Cornell
University Library
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 600,000 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.
---
Liz Muller
Assistant Director, Cataloging & Metadata Services
107B John M. Olin Library
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-5301
607-255-3973
http://clo.library.cornell.edu/