Description

Amherst College invites applications for the position of head of cataloging/metadata in the college’s library. Amherst College 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 are Pell Grant recipients; 45 percent of our students identify as domestic students of color. Our expectation is that the successful candidate will excel at working in a community that is broadly diverse with regard to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, and religion.

The head of cataloging/metadata is a full-time, year-round position, job group and level PT-4. The successful candidate will provide leadership and coordination for the library's Cataloging/Metadata unit, which has responsibility for ensuring that print, media and e-resources meet national standards and are consistent with consortial agreements and practices.

The head of cataloging/metadata creates original cataloging and develops cataloging/metadata policies and creates documentation and initiates collaborative projects to increase usage of physical and electronic materials by making them more discoverable and accessible. In addition, the individual in the position directs bibliographic and authority maintenance activities, ensuring database quality and accuracy;  develops strategies for improved discoverability and usability of the library’s resources; works collaboratively with acquisitions and e-resources management sections and other library units, as well as Five-College colleagues and the ILS manager; provides leadership to support the library’s role in moving to new platforms, including open source, in collaboration with library’s discovery team; helps develop, cultivate, and support a diverse workforce and student body; and leads efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming environment.

Key Responsibilities

Cataloging/Metadata

Create original bibliographic records for a variety of formats and languages using accepted standards such as MARC, RDA or AACR2, LCSH, and LC classification and other standards as the catalog and discovery systems develop
Contribute to the performance of authority control and disambiguation of names and assist others in this work; contribute original authority work to NACO
Manage the libraries’ batch processing, analysis, and editing of records, working collaboratively with the e-resources librarian and the Five College Consortium’s ILS manager
Develop cataloging and metadata policies, create useful documentation, and participate in collaborative projects to increase usage of the library’s electronic, digital, and physical materials by making them more discoverable
Ensure that cataloging and metadata practices make resources more accessible and usable, with particular attention to inclusion and the needs of historically underrepresented groups
Improve understanding and implementation of tools and services for cataloging and metadata creation, such as the integrated library system and OCLC Connexion, including troubleshooting of these services
Lead the Cataloging/Metadata unit through planning, assembling statistics, analysis, and reporting

Leadership and Management

Supervise the 3.25 FTE catalogers and 1.4 FTE staff
Create and revise local policies procedures, and documentation and provide training
Prepare statistics and reports to help administrators make data-informed decisions and to provide statistics to national agencies (ACRL, IPEDS); contribute to library assessment activities and direct the collection of metrics that help reflect the productivity and breadth of services provided by cataloging/metadata staff 
Collaborate and consult with librarians and staff across the Five Colleges’ library consortium to develop consensus regarding priorities, goals, processes, and policies that provide consistency and improve access and usability for our shared collections
Participate in outreach activities, committees, and working groups of the library, the college, Five Colleges, and regional and national organizations as appropriate
Demonstrate and facilitate effective communication throughout the library and across the college

Qualifications

Required

Master’s degree from a program accredited by the American Library Association or foreign equivalent
Minimum of three years of relevant library experience
Minimum of two years of supervisory experience
Comprehensive knowledge of cataloging standards and tools (including but not limited to MARC21, RDA, AACR2, OCLC, MarcEdit) andoriginal and copy cataloging and classification in all formats
Experience with bibliographic utilities and integrated library systems, vendor cataloging services, authority control services, and automated routines for bibliographic record maintenance
Demonstrated familiarity with and interest in current and emerging standards, models, applications, and initiatives such as BIBFRAME, RDF, and linked data
 Familiarity with how library resources are accessed and used (preferably in an undergraduate context) and a commitment to removing barriers for users
Demonstrated analytical, organizational, planning, and project management skills
A proven commitment to working closely and collaboratively across organizational boundaries, including a demonstrated history of effectively leading complex collaborative projects and programs involving diverse groups of stakeholders
Excellent verbal and written communication skills; the ability to advocate for the library to a variety of constituents and 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

Five years of experience
Three years of supervisory experience
Experience cataloging complicated materials, such as music, films, or foreign language materials
Working knowledge of one or more foreign languages
Demonstrated ability to integrate technology into workflows
Knowledge and experience of computer programming languages and technologies to create, extract, transform, analyze, and manipulate data (e.g. Python, XSLT, Javascript, Excel, regular expressions, SQL, etc.)
Experience with preparing statistical reports

Application Instructions

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information (email and/or telephone numbers) for three professional references. Review of applications will begin on July 30, 2018, and continue until position is filled.

ABOUT AMHERST COLLEGE

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 48 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico 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 and the Book & Plow Farm; three museums: Emily Dickinson Museum, Beneski Museum of Natural History and Mead Art Museum; 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 the perfect place to work, learn and live!

Application Process

This institution is using Interfolio's Faculty Search to conduct this search. Applicants to this position receive a free Dossier account and can send all application materials, including confidential letters of recommendation, free of charge.

Apply Now

 

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Statement of Non-Discrimination

Amherst College does not discriminate in admission, employment, or administration of its programs and activities on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, sex or gender (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity), age, disability, genetic information, military service, or any other characteristic or class protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Amherst College complies with all state and federal laws that prohibit discrimination, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Title IX, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Equal Pay Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Inquiries should be addressed to the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Amherst College, P.O. Box 5000, Amherst, MA 01002-5000.


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