Discovery Metadata Librarian

Cornell University Library is seeking a creative individual to focus on the creation, maintenance, and enrichment of metadata representing Cornell's digital, physical, and virtual collections of resources. In cooperation with other library staff, this newly-defined position will provide metadata management and resource discovery expertise to Cornell while monitoring external developments and changing needs in these areas.  This position will focus on metadata maintenance activities, the integration of metadata between systems, and building better relationships between resources aligning with the broader context of Cornell's digital and programmatic needs.  To be successful, close collaboration will be essential in working with library staff devoted to acquisitions, batch processing, electronic resources, repositories, information technologies, and public services.

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Manipulate metadata to provide multiple access points for library resources, regardless of location or format.
• Plan and integrate electronic resources and batch processing work as it relates to cataloging and metadata quality.
• Perform outreach and seek opportunities for collaborative efforts within Library Technical Services and beyond to enhance and broaden metadata operations.
• Oversee the creation and management of metadata for various repositories.
• Develop and provide training to library staff regarding resource description and metadata management.
• Develop an expertise in linked data, semantic web applications, and ontologies for discovery of bibliographic data and information.
• Serve as a metadata consultant to larger library projects/initiatives.
• Serve on a library team to address a better discovery and access solutions for library users.
• Serve as a leader within and beyond Library Technical Services on matters of resource description and metadata management.
• Monitor national and international trends in metadata, cataloging, and discovery.
• Maintain a working knowledge of a variety of library and bibliographic metadata formats, both traditional and emerging.
• Participate in the growing strategic alliance between Columbia University Libraries (2CUL) on cataloging and metadata initiatives.

Qualifications

 

• M.L.S. or equivalent graduate degree.
• Experience in an academic library, museum, archive, or a comparable environment.
• Experience in creating, editing, and transforming MARC and/or non-MARC metadata.
• Ability to work well in a collaborative team-based environment.
• Strong communication (oral and written), interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Ability to analyze and to solve problems creatively and flexibly in a complex and rapidly changing environment.
• Strong service orientation and interest in information users' values and needs.
• Aptitude for learning new technologies and metadata standards.
• Self-motivation, ability to multi-task, and ability to exercise independent judgment.
• Interest in professional development activities, including research and participation in professional organizations.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with linked data, semantic web applications, ontologies, and RDF.
• Experience in transformation of XML documents using XSLT
• Ability to write scripts and/or other programming skills.
• Experience with metadata issues related to the discovery of academic resources.

Background:  Cornell University is an Ivy League comprehensive research university located in Ithaca in the scenic Finger Lakes region of upstate New York.  The town and university offer a unique cosmopolitan and international atmosphere in a beautiful natural setting of waterfalls, gorges, and lakes.  The university comprises 14 schools with over 2,700 faculty members and nearly 21,600 students enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and professional schools.  The Cornell University Library is a vigorous professional organization with a strong track record in innovation and service quality.  It contains nearly 8 million printed volumes, 99,000 current serials in print or online, over 650,000 additional networked electronic resources, and rich materials in other formats.  The Library was a recipient of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Excellence in Academic Libraries Award in 2002.

Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package including 22 vacation days, 11 paid holidays, health insurance, life insurance, and university retirement contributions (TIAA-CREF and other options).  Professional travel funding available.

Application Procedure: Please include a cover letter, resume, and the names, phone numbers, and addresses for three references at this website: http://www.hr.cornell.edu/jobs/positions.html. Application deadline is January 31, 2012. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York, is an inclusive, dynamic, and innovative Ivy League university and New York's land-grant institution. Its staff, faculty, and students impart an uncommon sense of larger purpose and contribute creative ideas and best practices to further the university's mission of teaching, research, and outreach.
 

Cornell University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action educator and employer.