Librarian for Catalog Management, Cataloging-Metadata Department
The University of Iowa
DEADLINE: 3/1/2017
APPLY TO: https://jobs.uiowa.edu/pands/view/70528
A major research and teaching institution, the University of Iowa offers internationally recognized programs in a diverse array of academic, medical, and artistic disciplines, from otolaryngology to fiction writing, printmaking to space science, hydraulic engineering to dance. The University consists of a faculty of 2,700 and a permanent staff of 13,000 serving just over 32,000 students, more than 33% of whom are from out of state and close to 8,000 of whom are registered in graduate and professional degree programs. Approximately 9% of the University’s faculty and staff and 17% of its student body are members of minority groups, and 13% of the students are from foreign countries.
The University of Iowa is home to the Writers’ Workshop, the oldest graduate creative writing program in the country, and the blueprint for many of the creative writing programs that now thrive on campuses worldwide. It is also home to the International Writing Program where, since 1967, over a thousand writers from more than 120 countries have participated. The University has recently instituted a program in creative writing in Spanish. In 2008, UNESCO designated Iowa City as a world City of Literature.
POSITION DESCRIPTION:
The University of Iowa Libraries seeks an innovative, collaborative, and service-oriented cataloging librarian to serve in a newly created position called Librarian for Catalog Management. Under the general direction of the Head of Cataloging-Metadata, the Librarian for Catalog Management assumes the role of a “catalog wrangler” to ensure internal consistency and overall quality control of the library catalog. This position requires a deep knowledge of bibliographic data and cataloging best practices, an understanding of how the catalog impacts user experience in discovery platforms, advanced problem-solving skills, and the ability to translate the needs of non-catalogers into functional specifications.
The University of Iowa Libraries recently migrated to a third-generation library management system, creating new opportunities to merge bibliographic records across libraries within the local environment, to distribute the ability to create and update records among staff outside the department, and to adopt, contribute, and enhance records shared across the larger community. With these opportunities come new challenges to develop guiding principles, policies, and best practices in order to maintain the very high quality of bibliographic records that have been created and curated over a century of cataloging.
The Librarian for Catalog Management acts as a data custodian for the library catalog, in recognition of the catalog as a mission-critical data repository for access to and inventory control of the library’s vast holdings. Working in close cooperation with library systems staff, the individual in this position manages resources rather than personnel. The incumbent is responsible for drafting policies and standards and developing and implementing efficient workflows for maintenance of bibliographic records, holdings and item records, and portfolios for local electronic collections. Working in close cooperation with library systems staff, the individual in this position is a manager of intellectual resources rather than human resources.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- To qualify at the Librarian level: ALA-accredited Master’s degree in Library and Information Science and demonstrated interest in professional development.
- To qualify at the Specialist Librarian level: ALA-accredited Master’s degree in Library and Information Science, two or more years of professional experience, and demonstrated interest in professional development that will enhance the candidate’s value to the Libraries, the University, the profession, or the scholarly community.
- Knowledge of RDA, LC/PCC PS, LCC, LCSH, LCGFT, LCDGT, LCMPT, and MARC21 formats, and a working knowledge of authority control and AACR2.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work in a team-based setting where consultation, flexibility, collaboration and cooperation are essential.
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity in the workplace or community.
- Demonstrated understanding of the mission of a research university and the mission and functions of a large research library.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Experience in serials cataloging and/or familiarity with issues related to database maintenance.
- Experience cataloging in OCLC Connexion.
- Experience with creating, updating, and deleting records using batch processes.
- Experience with non-MARC metadata formats including Qualified DC and/or EAD.
- Familiarity with BIBFRAME and linked data, and a general understanding of transition paths from MARC to BIBFRAME.
- Familiarity with the systems and tools used in the department including one or more of the following: Alma, Primo, ArchivesSpace, MarcEdit, Cataloger’s Desktop, Classification Web, and RDA Toolkit.
- Successful completion of NACO training.
- Bibliographic knowledge of one or more languages in addition to English.
APPLY TO: https://jobs.uiowa.edu/pands/view/70528