Curator, Digital Collections

The University of South Florida (USF) Libraries seeks a focused and experienced professional to serve as Curator of Digital Collections. This position administers born-digital and digitized digital collections in the USF Libraries Digital Commons @ University of South Florida repository. The Digital Commons, which include nearly 70,000 items from the USF Libraries and its partners, comprises rare and archival documents, photographs, oral histories, sheet music, digital 3-D models, maps, books, serials, and online exhibits. Current, strategic efforts to further develop and enhance the Libraries’ Digital Collections centering on the Florida Environment and Natural History Collections (FLENH). Under the direction of the Director, Special Collections, the successful candidate will be responsible for coordinating, enhancing, growing, and sustaining digital collections through effective acquisition, processing, description, preservation, promotion, and interpretation of the collection. This includes creating online exhibits, delivering lectures, and creating publications. This position plays a key role in supporting the Libraries’ digital repository, the Digital Commons @ University of South Florida, and ensuring the successful migration of digital collections out of the Libraries’ legacy platforms. An energetic and enthusiastic professional with experience acquiring, using, or promoting digital collections will coordinate and supervise personnel on the Tampa campus and collaborate with key faculty and librarians across the Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota-Manatee campuses. Detail-oriented candidates who are invested in building high-impact, curated, thematic collections are actively sought. This new position is a 12-month, non- tenure-track faculty position, located on the Tampa campus.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Plan, direct, manage, and set strategic priorities and goals for the acquisition, organization, description, display, preservation, promotion, and use of digital collections in alignment with the USF Libraries’ Strategic Directions.
• Oversee and monitor the conversion, migration and reformatting of born-digital, current, and legacy physical media
• Direct staff, volunteers, and/or interns engaged in the digitization, ingest, conversion, migration, organization, description, and preservation of digital collections.
• Design virtual exhibits including writing and editing accompanying program notes
• Work collaboratively, across units and departments, to enhance and expand access to digital collections.
• Establish processes for prioritizing, ingesting, reviewing, and making available collections that directly support the Libraries’ strategic collecting areas.
• Work with the Metadata Team to determine appropriate schema for relevant metadata and provide item and collection descriptions.
• Establish an inclusive vision for the digital collections by fostering diverse and culturally rich collections.
• Evaluate and contextualize existing and new collections to support research and curricular use of digital collections.
• Continuously assess the digital collections program and report on activities relative to the collection, including budget and impact measures.
• Provide reference, research, and library instruction services.
• Direct the maintenance and expenditure of accounts of endowments and/or collection budgets.
• Work with the Assistant Director for Communications & Marketing to prepare promotional materials publicizing collections and exhibits in both print and online formats, including social networks.
• Communicate with external institutions/organizations such as libraries, vendors/dealers, or collectors to address their requests related to the collection(s), including patron digitization requests.
• Prepare periodic reports on activities relative to the collection(s) including budget and statistical summaries of impact measures.
• Maintain an active program of professional development, scholarship, and service in areas of relevant expertise. Engage in research and peer reviewed publications as required for promotion.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. from an accredited institution in an appropriate and relevant field, or an ALA accredited degree in library and/or information science.
• Two years as a librarian, curator, or academic with responsibility for at least one of the following: acquiring research collections; the care and maintenance of research collections; facilitating access, use and promotion of research collections
• Demonstrated knowledge of standards and best practices for accessioning, ingesting, converting, migrating, organizing, describing, or disseminating digital assets.
• Demonstrated ability to oversee and coordinate projects and personnel in a collaborative team environment.
• Evidence of professional growth through publication, association activities, or other contributions to the field.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) certificate from the Society of American Archivists.
• Strong commitment to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary education, research, and outreach.
• Substantial experience working with digital asset management, digital repository, and/or digital library systems, such as BePress.
• Demonstrated record of innovation in developing, implementing, or promoting library collections and services.
• Experience designing instructional content and online displays and exhibits.
• Experience with physical and digital archives and special collections.
• Familiarity with digital preservation frameworks and tools.
• Demonstrated initiative in fostering new ideas.
• Ability to build and maintain a positive workplace culture, fostering and contributing to an environment of diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.

Applications must be submitted through the Careers@USF website, Job ID 29179, and include a cover letter and CV. Please go to www.lib.usf.edu/employment for more information. We are open to all levels of excellence.

USF is an equal opportunity, equal access academic institution that embraces diversity in the workplace.

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