Processing Archivist, Digital Collections

The National World War II Museum•New Orleans, LA

About The Position

The National WWII Museum in New Orleans currently has an opening for a Processing Archivist, Digital Collections position. The Processing Archivist for Digital Collections is a crucial leader within the Collections & Exhibits team, collaborating closely with collections and archives staff. The Processing Archivist’s primary responsibilities include overseeing the cataloging of the Museum’s diverse collection materials such as photographs, archival collections, artifacts, non-accessioned digital archives, and time-based media. This role involves developing and optimizing workflows for digitization, managing the production of digital images, and ensuring high standards in record keeping, storage, maintenance, and retrieval. The Processing Archivist will lead and supervise the daily tasks of digitization staff, contractors, interns, and volunteers, providing guidance and support to the digitization work team. This position is instrumental in advancing the National WWII Museum’s digital collections, ensuring they are meticulously cataloged, easily accessible, and maintained to the highest standards. The Processing Archivist reports to the Director of Digital Collections.

Requirements

Master’s in History, Library and Information Science, or a related field required.
Excellent knowledge of World War II material culture preferred.
At least five years' experience in a museum, archives, or library image archive, including:
Managing images/photographs within a digital asset management and/or collections management system.
Handling time-based media management, digital rights management, metadata standards and practices, and data migration.
Proven experience in leading and supervising digitization projects and teams.
In-depth knowledge of archival procedures and experience with collections databases.
Strong written communication and organizational skills.
Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects and lead teams in a fast-paced environment.
Familiarity with digital rights management, metadata standards, file formatting, and data migration.
Competence in developing and managing cataloging systems, metadata tools, and controlled vocabularies.

Nice To Haves

Excellent knowledge of World War II material culture preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the management of digital collections by establishing, documenting, and enforcing policies and procedures.
Develop and optimize workflows for digitization and digital image production via scanning.
Supervise and mentor digitization staff, contractors, interns, and volunteers, ensuring high productivity and adherence to standards.
Enforce digitization and photography standards across all projects.
Provide quality control for all metadata to ensure accuracy and consistency institution wide.
Develop and manage metadata tools, naming taxonomies, and controlled vocabularies.
Oversee the creation and cataloging of metadata for both analog and digital media.
Supervise staff in cataloging and metadata creation, ensuring adherence to best practices and standards.
Assist in upgrading existing assets to appropriate standards, including reorganization of file directories and metadata cleanup.
Ensure proper record keeping, storage, maintenance, and retrieval of digital collections.
Facilitate access to collections by responding to requests from the public, staff, and other institutions.
Collaborate with the Digital Collections Rights Manager to manage internal and external rights and reproduction requests.

Benefits

Medical insurance – 2 plan options; Museum pays 75% of premium
Dental and vision insurance
Flexible spending account
401(k) – Museum matches 50% of employee contribution up to 6%; employer contribution full vested after 3 years of employment
Life insurance and AD&D - $15,000 policy employer paid; additional life and AD&D available
Long term disability insurance
Paid vacation and sick leave, 10 paid holidays per year
Free parking
Tuition assistance and professional development
Employee assistance program