Project Director

University of Arkansas System • Little Rock, AR

26d

About The Position

The Arkansas Digital Newspaper Project (ADNP) Director is responsible for collecting metadata and supplying it to a digitization vendor, coordinating work and shipments of the Sequioa National Research Center and Arkansas State Archives staff, collaborating institutions, vendors, and Library of Congress to implement quality review of digital assets. This position also assists with project record keeping related to Arkansas Digital Newspaper Project (ADNP) at the Arkansas State Archives. Funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, this temporary full-time position will end in December 2027. The position is governed by agency/institution policy and state and federal laws.

Requirements

• The formal education equivalent to a bachelor's degree in History, English, or a related field; plus two years of archival or library experience.
• Occasional travel for training
• Ability to lift 40 lbs. with or without accommodations
• Valid Arkansas driver’s license
• A pre-employment criminal background check is required
• Position is subject to drug screening
• Knowledge of classification and archival requirements of historical documents and objects
• Knowledge of applicable technical standards and best practices in digitization and metadata creation (non-MARC and MARC)
• Knowledge of archival and library best practices
• Strong organizational, data entry, and problem solving skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Ability to sort, organize, analyze, and search archival collection and inventories
• Ability to prepare and present oral and written information and reports

Nice To Haves

• Preference will be given to those who possess demonstrated project management experience, digitization projects experience, quality control experience, understanding of metadata creation and MARC cataloging, and knowledge of OCR output optimization
• Experience with grant management and writing
• Excellent organizational skills and knowledge of Arkansas history
• Knowledge of newspapers or serials, and ability to assess complex relationships between titles preferred
• Knowledge of U.S. history and Native American history preferred
• Knowledge of html and/or xml
• Experience working with Microsoft Excel and Access

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day operations of the Arkansas Digital Newspaper Project (ADNP) to digitize over 100,000 pages of historic newspapers for the Library of Congress Chronicling America site
• Oversight and review of metadata collection following established guidelines
• Implement and complete a detailed quality review of digital assets and metadata
• Collect and review metadata following established guidelines
• Track and manage project transactions and shipments of microfilm masters and digital assets between the Arkansas State Archives, collaborating institutions, vendors, and the Library of Congress
• Implement workflows for data management and review
• Work closely with the project team, including other ASA staff members, vendors, and collaborating institutions
• Assist with record keeping and report preparation
• Research and write the history of newspapers selected for this grant
• Scan original historic material on large format scanner
• Performs other related responsibilities as required or assigned.

Benefits

• The University of Arkansas System is a comprehensive, publicly-supported higher education institution composed of 18 unique campuses, divisions and administrative units that share the singular goal of serving Arkansas residents and others by developing and sharing knowledge to impact an ever-changing world.
• The UA System provides access to academic and professional education, and develops intellectual growth and cultural awareness in its students, staff and faculty.
• The system further promotes an atmosphere of excellence that honors the heritage and diversity of our state and nation.
• It provides students, researchers and professionals with tools to promote responsible stewardship of human, natural and financial resources in Arkansas and around the globe, and with workforce-relevant knowledge to enhance economic development efforts that improve the overall quality of life and societal well-being.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees