Senior Research Assistant -12 MONTH Project Archivist

University of Arkansas•Little Rock, AR

About The Position

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is a metropolitan research university that provides an accessible, quality education through flexible learning and unparalleled internship opportunities. At UA Little Rock, we prepare our more than 8,900 students to be innovators and responsible leaders in their fields. Committed to its metropolitan research university mission, UA Little Rock is a driving force in Little Rock's thriving cultural community and a major component of the city and state's growing profile as a regional leader in research, technology transfer, economic development, and job creation. The Arkansas Digital Newspaper Project Archivist is responsible for collecting metadata and supplying it to a digitization vendor, coordinating work and shipments of Sequoyah National Research Center and Arkansas State Archives staff, collaborating institutions, vendors, Library of Congress,. The Archivist is resopnsible for implementing quality review of digital assets, and assisting 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

Formal education equivalent of a high school diploma
Four years of specialized training and/or experience in library science, historical archival or a related field
Knowledge of classification and archival requirements of historical documents and objects
Knowledge of applicable technical standards and best practices in digitization and metadata creation
Knowledge of archival and library best practices
Knowledge of newspapers or serials, and ability to assess complex relationships between titles preferred
Knowledge of html and/or xml
Experience working with Microsoft Excel and Access
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
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

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in the pertinent field
Two years’ specialized training in library science, history or related field
Experience in an archives, museum or library setting
Preference will be given to those who possess experience with digitization projects, an understanding of metadata creation and MARC cataloging, knowledge of OCR output optimization, experience with grant management, excellent organizational skills, and knowledge of Arkansas history
Knowledge of U.S. history and Native American history preferred

Responsibilities

Work on the Arkansas Digital Newspaper Project to digitize over 100,000 pages of historic newspapers for the Library of Congress Chronicling America site
Collect and review metadata following established guidelines
Complete detailed quality review of digital assets and metadata
Work closely with project team, including other Sequoyah National Research Center and Arkansas Digital Newspaper Project 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 related responsibilities as required or assigned