Subject: [NGC4LIB] Job posting: Cataloging and Metadata Technology Specialist

From: "Joyce E. Bell" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 6 May 2010 16:39:26 -0400

Cataloging and Metadata Technology Specialist
Princeton University Library
Princeton, New Jersey 
Requisition #1000321

The Princeton University Library comprises a large central library and
nine specialized libraries that are heavily used by an academic
community of 6,400 students, 1,100 faculty members, and many visiting
scholars. To support the diverse needs of its users, the Library holds
some six million printed volumes, ranging from incunabula to current
imprints, and provides access to many other records of human knowledge,
such as ancient papyri and cylinder seals, modern literary manuscripts,
and recently produced electronic databases and journals. The Library
employs more than 300 professional and support personnel, complemented
by a large student and hourly workforce.  Please consult the Library Web
site at http://library.princeton.edu/ for more information.

Available: Immediately

Description and Responsibilities: 
Princeton University Library is seeking a creative and innovative person
to facilitate and help manage the transformation of library technical
services functions through the development and application of task
oriented scripting and analogous workflow enhancements.  Technical
Services at Princeton University Library is divided into three divisions
- Cataloging and Metadata Services (CaMS), Order Division, and
Circulation Division.  The Library acquires material in a wide variety
of languages and formats.  The Cataloging and Metadata Technology
Specialist will work to create, manage and support technological
solutions and tools to enhance the productivity of technical services
operations throughout the Library, review and analyze workflows, and
identify areas where the application of custom scripting would improve
efficiency and/or ergonomics.  S/he will be responsible for evaluating
automated cataloging support tools in current use (e.g., oXygen,
Schematron, Macro Express, MARC Edit); for recommending how new
off-the-shelf applications, particularly open-source, may be employed
and adapted to achieve productivity objectives; planning new resulting
workflow configurations; and for providing training and documentation to
staff to facilitate their transition to the new mode of operation.  In
addition to designing tools, workflow analyses, documentation and
training programs to assist with general workflow functions, the
incumbent will work with a wide range of staff to identify and seek
automated solutions to advance specialized cataloging assignments and
responsibilities and to address specific ergonomic problems.  This will
require effective communication with a wide range of staff having
varying degrees of knowledge and technical skill.  An increasing amount
of work in Technical Services involves manipulating and repurposing
large amounts of data acquired from disparate sources, in different
formats, for different purposes.  This includes, but is not limited to,
purchased machine-readable cataloging; acquisitions data supplied by
vendors as machine-readable records, in spreadsheets or text documents;
and special collections legacy relational databases used for localized
inventory control and holdings discovery.  While the more routine of
these tasks have already been incorporated into our workflows, the
incumbent will work to find effective, scalable, and sustainable methods
for these and other data management needs.  In this work, as in many
other tasks, the Cataloging and Metadata Technology Specialist will be
working jointly with other members of the library staff.  S/he must work
closely and communicate clearly with the Library's Integrated Systems
Coordinators on all tasks involving large-scale manipulation of catalog
data, and with the Metadata Analyst on all tasks involving data for the
digital library.

The primary responsibilities of the Cataloging and Metadata Technology
Specialist will change to fit evolving needs in Technical Services and
will require investigating potential improvements to productivity and
operations afforded by emerging technologies, developing new workflows
to actualize such opportunities, and undertaking projects to address
extra-departmental requests for special services requiring innovative
solutions, such as the development of "bulk" cataloging approaches to
address the bibliographic organization and description of "hidden
collections" with unique content.  All of the foregoing will require the
application of advanced technical skills to further productivity and
service objectives, including, but not limited to, mining data from
websites, crosswalking data between formats, creating local validation
rules for xml files, modifying existing tools for local use, and
providing training and documentation for staff of Technical Services and
other Library departments.

Ongoing responsibilities include: creating, enhancing and maintaining
macro files; gathering and distributing production statistics reports;
running Access reports against the library catalog for technical
services operational and management use; customizing, training, and
writing documentation for special software used in cataloging (oXygen,
MARC Edit, Schematron); maintaining the CaMS documentation website; and
loading authority record files.

The Cataloging and Metadata Technology Specialist's immediate attention
will be given to streamlining approval acquisitions by designing tools
to more effectively integrate acquisitions and cataloging tasks;
reviewing current use of oXygen, the cross-platform XML editor, in
cataloging and archival work for the purpose of recommending optimal
configurations and providing training on advanced features; automating
data acquisitions from statistical data services websites to which the
Library subscribes; developing automated tools to manage the  quality
enhancement of large record files.

Qualifications: 
Required: 
*             A minimum of 2 years experience working with bibliographic
metadata, and knowledge of the MARC format;
*             Familiarity with xml including xml editors, xml schema,
and Schematron;
*             Strong technical skills including experience with Visual
Basic, XSLT, CSS and html;
*             Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of work and
experience;
*             Strong written and oral communication skills required,
including evidence of ability to compose documentation and deliver
effective training;
*             Familiarity with collaborative communication methods like
wikis, file sharing sites, etc.;
*             Familiarity with a macro-writing program such as Macro
Express;
*             Experience querying databases through Microsoft Access.

Preferred:
*             MLS/MLIS degree strongly preferred;
*             Knowledge of Unicode and non-roman script encoding
standards;
*             Knowledge of a high-level programming language like
Python/Perl/Ruby.

Compensation and Benefits: 
Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience and
accomplishments. Twenty-four (24) vacation days a year, plus eleven (11)
paid holidays. Annuity program (TIAA/CREF), group life insurance, health
coverage insurance, disability insurance, and other benefits are
available. 

Rank: This is an Administrative position; grade AIT030, 100% duty time.

Nominations and Applications: 
Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until
the position is filled. Nominations and applications (cover letter,
resume and the names, titles, addresses and phone numbers of three
references) will be accepted only from the Jobs at Princeton website:
http://www.princeton.edu/jobs. Applicants must be eligible to work in
the U.S.

Application Deadline Date:  May 23, 2010 

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
EMPLOYER.
For information about applying to Princeton, please link to 
http://www.princeton.edu/jobs