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Metadata Librarian, Assistant or Associate University Librarian, University of Florida

Job Summary

The Metadata Librarian is a new tenure track library faculty position in the Cataloging and Metadata Department at the University of Florida Libraries. The incumbent establishes processes that facilitate user discovery and access to library resources through the application of various metadata standards and best practices. In consultation and collaboration with UF colleagues and project teams, the Metadata Librarian creates and revises metadata at the local and network level for special collections and other material to ensure broad access, promotes the Libraries’ holdings, and supports discovery of electronic resources and digitized collections. The Metadata Librarian advises on ontology and metadata schema development within the context of emerging linked data and semantic web applications as well as on metadata and information organization needs. Utilizing batch loading and editing tools, the Metadata Librarian improves access, actionability, and processing of library resources while achieving workflow efficiencies.

As a Cataloging and Metadata Department faculty member, the Metadata Librarian will contribute to local policy and procedure decisions, develop and assess workflows, and seek creative approaches for managing metadata. The Metadata Librarian pursues professional development opportunities and engages in research, publication, and professional association activities to meet library-wide criteria for tenure and promotion. The library encourages staff participation in reaching management decisions and consequently the Metadata Librarian will serve on various committees and teams. To support all students and faculty and foster excellence in a diverse and global society, the Metadata Librarian will be expected to include individuals of diverse backgrounds, experiences, races, ethnicities, genders, and perspectives in work activities.

Responsibilities

• Serves as a consultant and liaison for non-catalogers inside the library, and also throughout campus; expected activities in this capacity include providing assistance with authority control issues (ex.: author disambiguation, author impact tracking), organizing resources for metadata creation and system interoperability, and providing metadata training
• Leads metadata efforts covering a variety of formats, subjects, and process needs according to recognized standards and best practices
• Collaborates with curators, archivists, and subject specialists to assess metadata needs for digitized and print collections and resolves issues
• Collaborates with others to develop and implement more efficient, automated workflows to increase metadata and cataloging productivity for optimal overall workflows within the libraries and for actionable, linked metadata across internal and external systems
• Articulates and communicates a clear vision for the future of metadata and cataloging in a linked data environment for the UF Libraries
• Establishes protocols and processes for collaborating with library units regarding metadata questions and issues
• Strengthens and creates avenues for collaboration across the Libraries to improve access to collections through various metadata systems and ontologies.
• Provides optimal support for digital and non-digital materials, sets (e.g., data sets, serials, etc.), and collections, according to best practices for metadata as constructed, constructive, and actionable
• Focuses on “hidden collections” (e.g., may include born digital, special collections, data, and other items as individual items and as represented in sets, etc.)
• Serves as a representative on various library committees, particularly for providing expertise in the area of metadata and authority control, and serving on other committees and groups as appropriate
• Performs outreach and consults with UF colleagues on descriptive, structural, and administrative metadata as well as metadata processes for grants and projects
• Follows national trends and new developments in metadata, metadata workflows, batch processes, integrated processes across standards and types, new opportunities with linked data, and related initiatives
• Provides optimal access to resources via multiple discovery platforms
• Perform scholarly research and provide service at the institutional and professional levels as related to assignment and in accordance with the Libraries’ tenure and promotion criteria.

Qualifications

Required:

• ALA-accredited master's degree in library science or equivalent combination of education in information or computer science and library experience for metadata
• Eight years of relevant professional experience for appointment at the rank of Associate University Librarian
• Planning and leadership skills, with the ability to function independently, take initiative, and set goals and priorities in a dynamic changing environment
• Working knowledge of national metadata content standards, such as RDA, AACR2, DACS, etc., and automated cataloging systems
• Working knowledge of MARC and non-MARC encoding/structural standards (such as MODS, XML, EAD, etc.)
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to establish positive and productive collaborations working with diverse audiences, constituencies, and colleagues including faculty, students, administrators, consortia partners, and national organizations
• Familiarity with the linked data environment, including emerging library applications
  (e.g., BIBFRAME) and name identifier systems (e.g., ORCID, ISNI)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Commitment to outstanding customer service
• Strong potential for meeting the requirements of tenure and promotion outlined at http://library.ufl.edu/cdh

 Preferred:

• Experience with metadata creation in an academic or research library
• Supervisory interest and experience ­
• Demonstrated experience in successful project management
• Demonstrated ability to improve workflows or data maintenance tasks using automated processes and tools
• Working knowledge of a foreign language
• Metadata experience with special collections material
• Experience contributing bibliographic and authority records using national Program for Cooperative Cataloging standards or other national or international programs for descriptive, structural, and administrative metadata
• Record of including individuals of diverse backgrounds, experiences, races, ethnicities, genders, and perspectives in research, teaching, service and other work

The University of Florida

The University of Florida (UF) is a major, public, comprehensive, land-grant, research university. The state's oldest and most comprehensive university, UF is among the nation's most academically diverse public universities. UF has a long history of established programs in international education, research and service. It is one of only 17 public, land-grant universities that belong to the Association of American Universities. UF traces its beginnings to a small seminary in 1853 and is now one of the largest universities in the nation, with more than 50,000 students. For more information, please consult the UF homepage at http://www.ufl.edu.

George A. Smathers Libraries

The libraries of the University of Florida form the largest information resource system in the state of Florida. The UF Libraries consist of seven libraries; six are in the system known as the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida. The libraries hold over 5,800,000 print volumes, 8,100,000 microfilms, 630,000 e-books, 121,016 full-text electronic journals, 889 electronic databases, 1,300,000 documents and 766,000 maps and images. The libraries have built a number of nationally significant research collections, including the Latin American, Judaica, Florida History, Children’s Literature, and Maps and Imagery Collections. The Smathers Libraries are a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL), and LYRASIS. The library staff consists of more than 400 FTE librarians, technical/clerical staff and student assistants. The organizational chart is available at http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/orgchart.pdf.

Cataloging and Metadata Department

The Cataloging and Metadata Department supports the academic programs of the University by organizing, describing, and providing physical processing for the books, journals, electronic resources, sound and video recordings, microforms, maps, and other material purchased or received by the library system. Five librarians and fifteen support staff catalog approximately 25,000 titles per year in compliance with national standards of bibliographic control and in keeping with established cataloging priorities. The department works with Acquisitions to load e-resource packages, which add thousands of records to the library catalog each year. Original record contributions to OCLC, an international bibliographic database, number 5,000 annually. The department participates in international cooperative cataloging programs including CONSER, BIBCO, NACO, and SACO. Department units collaborate to create efficient workflows and apply the latest technologies in order to meet user needs.

Community

Gainesville, Florida and the surrounding community are home to approximately 240,000 people and both the University of Florida and Santa Fe College. Situated just over an hour from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, the city is surrounded by over 40 nature parks, including many spring-fed lakes and rivers. In 2007, Gainesville was ranked as the “Best Place to Live and Work” by Frommer’s Cities Ranked and Rated and as one of the “Best Places to Live and Play” by National Geographic Adventure. Gainesville is known as an innovative municipal government and an innovative city. Gainesville continues to receive national recognition as a top-rated city. Some of Gainesville's accolades are listed at the Gainesville Awards and Recognition link. A recent article in Florida Trend Magazine offers an in depth Community Portrait of Gainesville and the University of Florida. Gainesville was featured in the Top 100 Best Places to Live 2014 on Livability, America’s Best Places to Live & Visit. The area has numerous cultural institutions and is a haven for sports fans. Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Tallahassee, and St. Augustine are all within a two hour drive.

Benefits

Vacation days, paid holidays, and sick leave days; retirement plan options; insurance benefits; tuition fee waiver program; no state or local income tax. Prospective employees should review the information about employment and benefits at UF available at http://hr.ufl.edu/benefits/.

Application Process

The University of Florida is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from women and minority group members. We are dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic environment; we strongly encourage applications from women, members of underrepresented groups, individuals with disabilities, and veterans. As part of the application process, applicants are invited to complete an on-line confidential and voluntary demographic self-disclosure form which can be found at: http://www.hr.ufl.edu/job/datacard.htm. This information is collected by the University of Florida's Office of Human Resources to track applicant trends and is in no way considered by the Smathers Libraries in the selection process.

Please submit application materials via e-mail. Send, as attachments (MS-Word and PDF format preferred), a cover letter detailing your interest in and qualifications for this position; a written statement regarding the future of metadata and cataloging in a linked data environment (250 words); your current resume and a list of three references including their address, telephone and email information. Apply by December 14, 2014 (applications will be reviewed beginning November 16, 2014). Please initiate your application at: http://jobs.ufl.edu/postings/58691. Submit all other application materials via e-mail as attachments (MS-Word and PDF format preferred) to Bonnie Smith, Smathers Libraries Human Resources Office, at [log in to unmask].

Final candidate will be required to provide official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible. Degrees earned from an education institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), which can be found at http://www.naces.org/.