[Metadatalibrarians] Job Posting: Head of Digital Programs/Amherst College

[Kathleen Gerrity]

Amherst College's search for a Head of Digital Programs continues, with a slightly modified job description.

The Amherst College Library seeks an inventive leader, adroit manager, and indefatigable collaborator to partner with multiple constituencies in the library and across campus to promote digital scholarship, digital collections, and the preservation of the same, all in service to our local and global community.

Amherst has profoundly transformed its student body in terms of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and nationality, among other areas. Today, nearly one quarter of Amherst's students consists of Pell Grant recipients, and many more are first-generation students; nearly half of our students are non-immigrant minorities. We seek candidates who have experience working in a multicultural environment and/or are interested in supporting a diverse student body.

The Head of Digital Programs provides vision and direction for the library's Digital Programs, including digital collections, digital preservation, digital scholarship, and the digital repository in line with national and international standards. The successful candidate will provide leadership for the library's role in the creation, curation, management, delivery, and preservation of scholarly, cultural, and administrative digital content across the college; plan for and coordinate the design, integration, and maintenance of digital asset management and preservation programs and systems; further the integration of digital collections, tools, and technologies into teaching, research, and scholarship in the liberal arts; work collaboratively with library and IT colleagues and other college partners to achieve these goals; help develop, cultivate, and support a diverse workforce and student body; and lead efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming environment.

Principal duties and responsibilities

  *   Provides vision, strategic planning, overall direction, and prioritization for the library's digital programs, including digital collections, digital preservation, digital scholarship, and the digital repository.
  *   Plays a leadership role in the creation, curation, management, delivery, and preservation of scholarly, cultural, and administrative digital content across the college.
  *   Provides expertise and advocates for the department and the library in digital scholarship, digital preservation, and other relevant digital activities across the campus.
  *   Collaborates with colleagues in Archives & Special Collections, Technical Services, Research & Instruction, IT, and others to achieve the vision and goals of digital programs.
  *   Promotes digital programs, collections, and services on campus and to broader audiences.
  *   Supervises the Digital Collections & Preservation Librarian, Digital Library Web Developer, and interns.
  *   In collaboration with library and IT colleagues, plans for and coordinates the design, implementation, integration, and maintenance of a technological infrastructure for digital collections, digital scholarship, and digital preservation.
  *   Sets direction and policy for the college's digital repository, Amherst College Digital Collections, and its role in supporting digital collections, the open-access mandate and other scholarly communications initiatives, digital preservation activities, and other needs as they emerge.
  *   Keeps abreast of new trends, tools, opportunities, and campus needs in digital libraries and repositories and responds proactively.
  *   Works with the Director of the Amherst College Press to establish requirements and identify solutions for digital publications and other projects of the Press.
  *   Works to advance the integration of digital collections, tools, and technologies into teaching, research, and scholarship in the liberal arts.
  *   Helps shape a vision for digital scholarship at the college, and the library's role in partnering on both classroom-based and longer-term research projects in digital scholarship.
  *   Partners with faculty, the Press, IT, and other librarians to develop, implement, and provide instruction for scholarly digital projects.
  *   Manages and advances a variety of digital projects and programs.
  *   Writes and manages grants to support specific projects.
  *   Participates in and stays abreast of developments in the digital library field in order to appropriately position the college's digital programs within larger developments in the field, and to promote the college's work in this area.
  *   Actively participates in outreach activities, committees and work groups of the library, the college, and Five Colleges and regional and national organizations as appropriate.
  *   Demonstrates and facilitates effective communication throughout the Library and across the college.
  *   Performs other duties/functions as requested.
Qualifications

Required

  *   Master's degree from a program accredited by the American Library Association or foreign equivalent.
  *   Minimum five years' relevant experience, including three years of academic library experience, and broad work in digital collections, digital preservation, digital scholarship, and digital technologies.
  *   Familiarity with national and international standards in these four areas.
  *   Proven commitment to collaboration, including a demonstrated history of effectively leading complex collaborative projects and programs involving diverse groups of stakeholders.
  *   Demonstrated analytical, organizational, planning, and project management skills.
  *   Experience with selection and implementation of digital repository systems.
  *   Demonstrated understanding of the use of digital content and the application of digital technologies as they relate to teaching, research, and scholarship.
  *   Commitment to working closely and collaboratively across organizational boundaries, with a variety of partners.
  *   Excellent oral and written communication skills; ability to advocate for the library to a variety of constituents; ability to communicate with technical and non-technical individuals.
  *   Competence and sensitivity in working at a college in which students are broadly diverse with regard to gender, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, and religion.

Preferred

  *   Experience with requirements gathering, system design processes, and project management for technology projects.
  *   Strong knowledge of archival practices and approaches, particularly in regards to collection management and arrangement and description.
  *   Theoretical and practical understanding of metadata schemas such as MODS, and of linked data and semantic web technologies.
  *   Familiarity with one or more methodologies commonly used in digital research, and experience working with undergraduates on digital scholarship projects.
  *   Experience supervising and mentoring students, staff, and/or librarians.
  *   Successful grant-writing experience and/or experience managing grant-funded projects.
Application Instructions

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information (e-mail and/or telephone number) for three professional references.  Applications will be reviewed until position is filled. Apply at https://apply.interfolio.com/38879.

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Amherst College is an equal opportunity employer and encourages women, persons of color, and persons with disabilities to apply.  The College is committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty, administration, and staff.

Amherst College, one of the premier liberal arts colleges in the nation, is located in Amherst, Massachusetts, a town of approximately 35,000 residents in the western part of the state. The college's community is composed of about 1,800 students from 49 states, plus D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and 54 countries around the world, and about 1,000 staff and faculty.  The college's scenic 1,000-acre campus includes a 500-acre wildlife sanctuary<https://www.amherst.edu/mm/78261> and the Book & Plow Farm<http://www.bookandplowfarm.com/>; three museums:  Emily Dickinson Museum<https://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/>, Beneski Museum of Natural History<https://www.amherst.edu/mm/44872> and Mead Art Museum<https://www.amherst.edu/mm/72371>; and multiple educational and cultural venues and resources through the Five College Consortium.  The town of Amherst offers an amazing variety of coffee shops, restaurants and entertainment, and a very active outdoor life.   Our vibrant campus, diverse community and beautiful surrounding, makes Amherst College and the Town of Amherst a great place to work, learn and live!

Kate Gerrity
Metadata Management Librarian
Robert Frost Library
Amherst College
PO Box 5000
Amherst, MA 01002
413-542-5010