Digital Preservation Librarian

JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

This tenure-line Digital Preservation Librarian will lead the development of the cohesive digital preservation program and the ongoing implementation of strategies and policies for the long-term  preservation of and access to digital collections at the Penn State University Libraries, for both digitized and born-digital materials.  The position collaborates with librarians and staff across the University Libraries on digital initiatives as well as with University Information Technology Services and other library, campus, and university units.  The position reports to the Head of the Preservation, Conservation and Digitization Department in the Distinctive Collections and Digital Strategies division of the Libraries.

The successful candidate will:

• Lead a cohesive digital preservation program including development of an effective and achievable strategy to ensure long-term viability of university digital assets regardless of format.
• Design, implement, and manage policies and workflows, audits, and quality control processes for the long-term protection of and access to digital materials of all types, both created and acquired by the University Libraries.
• Assist in the ongoing development of requirements and specifications for digital preservation, including formats and metadata.
• Advise both library faculty and staff and external content creators on digital content lifecycle issues and strategies for digital content preservation.
• Participate in the development of services to support curation and preservation of research data.
• Serve as liaison to the Penn State community for digital preservation projects and initiatives related to digital collections and data.
• Prepare proposals for external funding of digital preservation projects. Prepare specifications for vended services that support the digital preservation program.
• Stay current on developing technologies, standards, and practices in preservation of digital collections and data curation.
• Represent the university in matters concerning digital preservation at the local, national, and international level. Moreover, the successful candidate is expected to be an active participant in consortial efforts such as Academic Preservation Trust (APTrust), the Software Preservation Network, and the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Digital Preservation stakeholders’ group.
• Supervise digital preservation staff.
• Engage in research, scholarly publication, and professional service activities in areas related to core responsibilities.

Qualifications

Required:

• Advanced degree in a relevant subject area (e.g., ALA-accredited master’s degree in library or information science or a master’s or doctoral degree in another relevant field combined with appropriate experience in an academic setting).
• Demonstrated knowledge of digital preservation issues, strategies, standards, and best practices.
• Experience or familiarity with all of the following:
• National and international collaborative digital preservation efforts;
• Preservation metadata standards;
• Digital objects in various formats; and
• Multiple computer platforms including Linux, Windows, and/or macOS.
• Commitment to fostering an equitable and inclusive workplace.

Preferred:

• Direct experience in use of digital preservation systems in an enterprise-scale environment.
• Success in acquiring and developing grant-funded projects.
• Experience or interest in one or more of the following:
• Markup languages such as HTML and XML;
• Scripting languages such as PowerShell, Python, Bash, etc.;
• Digital preservation tools such as BitCurator, Archivematica, BagIT, JHOVE; and/or
• Project management techniques.

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