Tag Archives: digital libraries

SEI 2017 Instructor of the Week: Greta Bahnemann

 We’re thrilled to introduce the amazing instructors for this year’s Summer Educational Institute, many of whom are joining us for the first time! We’ll be highlighting one instructor from the 2017 curriculum each week, so be sure to stay tuned.

We’re happy to introduce Greta Bahnemann, Metadata Librarian for the Minnesota Digital Library, a position she has held since 2010. Greta will be leading the Metadata for Cultural Heritage Materials workshop.Plan for the variety of original materials in a digital project, and their associated multimedia digital formats. This session will delve into creating and managing technical, descriptive and administrative metadata, selecting appropriate metadata schemas, crosswalking, and metadata cleanup. Come with questions, leave with answers!

greta.jpeg

Greta Bahnemann

Did you know?

The Minnesota Digital Library’s contributors include libraries, historical societies, museums, and archives, and also provides education and training opportunities concerning digitization best practices, metadata for digital collections, and digital preservation! Minnesota Reflections is the initial project of the MDL, begun in 2003, and now includes digital content from more than 186participating organizations from across the state. Collaborative digitization has included over 280,000 items, including photographs, postcards, maps, documents, letters, and oral histories. These materials are available online in a free searchable database.

Greta is responsible for implementing current metadata standards and best practices forMinnesota Reflections, and has spearheaded a number of innovative projects with the Minnesota Digital Library, including integration as a service and content hub for DPLA and implementation of new Geospatial metadata standards! Check out the MDL Section of Minitiex News to stay up-to-date with all of the cool things happening with the Minnesota Digital Library and Minnesota Reflections! And Register for SEI to benefit from her knowledge directly!

6 weeks from today SEI will be happening! If you’d like to bunk in the dorms at $53 per night, those arrangements will need to be made by next Friday, May 5. If you’d like to book a room at the Franklin inn, the block group rate of $165 per night can be secured until May 12th. There are a limited number of rooms at that price. An email will be sent to all registered attendees with the booking code.

Read all about SEI at http://seiworkshop.org where you can find our Statement of Inclusivity, info about registering, accommodations, curriculum and much more.

In its 14th year as a joint program between the  Art Libraries Society of North America(ARLIS/NA) and the Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF), SEI 2107 will be held at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, from June 6-9, 2017.

SEI provides both new and more experienced professionals the opportunity to stay current in the rapidly changing fields of digitization, project management, fair use and copyright, metadata, and digital asset management, as well as significant networking opportunities. As a 2015 SEI graduate noted, “The curriculum was excellent in scope, striking a balance between detailed, practical exploration of relevant skills & tools, and putting these in the context of broader issues in visual resources/arts librarianship.”

SEI 2017 is filling up. Register soon!

Contact the SEI co-chairs Jesse Henderson or Nicole Finzer with any questions and Follow us on Facebook

See you in North Carolina!

Job Posting: Library Technician II (Digital Collection Services), Colorado State University, CO

Salary: $2,715 – $3,273 (monthly + Full Benefits)

Position summary: This position exists to support the development of digital collections by creating digital resources, building metadata, and supporting increased access to materials in the institution’s digital repository. The position also supports the preservation of the Libraries’ print collections by providing conservation treatment to deteriorated and damaged materials and assisting with general preservation activities, including disaster response and recovery.

Minimum qualifications:

Two years of experience in a collections-based library or cultural heritage environment (i.e. museums, historical societies, archives etc.) performing digitization and preservation processes. Digitization may have included the following formats: scanning negatives, photos, prints, slides, and digitization of audio. Preservation may have included hands-on conservation experience with paper or archival collections.

  • Please note: a resume and cover letter are required with your application materials. Please ensure your cover letter outlines why you are interested in this position, how your experience aligns with the responsibilities of this position, and what makes you the ideal candidate.

Preferred qualifications:

The highly desired candidate will possess the following knowledge, skills, abilities, personal characteristics, and experience directly related and critical to this position:

  • Experience supervising staff which included hiring, training, delegating tasks, maintaining quality control, providing feedback, and resolving challenges in the workplace to maintain productivity.
  • Demonstrated desire to provide and maintain a high standard of hand-crafted conservation techniques through attention to detail and evaluation of work quality.
  • Excellent interpersonal and verbal communication skills demonstrated through work experience as a team member and patron/customer assistance
  • Demonstrated ability to remain flexible and transition smoothly from one task to another with frequently changing priorities
  • Demonstrated ability to manage time effectively and work independently in order to accomplish job tasks accurately and efficiently
  • Demonstrated ability to use sound judgment and make decisions regarding the best course of action for digitization and/or preservation after thorough analysis of materials.

More information and application: https://jobs.colostate.edu/postings/29390

Job Posting: Digital Library Coordinator, Revs Institute, Naples, FL

Salary: $42,000 to $46,000
Status: Full-time
Posted: 11/19/15
Deadline: 12/28/15
Digital Library Coordinator
Position Overview

The Revs Institute research collection includes both a library and an archive.  It contains books, periodicals, manuscript collections, images, objects, ephemera and serials.  The Digital Library Coordinator is responsible for the production of images and metadata for the Revs Digital Library.  Although this is not a supervisory position, the Digital Library Coordinator does assist in overseeing the work of the Production Assistants on the team.

A background check and drug test are required.

Principle Duties and Responsibilities

The Digital Library Coordinator is responsible for overseeing the production of digital images, for ensuring that the appropriate metadata is assigned to those images and for tracking and documenting the progress of the project as a whole.  Responsibilities include:

  • Digital Image Production
    • Work with the executive team to determine which collections meet the criteria for digitization.
    • Train and supervise volunteers, staff and interns to prepare materials for digitization.  Create written procedures as needed.
    • Maintain relationships with scanning vendors and ensure excellent communication.  Coordinate transfer of material to and from vendors.
    • Coordinate with the Stanford team to ensure the quality of digital files produced by outside vendors.
  • Metadata Management
    • Train and supervise the entry of metadata into spreadsheets by volunteers, staff and interns.  Create written procedures as needed.
    • Develop and maintain a subject ontology to be used as index terms for Revs.  Expand this ontology as needed to include new materials and subjects added to the collection.
    • Supervise the assignment of subject terms to database records created by Revs staff, in an automated and manual way.
    • Work with Stanford Libraries to ensure the accuracy of the migration of Revs metadata to the Revs Digital Library.
    • Promote Revs ontologies for use in linked data applications.
    • Perform quality control by reviewing, adding, and modifying metadata for the digital collections by examining the digital objects and applying guidelines specific to the collection.
  • Project Management
    • Maintain detailed project documentation, set and track milestones, track delivery of scanned materials to and from scanning vendors and provide regular progress reports.
    • Facilitate communication between staff members at Revs and act as a liasion with Stanford team members. This includes facilitating meetings, scheduling conference calls as needed and maintaining an active email correspondence with project stakeholders.
    • Contribute to project related blogs, presentations, wikis and websites.

Required Education

  • MLS, MSLIS or comparable.

Required Qualifications

  • Experience in developing or assigning metadata to specialized collections
  • Ability to follow and apply the content rules for creating metadata records as specified for individual projects
  • Ability to work with a variety of non-MARC metadata formats
  • Demonstrated computer literacy with word processing, spreadsheets and communication software such as email
  • Excellent analytic and problem solving skills
  • Ability to work effectively in a dynamic, production-oriented environment and the ability to adapt quickly and work under pressure to meet deadlines and production goals
  • Demonstrated ability to maintain consistent accuracy and attention to detail while maintaining a very high level of productivity
  • Physical tolerance for at least six hours per day of keying
  • Ability to communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing
  • Ability to work with a variety of physical and digital formats
  • Dependable
  • Service orientated
  • Possession of a strong sense of teamwork and collaboration

Applicants should send resume and cover letter to tpurcell@revsinstitute.org.

Whitney Museum Grant-Funded Paid Project Staff Positions

[Update 2012-07-10 19:16 EST: “The two positions listed are grant-funded paid project staff positions and not internships” per Ivy Blackman, Assistant Librarian/Cataloger, Frances Mulhall Achilles Library, Whitney Museum of American Art.]

The Library at the Whitney Museum of American Art is seeking qualified MLS/MLIS students or recent library school graduates to fill two part-time temporary (grant funded) positions that will begin in September 2012.

Digital project–The candidate will produce digital scans of fragile and unique archival documents and create related metadata for each item using CONTENTdm digital collection management software.  Prior experience creating and correcting scans and a working knowledge of CONTENTdm software is essential.

Library Assistant–The candidate will attend to all activities at the reference desk that includes circulation activity, paging and shelving, user records maintenance, as well as scheduling appointments, answering phones, filing, etc.  A degree in art history and experience working in a library is desirable.

Interested candidates for either position may forward a cover letter and resume by regular mail or email to:

Carol Rusk
Benjamin and Irma Weiss Librarian
Frances Mulhall Achilles Library
Whitney Museum of American Art
945 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10021

library@whitney.org

Job Posting: ARTstor Library Relations Associate

ARTstor
Library Relations Associate
New York City

ARTstor is a not-for-profit organization that assembles and makes available a Digital Library of images and associated data for noncommercial educational and scholarly uses, and an image management platform called Shared Shelf.  The Digital Library and Shared Shelf are made available online through site licenses with educational and other not-for-profit institutions. ARTstor is headquartered in New York, NY.

The Library Relations Associate will share responsibility for expanding the ARTstor Digital Library and Shared Shelf participation within the educational community.  Additional duties will involve billing, invoicing, and other special projects. The ARTstor community of potential participants consists of not-for-profit institutions in the United States and other countries. This position will require some travel (approx. 25%), and will demand a self-motivated, flexible, organized team player who thrives in an environment of constant change.

The LR Associate will report directly to the Associate Director for Library Relations.

Duties and Responsibilities

1.       Working to meet and exceed participation and revenue goals on an annual basis;

2.       Communicating ARTstor’s mission, messages, and participation fee rationale to potential participants;

3.       Identifying and managing new participation opportunities in the academic community;

4.       Facilitating participation in ARTstor Digital Library at the institutional level by demonstrating ARTstor, its services and tools, and providing librarians and faculty members with useful information and strategies for promoting ARTstor as a campus-wide resource and platform;

5.       Shepherding potential participants through the sales pipeline, including:

  • Responding, via email and telephone, to participation inquiries via the ARTstor website
  • Tracking contact information and “pipeline” status in our customer relationship management software
  • Negotiating basic terms of License Agreements
  • Working with other units to establish institutional access to the ARTstor Digital Library
  • Giving remote demonstrations of ARTstor via GoToMeeting or other live conference software
  • Setting up trial access for interested institutions

6.       Representing ARTstor at conferences and other events deemed appropriate for this community;

7.       Working closely with the Associate Director and other Library Relations team members on research projects, including market research;

8.       Assisting with updating and maintaining the Talisma customer relationship management tool;

9.       Contributing to internal reports;

10.   Participating in all Library Relations and ARTstor staff meetings;

11.   Keeping up-to-date on various ARTstor initiatives and developments and being able to communicate these initiatives to potential participants;

12.   Additional special projects as assigned by the Associate Director and other senior staff members.

Requirements

  • Excellent communication skills in a variety of settings;
  • Attention to detail and accuracy;
  • Ability to work well as a team member;
  • Strong technology skills, including familiarity with metadata structures, trends and web development as well as project management experience;
  • Exceptional organizational skills;
  • Ability to perform independently, be self-motivated, adapt to constant change and able to juggle multiple tasks with a positive attitude;
  • Strong commitment and interest in the use of images in an educational setting;
  • Bachelor’s Degree;
  • 3-4 years of experience in academic library or web/software development fields.

Desirable

  • Familiarity with the ARTstor Digital Library;
  • Art, art history, or architectural background;
  • Business development, marketing, and/or academic library experience;
  • Working knowledge of image management software and database technology;
  • Experience with customer relationship management software (Talisma, Sales Force or other);
  • Master’s Degree.

ARTstor is an equal opportunity employer. ARTstor offers a competitive salary and excellent benefits. Applications for the position should be submitted to: careers@artstor.org

Applicants must submit a cover letter with salary requirements along with their resume.  No phone calls please.

California Digital Library Announces Release of XTF Version 3.0

Oakland, CA, April 5, 2011 – The California Digital Library (CDL) is pleased to announce the release of version 3.0 of XTF(http://xtf.cdlib.org/), an open source, highly flexible software application that supports the search, browse and display of heterogeneous digital content.  XTF provides efficient and practical methods for creating customized end-user interfaces for distinct digital content collections and is used by institutions worldwide.

Highlights from the 3.0 release include:

  • Scanned book display support in default UI
  • Stability improvements to index rotation support
  • Globalization and RSS support
  • Further Unicode improvements
  • Many bug fixes

See the full change log (http://xtf.cdlib.org/documentation/changelog/) for further details.

XTF is a combination of Java and XSLT 2.0 that indexes, queries, and displays digital objects and is based on open source software (e.g. Lucene and Saxon).  XTF can be downloaded from the XTF website (http://xtf.cdlib.org/download/) or from the XTF Project page on SourceForge (http://sourceforge.net/projects/xtf/), where the source code can also be found.

The XTF website also provides a self-guided tutorial and a sample of the default installation (http://xtf.cdlib.org:8080/xtf/search), demonstrating the capabilities of the tool out-of-the-box. Both of these resources provide a quick view of the capabilities of XTF prior to download.

Offering a suite of customizable features that support diverse intellectual access to content, XTFinterfaces can be designed to support the distinct tools and presentations that are useful and meaningful to specific audiences.  In addition, XTF offers the following core features:

  • Easy to deploy: Drops directly in to a Java application server such as Tomcat or Resin; has been tested on Solaris, Mac, Linux, and Windows operating systems.
  • Easy to configure: Can create indexes on any XML element or attribute; entire presentation layer is customizable via XSLT.
  • Robust: Optimized to perform well on large documents (e.g., a single text that exceeds 10MB of encoded text); scales to perform well on collections of millions of documents; provides full Unicode support.
  • Extensible:
    • Works well with a variety of authentication systems (e.g., IP address lists, LDAP, Shibboleth).
    • Provides an interface for external data lookups to support thesaurus-based term expansion, recommender systems, etc.
    • Can power other digital library services (e.g., XTF contains an OAI-PMH data provider that allows others to harvest metadata, and an SRU interface that exposes searches to federated search engines).
    • Can be deployed as separate, modular pieces of a third-party system (e.g., the module that displays snippets of matching text).
  • Powerful for the end user:
    • Spell checking of queries
    • Faceted displays for browsing
    • Dynamically updated browse lists
    • Session-based bookbags

These basic features can be tuned and modified.  For instance, the same bookbag feature that allows users to store links to entire books, can also store links to citable elements of an object, such as a note or other reference.

Examples of XTF-based applications both within and outside of the CDL include:

Job Posting: Visiting Digital Preservation Coordinator @ University of Illinois U-C

Title: Visiting Digital Preservation Coordinator – University Library (A1100134)
Category: Academic Professional
Opened Date: April 1, 2011
Close Date: April 28, 2011
College Name or Administrative Unit: University Library
Position Description: Visiting Digital Preservation Coordinator / Visiting Academic Professional at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Position Available: Position is open immediately.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign seeks applications for a Digital Preservation Coordinator. The incumbent will provide a range of preservation services for digital content as well as support for digital products produced through other preservation reformatting functions. The Digital Preservation Coordinator reports to the Head of Preservation and serves all of the University Libraries by coordinating digital preservation and access services. This is a full-time, regular, academic professional position

Responsibilities: This position plays a key role in preserving the University of Illinois Library’s valuable and unique collections by enhancing the University’s capacity to preserve and provide access to digital documents, programs, and data sets, as well as images and media materials preserved through the Preservation Unit, by supporting the Preservation Librarian in all digital preservation efforts. The incumbent will report to the Head of Preservation, and maintains a number of critical working relationships with units and groups that are engaged in preservation, curation, and access to digitized content; including Library units such as Digital Content Creation, Content Access Management, the University Archives, Visual Resources, the Systems Office and appropriate campus units.

The coordinator will assist the preservation librarian, brittle books coordinator, and media preservation coordinator in establishing best practices for digital media produced for preservation purposes and in establishing workflows for the dissemination and preservation of digital files. They will also contribute expertise to the development of a broader digital preservation program with specific attention toward ensuring access to legacy digital files and datasets owned or stewarded by the Library. Specific responsibilities will include:

  • Processing digital files to be included in the Library’s online catalog, digital repository, and the HathiTrust
  • Preparing estimates and developing project workflows
  • Monitoring conversion quality
  • Assisting in the preparation of grant proposals
  • Identifying vendors and completing RFPs for services
  • Collaborating with other library personnel to develop appropriate access methods and tools for digitized collections, including, but not limited to both platforms and metadata.

Environment: The University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign is one of the preeminent research collections in the nation and the world. With over 11 million volumes and a total of 23 million items, it ranks highly among academic libraries in the United States and first among public university libraries in the world. As the intellectual heart of the campus, the Library is committed to maintaining the strongest collections and services possible and engaging in research and development activities—both of which support the University’s mission of teaching, research, and public service. The Library employs approximately 100 library faculty and 300 library staff. For more information, see http://library.illinois.edu.

The Library consists of more than thirty five departmental libraries that are located throughout campus and administratively organized into eight divisions. The Preservation Unit reports to the Associate University Librarian for Collections and works in tandem with the Conservation Unit. Formed in 2001, the Library’s Preservation and Conservation Program has developed rapidly to meet the needs of a collection rich in material resources. The Digital Preservation Coordinator will provide new services for the University Libraries on behalf of the Preservation Unit. More information about the unit’s development, history, and current capacities is available at: http://www.library.illinois.edu/prescons

Qualifications:

Required: A Bachelor’s degree; Training or professional experience in digital preservation and processing; Demonstrated familiarity with common standards and practices in contemporary digital library management; Demonstrated familiarity with data integrity techniques and technologies (RAID, backup strategies, redundancy, etc); Strong written and oral communication skills; Demonstrated ability to meet production deadlines and goals.

Preferred: Graduate degree with training in preservation or data curation; Supervisory experience; Experience with XSLT, Perl or other scripting languages, and/or experience with major repository platforms; Experience assessing and evaluating library or archival materials in order to develop and coordinate preservation projects; Professional or pre-professional experience reformatting print or non-print items; Experience applying digital preservation guidelines and prioritizing needs in an institutional environment; Experience contributing to grant applications; Demonstrated ability to work with a diverse constituency of university personnel; Demonstrated knowledge of metadata and cataloging standards and practices; Experience working with commercial service providers.

Salary: Salary is commensurate with credentials and experience. These positions are Academic Professional appointment.

Terms of Appointment: 12 annual sick-leave days (cumulative), plus an additional 13 sick-leave days (non-cumulative) available, if needed, each year; health insurance requiring a small co-payment is provided to employee (with the option to purchase coverage for spouse and dependents); required participation in State Universities Retirement System (SURS) (8% of annual salary is withheld and is refundable upon termination), with several options for participation in additional retirement plans; newly-hired employees are covered by the Medicare portion of Social Security and are subject to its deduction.

Campus and Community: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a comprehensive and major public, land-grant university (Doctoral/Research University – Extensive) ranked among the best in the world, including “Top 20” programs in Chemistry, Engineering, English, Mathematics, Music, Library & Information Science, Psychology, and Veterinary Medicine. Chartered in 1867, its faculty and staff provide undergraduate and graduate education in more than 150 fields of study, conduct theoretical and applied research, and provide public service to the state and the nation. It employs 3,000 faculty members serving 31,000 undergraduate and 11,000 graduate and professional students; approximately 25% of faculty receive campus-wide recognition each year for excellence in teaching. For more information, see:http://www.uiuc.edu. The University is located in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana, which have a combined population of 100,000 and are situated approximately 140 miles south of Chicago, 120 miles west of Indianapolis, and 170 miles northeast of St. Louis. The University and its surrounding communities offer a cultural and recreational environment ideally suited to the work of a major research institution and its members. For more information, see: http://www.uiuc.edu/community/

To Apply: To ensure full consideration, please complete your candidate profile at https://jobs.illinois.edu and upload a letter of interest and resume. Online application will require names and contact information for three professional references. Applications not submitted through this website will not be considered. For questions, please call: 217-333-8169.

Deadline: In order to ensure full consideration, applications and nominations must be received by 04/28/2011. Interviews may occur before the closing date; however, no decisions will be made prior to the closing date.

Illinois is an Affirmative Action /Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who embrace and value diversity and inclusivity. (www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu).