Cornell University Library
Metadata Librarians
Metadata Librarians
Cornell University Library seeks two creative, productive librarians who will explore, lead, and collaborate on diverse projects. The successful candidates will work at the intersection of many user-focused services and projects, which may include technical services, archives, data curation, and digital libraries. One librarian will primarily work on projects related to the humanities and special collections, and the other position will include responsibilities related to e-science and research data. The successful candidates will be comfortable in exploring emerging technologies and standards for description and access, and they will welcome working in a collegial and collaborative environment. The positions will be an integral part of the newly merged Cataloging and Metadata Services division, a team evolving and expanding to meet users' needs for the discovery and delivery of resources.
Position Description:
Under the general direction of the Assistant Director, Cataloging and Metadata Services, the Metadata Librarians provide metadata consultation, design, and development services to facilitate the use of digital and analog information for research and education. These librarians work simultaneously on various metadata projects, collaborating closely with staff throughout Central Library Operations, Digital Scholarship Services, Information Technology, and various special collections units to enhance access to the library's collections. The Metadata Librarians participate in the library's research and development efforts and in local and national discussions relating to the access, retrieval, description, preservation, and management of objects in digital collection systems. The librarians play an active role in professional organizations inside and outside of the Cornell University Library community.
Duties and responsibilities may include:
* Participate in Cornell University Library initiatives related to the discovery of digital resources.
* Consult with Cornell's faculty, staff, and community partners on a variety of metadata and information organization and access needs.
* Recommend, design, and implement appropriate metadata schemes for digital library projects.
* Draft metadata components of grant proposals.
* Assist Cornell researchers in the preparation of data management plans.
* Establish workflows for metadata creation or capture.
* Suggest methods for streamlining or automating metadata creation and management, using various tools for metadata manipulation and scripting.
* Collaborate with database management staff on batch processing projects.
* Assess and work to improve access to resources such as e-books, CUL web sites, and locally-created digital collections.
* Advise on digital preservation strategies, including metadata used for CUL digital repositories.
* Serve as a resource to departments and staff on issues related to metadata and digital initiatives.
* Create and maintain local documentation on metadata standards and metadata application guidelines.
* Train cataloging and metadata staff to use tools and standards required for projects.
* Actively participate in Central Library Operations, library-wide, 2CUL (partnership with Columbia University), and national working groups, task forces, and committees.
* Monitor and contribute to the development of local, national, and international metadata standards and trends.
* Actively seek to participate in library's role in digital humanities and/or research data projects when possible.
Knowledge/Experience Requirements:
Required:
* ALA-accredited MLS or equivalent or advanced degree.
* Subject expertise in a humanities or science field.
* Working knowledge of a variety of metadata standards (e.g. Dublin Core, VRA Core, EAD, METS, EML, DDI, FGDC Biological Data Profile) and best practices for managing digital collections.
* Interest in metadata issues and emerging technologies.
* Aptitude for learning digital collection management, electronic resource management, and metadata standards and formats.
* Demonstrated experience with a range of software applications, including those supporting the development of digital libraries.
* Excellent collegial, communication, and analytic skills, including the ability to work well within a team environment with diverse groups of library staff.
* Evidence of an ability to plan, analyze, and solve problems creatively, flexibly, and resourcefully.
* Interest in professional development activities, including research and participation in professional organizations.
* Strong service orientation and interest in library users' values and needs.
Preferred:
* Working knowledge of the use of cataloging principles, standards, and tools, as well as understanding of controlled vocabularies, thesauri, taxonomies, and ontologies.
* Understanding of archival description and/or experience using EAD.
* Knowledge of data sets in all formats.
* Experience with XML editing and XSLT.
* Experience with scripting and programming languages (Java, Perl, or Python).
* Prior professional experience in an academic or special library.
* Project management skills and experience.
Background: Cornell University is an Ivy League comprehensive research university located in Ithaca in the scenic Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. The town and university offer a unique cosmopolitan and international atmosphere in a beautiful natural setting of waterfalls, gorges, and lakes. The university comprises 14 schools with over 2,700 faculty members and nearly 21,600 students enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. The Cornell University Library is a vigorous professional organization with a strong track record in innovation and service quality. It contains nearly 8 million printed volumes, 99,000 current serials in print or online, over 650,000 additional networked electronic resources, and rich materials in other formats. The Library was a recipient of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Excellence in Academic Libraries Award in 2002.
Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package including 22 vacation days, 11 paid holidays, health insurance, life insurance, and university retirement contributions (TIAA-CREF and other options). Professional travel funding available.
Application Procedure: Applications requested by November 1, 2010. To apply for this position go to http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/jobs/, search under the job category of Librarians, and select posting number 13419. Follow the instructions for online submission. Please include a cover letter, resume, and the names, phone numbers, and addresses for three references. Please indicate in your cover letter whether you are interested in the humanities position or the science-oriented position. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
Cornell University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer strongly committed to diversity. We value qualified candidates who can bring to our community a variety of backgrounds and experiences.
