Digital Library Center Blog | UF

News Release

It’s the best place to learn about the history, structure and activities of the organization.

The ACH is an independent, non-profit, professional organization whose principal activity is an annual conference, alternately hosted by an English-, Spanish-, French-, or Dutch-speaking Caribbean country. To encourage intellectual exchange, all delegates attend each conference session and all papers and discussions are simultaneously translated in English, Spanish and French. We encourage you to visit the website to learn more about our mission and initiatives.

*CALL FOR PAPERS:***

The ACH has also just issued its call for papers for the 2011 conference to be held in Puerto Rico next May. Information about how to propose either an individual paper or panel–along with the forms for each–are already posted online (just look under “Annual Meeting”). We had a record number of new presenters at the 2010 Barbados conference, a trend we hope will continue.

Digital Humanities 2011 conference: June 19-22, 2011, with excursions on June 23rd, to be hosted by Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, USA.

The ADHO Programme Committee will be issuing the Call for Papers, Short Papers, Posters, and Panels in late August 2010 with an anticipated deadline in November 2010.

This year’s program committee members are:
ACH: Bethany Nowviskie, Dot Porter, and Katherine Walter
ALLC: Arianna Ciula, John Nerbonne, and Jan Rybicki
SDI-SEMI: Dominic Foret, Cara Leitch, and Daniel O’Donnell

Local organizers are Glen Worthey and Matt Jockers.

APPLICATIONS TECHNICIAN:
Library Systems Department

Position: Applications Technician
Position Number: 59718
Salary Range: $34,435 – $76,831
Closing Date: July 26, 2010

Essential Skills, Knowledge and Abilities
The University Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is seeking an applications technician to join the application development team in the systems department.

This new twelve-month, full-time, time-limited position works on two grant-funded projects. The technician will be responsible for applications that will store data about cultural objects in North Carolina. Staff interfaces will support the addition, deletion, and editing of information about objects and the ingest of those objects. Additional administrative interfaces may be required to support the management of information by students who will contribute to the system as part of their coursework. Public interfaces will support browsing and searching, and will specifically include the ability to interact with the objects in a geo-spatial way. Programming will be developed using the Django framework for Python and Javascript.

The successful candidate should have good communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders and other members of the department to solve problems. Using strong analytic skills and grounded in usability and accessibility, the technician will create, version, document, maintain, and potentially enhance applications for the delivery of domain-specific digital collections. A necessary component of these systems is the ability for geographic discovery of objects.

The Technician should have an understanding of and experience with Javascript and a strong background of developing in Django or other interpreted web development frameworks.

This position is being recruited for at the Contributing Competency Level under the Career Banding program. The hiring range for this position is $34,435 – $39,800.

Work Schedule
Monday – Friday, 8:00a.m. – 5:00p.m.

Qualifications

Required:
The technician band requires basic foundation of knowledge and skills in area of specialization generally obtained from graduating from a technical school or community college with a degree in computer programming or graduation from a four-year college or university with nine semester hours in programming. Experience in the field of work related to the position’s role may be substituted on a year-for-year basis. Special note: This position may exclusively require a bachelor’s degree in a discipline related to the specific functions of the job.
Preferred:
Experience with traditional markup and related competencies such as XHTML, CSS, and an understanding of accessibility. Experience with interpreted scripting languages (e.g. Perl, PHP, Python), and frameworks (e.g. CakePHP, Django), relational database development and systems (e.g. MySQL, PostgreSQL, PostGIS), and JavaScript. Experience with geospatial information systems.oblem solving skills; Must be detail oriented and possess excellent organizational and project management skills.

To Apply
To apply for SPA positions, use the Office of Human Resources ApplicantWeb online application system http://www.unc.edu/appweb/step1.html. The ApplicantWeb will guide you through the process of completing your application online. Applicants will be able to create and save applications, resumes and cover letters. Positions are posted on the Library’s web page until filled. For more information on application procedures, applicants may contact:

Office of Human Resources
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
104 Airport Drive, CB #1045
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
(919) 962-2991

In working on metadata concerns, we recently had cause to pull a full list of all creators in the UF Digital Collections. This is infrastructure-style work (meaning not-glorious and not-exciting to most folks, but critically important). While behind-the-scenes metadata work is only exciting to some of us, the products of that work are exciting for everyone. Long-term deliverables take more time, but in the short term we can see visualizations and other fun things like wordles.

For instance, of the thousands and thousands (and thousands) of authors/creators, Florida and University are clearly dominant, as illustrated in the wordles below.

Original story here.

UWI, Mona Organizes Library Mission in Haiti

Posted: July 19, 2010

As part of its efforts to assist in the recovery and preservation of Haitian historical records, the UWI, Mona organized a library mission visit from the UWI to Haiti between July 12-16, 2010. The January earthquake significantly damaged the main library and archive buildings in Haiti which housed the documents of the country’s rich history as a result there is a need for support in preservation and training.

The UWI, Mona-Haiti Library Mission was designed to provide training and assistance in preservation/conservation to library and archival staff in Haiti. The mission was led by Mr. John Aarons, University Archivist for UWI, and former Jamaica government archivist. Other members of the contingent included: Mr. Dunstan Newman (Preservation/Conservation Librarian) and Mr. David Brown (Binder).

While in Haiti the team organized and delivered two workshops for the staff of the National Library and National Archives in basic binding and conservation techniques. They also undertook to assist in the repair and restoration work and monitored the work being done by the persons trained. The workshops were preceded by a brief survey of the situation at the National Library and Archives to determine the priority areas for training and the equipment and materials available.

The UWI-Mona has also accepted a librarian from the Haitian National Library to conduct a short internship at the University library.

The mission was proposed shortly after the January 12 earthquake by Dr. Matthew Smith, Director, UWI-Mona Haiti Initiative, in close consultation with Mme. Françoise Thybulle, Director of the National Library of Haiti, and Ms. Brooke Wooldridge, of the Digital Library of the Caribbean (FIU).

Title: Head of Digital Programs
Department: Frost Library
Type: Full Time
Application due: [Applications accepted until position filled]
Pay description: Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications

Amherst College seeks a creative and motivated individual to lead the library’s efforts to produce, gather, organize, and disseminate digital content useful to the curriculum, in need of preservation, or unique to the College and of use to the larger scholarly community. We seek candidates with a history of project planning and management, a commitment to collegial decision-making, a talent for empowering colleagues, and a penchant for pushing the envelope.

To view the complete job description, please click https://www.amherst.edu/library/about/jobs.

A review of applications begins immediately and continues until the position is filled.

Minimum qualifications: Master’s degree from a program accredited by the American Library Association or foreign equivalent required; 3-5 years academic library experience in digitization and digital assets management, including experience with systems such as DigiTool, CONTENTdm, Fedora, DSpace, or others. Applicants should have experience providing customer service and technical support for DAMS and other digital resources, good working knowledge of library systems and procedures (particularly metadata and cataloging standards), exemplary interpersonal and communication skills, and an understanding of database systems and/or UNIX/Linux file structures and systems management. Experience with archives, special collections, and institutional records is preferred.

DIRECTOR, ONLINE LIBRARY ENVIRONMENT
University of Virginia Library

The University of Virginia Library seeks a strong technical leader for the position of Director of our “online library environment,” a comprehensive suite of tools and services to provide access to the Library’s physical and digital collections.  We seek candidates who can successfully architect and implement solutions providing faculty and students a cohesive, innovative environment for accessing information used in research, teaching, and learning.

Environment:  The University of Virginia Library (http://www.lib.virginia.edu) is a leader in innovative customer service, an international leader in digital library research and digital scholarship, and is recognized for the strength and variety of its collections.  The Library system consists of twelve libraries, with independent libraries for health sciences, law, and business. The libraries support 12,000 undergraduates, 6,000 graduate students and 1,600 teaching faculty. The University and the Library have a strong commitment to achieving diversity among faculty and staff. The Neoclassical buildings of founder Thomas Jefferson’s Academical Village still serve as the center of the University’s Grounds (http://www.virginia.edu/uvatours/slideshow/) and as a unique backdrop for teaching, learning, and research.

Responsibilities:  The Director of the online library environment is responsible for leading the development and implementation of emerging information technologies as well as managing daily operations for the Library’s access and delivery applications. The Director will head a newly formed department of software developers and librarians in carrying out this activity. She or he will have oversight of all aspects of the Library’s Integrated System (ILS – Sirsi/Dynix Unicorn) and will lead development of an information architecture that provides cohesive access and delivery. She or he will assess, architect, and implement new ways to provide content and workflow services traditionally provided by an ILS and develop gateways to other information resources such as the Library’s electronic resources and institutional repositories.

The Director will:

• provide leadership and vision that ensures easy, reliable online access to a wide array of collections, information, and services in support of research, teaching and learning;
• provide technical leadership in the design and implementation of all aspects of the software and infrastructure for ongoing development projects.  Provide technical guidance to developers and systems administrators on project requirements as needed.
• manage the daily operations environment for the Library’s access and delivery applications;  design and implement technical enhancements to the Library’s ILS infrastructure to meet current and future needs.
• supervise the daily work of both faculty and classified staff positions;
• collaborate with and provide technical guidance to partners within the Library and among entities that require access to Library content;
• and engage professionally in activities related to librarianship and digital scholarship.

Qualifications:   Master’s degree in Library Science or master’s degree or PhD in Computer Science, Information Sciences or related area. Successful candidates should have demonstrated significant and progressively responsible experience managing positions with a range of technology-specific and administrative responsibilities.  Experience in libraries or information organizations is preferred.  Preferred candidates will also have:

• demonstrated understanding of digital library concepts and standards (e.g., metadata standards, media-specific standards);
• experience in systems design and systems architecture;
• demonstrated experience in the implementation of Open Source software and tools; these tools include, but are not limited to:
• Enterprise Java development
• Ruby scripting language or equivalent
• Ruby on Rails
• Solr
• Tomcat
• Unix, Linux, AIX preferred
• an understanding of and commitment to library technologies;
• the ability to communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing;
• demonstrated ability to manage and lead information technology staff and projects as well as departmental priorities;
• demonstrated knowledge of emerging technologies and related research;  these include but are not limited to:
• Blacklight
• Fedora/DuraSpace
• Evergreen
• Koha
• other Open Source and proprietary systems related to online library environments
• strong interpersonal skills;
• and a customer-service orientation.

Salary and Benefits:  Competitive depending on qualifications. This position has general faculty status with excellent benefits, including 22 days of vacation and TIAA/CREF and other retirement plans. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.  Applicants must apply through the University of Virginia online employment website at https://jobs.virginia.edu/ Search by position number FP674, complete application, and attach cover letter and resume, with contact information for three current, professional references.  For assistance with this process contact Library Human Resources at (434) 924-3081.

The University of Virginia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer strongly committed to achieving excellence through cultural diversity. The University actively encourages applications and nominations from members of underrepresented groups.

From NCSU Libraries:

North Carolina State University Libraries
DIGITAL REPOSITORY LIBRARIAN
Vacancy Announcement

Between the mountains of the Blue Ridge and the shores of the Outer Banks lies North Carolina’s Research Triangle of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. One of the nation’s premier concentrations of academic, corporate, and public research, the area combines moderate year-round temperatures, rolling hills, championship college athletics, and a rich diversity of cultural events. The Triangle consistently ranks high on lists of desirable American communities, including a recent rating by Forbes as the number-one place for business and careers and as one of Money Magazine’s Best Big Cities. The North Carolina State University Libraries has been recognized as the first recipient of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Excellence in Academic Libraries Award for its teamwork, innovation, and continuous interaction with students and faculty to further the educational mission of NC State University. A major new science and engineering research library, the James B. Hunt Jr. Library, is under construction and expected to open in 2012/13. It will be the social and intellectual nexus for NC State’s Centennial Campus, a research and advanced technology community that includes the colleges of Engineering and Textiles, a variety of science and technology research centers, and more than 130 companies and government agencies.

The NCSU Libraries invites applications and nominations for the position of Digital Repository Librarian. The NCSU Libraries is engaged in a number of digital repository initiatives focused on sustaining continued access to research outputs, including scholarly publications, electronic theses and dissertations, technical reports, digitized collections, and research data. The Libraries is a partner, with Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, and the Renaissance Computing Institute, in a two-year funded collaborative data repository project. The incumbent will join the Digital Library Initiatives Department (10 librarians and 4 technical and support staff), working in a highly collaborative environment with library colleagues and external partners on digital repository development, digital curation, digital collections access and discovery, and digital services development. A close relationship with the Libraries’ Information Technology Department ensures availability of a robust server, storage, application hosting, and networking infrastructure.

Responsibilities
The Digital Repository Librarian explores, adapts, and implements emerging digital repository technologies and provides leadership for projects that advance continuing access to digital content of enduring value produced or maintained at North Carolina State University. Drawing upon a thorough understanding of current trends and new technologies for digital repositories, the incumbent leads the development of new digital repository services and associated technical infrastructure. Working with key stakeholder groups within the library and across the university, she or he contributes to the planning and development of the library’s digital repository strategy. She or he will work closely with staff in the Digital Scholarship & Publishing Center, the Special Collections Research Center, Collection Management, and Metadata & Cataloging to assess needs and to develop and implement appropriate tools and workflows. The Digital Repository Librarian will play a leading role in developing the university’s digital repository strategy and ensuring that digital repository services provided by the library align with the needs of the NCSU community. She or he participates in library planning, represents the Libraries on university and committees, task forces, and teams, as well as regional and national meetings, consortia, and associations. NCSU Librarians are expected to be active professionally and to contribute to developments in the field. The Digital Repository Librarian supervises a team of two technical staff and reports to the Head, Digital Library Initiatives.

Qualifications
Required:  ALA-accredited MLS or equivalent advanced degree in library or information science plus relevant professional experience. The successful candidate must have experience with current and emerging digital repository technologies and should have demonstrated, successful project management experience. Candidates should have a general knowledge of metadata standards as well as practical experience with XML/XSLT. Experience programming in a scripting language such as Python, Perl, or PHP is necessary, as is a familiarity with the Unix/Linux environment. Outstanding written and oral communications and interpersonal skills are essential, as is the ability to work both independently and in a team environment. Candidates should demonstrate a record of professional development and contribution. Preferred:  Supervisory experience.

The University and the Libraries
Recognized as one of the nation’s leading universities in science and technology, with strong programs in the humanities and social sciences, NC State offers degrees through the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Design, Education, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, Management, Natural Resources, Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Textiles, and Veterinary Medicine. As the largest academic institution in the state, NC State enrolls more than 33,000 students and offers doctoral degrees in 61 fields of study. The university is ranked 4th in industry research funding and 9th in total research expenditures among universities without medical schools. With more than 660 active patents, NC state is ranked 9th among U.S. universities in patent production, quality, and strength. NC State is a national leader in networking technologies and a charter member of the North Carolina Networking Initiative (NCNI), an Internet2 initiative with the most advanced operational networking system infrastructure in the nation.

The library system (http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/) consists of a central library and branch libraries for design, natural resources, textiles, and veterinary medicine. With a staff of 260+ FTE, the Libraries has more than 4 million volumes in its collection, acquires more than 62,000 print and electronic serials, and has a total annual budget of over $25 million, with approximately $9.5 million allocated to collections. The Libraries is the lead server site for NC LIVE (North Carolina Libraries for Virtual Education), a multi-type library initiative, making digital resources accessible to North Carolina residents.

The NCSU Libraries is a member of the Association of Research Libraries, the Digital Library Federation, the Coalition for Networked Information, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, the Council for Library and Information Resources, and the Center for Research Libraries. Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina Central University, and North Carolina State University form the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN), with combined resources exceeding 14 million volumes and collections budgets totaling more than $30 million.

Salary and Benefits
The Libraries offers a highly competitive salary in recognition of applicable education and experience for this position. Librarians have non-tenure track faculty status (without levels of rank). Benefits include:  24 days vacation, 12 days sick leave; State of NC preferred provider medical insurance, and state, TIAA/CREF, or other retirement options. Additional and optional dental, life, disability, deferred compensation, and legal plans are offered. Tuition waiver program for all campuses of The University of North Carolina is available. More benefits information is available at http://www7.acs.ncsu.edu/hr/benefits/

Application process and schedule
Applications will be reviewed upon receipt; applications will be accepted until finalist candidates are selected. Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to receive full consideration. The nomination committee may invite candidates for confidential, pre-interview screenings. This position is available immediately; start date is negotiable.

Applicants must apply through the NC State University online employment website at https://jobs.ncsu.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=86412 .  Complete application, and attach cover letter and résumé, with contact information for four current, professional references.  For assistance with this process contact NCSU Libraries Personnel Services Office (919) 515-3522.

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

NC State welcomes all persons without regard to sexual orientation

Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations in the application and interview process please call (919) 515-3148.

Peter Suber has written an excellent summary of the current situation the University of California System is facing with the Nature Publishing Group (NPG). If a reasonable proposal doesn’t come about, UC will be forced to boycott. While there hasn’t been recent news, the eventual resolution – whatever it may be – will be repercussions for academic libraries.