[LIBJOBS] Digital Records Archivist, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

Digital Records Archivist
The Pennsylvania State University Libraries

The Pennsylvania State University Libraries seek applications and nominations for the position of Digital Records Archivist. The person appointed to this tenure-track, faculty position will manage the Eberly Family Special Collections Library’s existing born digital archival holdings and expand its capacity to collect electronic records with the initial effort focused on university records.

The Eberly Family Special Collections Library at University Park comprises three units: Historical Collections and Labor Archives, Rare Books and Manuscripts, and University Archives and Records Management, together including a total of 18 full-time faculty and staff. The University Archives oversees the University Records Management Program and Inactive Records Center, an extensive sports archives, photograph and audio-visual collections, as well as Fred Waring’s America. More information about all special collections in the University Libraries is available online at http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/speccolls.html.

Responsibilities:  The Digital Records Archivist will help develop and implement workflows and processes enabling the effective acquisition, description, access, management and preservation of a broad range of digital content, including university records, websites, email,  and personal digital archives. This position reports to the Head of the Eberly Family Special Collections Library and works closely with the University Archivist, other archival professionals, librarians, information technologists, and records creators throughout the University. The archivist will manage day-to-day activities in conjunction with the development and management of repository services, the web archiving program, and a wide variety of born-digital records ingest and access initiatives. The archivist will take the lead in identifying digital records of continuing institutional value and in developing strategies for long-term preservation and access.  The archivist will be expected to remain current with emerging standards and professional best practices and be able to manage complex projects, coordinate multiple activities and tasks, supervise part-time and student employees, and curate electronic records and digital collections throughout the information lifecycle. The archivist will also perform regular archival duties, including reference service and outreach activities, and assist in the dissemination of best practices, trend reports, and operational guidelines. The archivist will perform other professional functions as needed.

Requirements:  Minimum qualifications are a MLS/MLIS from an ALA-accredited program (or equivalent), or a Masters in Information Science, Archival Science, or related field. Experience working with the curation of digital content in an archival repository. Familiarity with descriptive and data structure metadata standards such as MARC, DAS, EAD, Dublin Core, METS, MODS, and PREMIS. Familiarity with tools and workflows being developed to support the ingest and management of born digital records. Demonstrated knowledge of the management, preservation, and access of electronic records, and expertise in working with electronic records. Demonstrated knowledge of data storage methods, media, security, content management, and access. The candidate must have excellent analytical, interpersonal and communication skills, be an effective team contributor, have proven ability to manage projects and competing priorities with demonstrated ability to be flexible, to adapt to change, and to work successfully in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Preferred: Experience processing archival collections and providing archival reference services; experience working with tools that verify file authenticity, search for personal identity information, and harvest websites; programming/scripting skills in languages such as Java, PERL, and XSLT.

Environment: Penn State, a land-grant institution, is a member of the CIC (Big 10) academic consortium.  In its special "Paths to Professions" section on September 13, 2010, the Wall Street Journal published results of a survey of industry recruiting executives, with Penn State named the No. 1 overall institution in the nation for producing the best prepared, most well-rounded graduates who are most able to succeed once hired.  Based on current Association for Research Libraries investment rankings, Penn State is now ranked 7^th out of 114 of the largest research libraries in North America.  A Penn State student survey completed in 2010 found overall student satisfaction with the Libraries to be at the top of its category. 

The Libraries hold membership in ARL, OCLC, and CRL. Collections exceed 5.4 million volumes, including more than 109,000 current serial subscriptions. The University Libraries are located at University Park and 22 other locations throughout Pennsylvania, and they serve approximately 6,000 faculty and 44,000 students at University Park, and more than 92,000 students system wide.

The University Park campus is set in the State College metropolitan area, a university town located in the heart of central Pennsylvania. State College offers a vibrant community with outstanding recreational facilities, a low crime rate, and excellent public schools. The campus is within a half-day drive to Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, and Pittsburgh. The University Park Airport is served by three major carriers with flights to Washington, Philadelphia, and Detroit. For more information, please visit www.libraries.psu.edu and www.cbicc.org. 

Salary and Benefits: Based upon the University and Libraries’ standards in librarianship, research, and service, and outreach, it is anticipated that the successful candidate will be appointed at the rank of assistant or associate librarian. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Fringe benefits include liberal vacation, excellent insurance and health care coverage, state or TIAA/CREF retirement options, and educational privileges.

To apply: Send a letter of application, resume, and the names and contact information of three professional references (including email addresses) to: Search Committee, Box DRA-LIBJ, The Pennsylvania State University, 511 Paterno Library, University Park, PA 16802.  Nominations may be sent to the search committee at the above address or to the chair at lap225@psu.edu. Review of candidates will begin on October 21, 2011 and continue until the position is filled.

Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.