
Develop or support physical and digital exhibitions, digital storytelling projects, workshops, guides, and other interpretive or instructional resources.
Build relationships with academic departments, campus organizations, alumni, community partners, and other audiences to expand awareness and use of the collections.
Participate in developing and maintaining special collections and archival holdings, including identifying and prioritizing materials for digitization, preservation, and online access.
Assess the technical, preservation, metadata, storage, rights, and access implications of potential acquisitions, including born-digital and hybrid collections.
Work with donors, researchers, alumni, and colleagues to support collection development, responsible digital transfer, fundraising, grants, and externally supported initiatives.
Communicate the value and impact of digital collections to University stakeholders; participate in departmental, Libraries, and University initiatives; and engage in relevant professional organizations and activities appropriate to the position.
Perform other duties consistent with the position and the evolving needs of Miami University Libraries.