Digital Asset Coordinator

Wesleyan University, founded in 1831, is a diverse, energetic liberal arts community where critical thinking and practical idealism go hand in hand.

Position Details
Wesleyan University Library’s digital collections have expanded significantly in recent years, now numbering well over 50,000 in total. Each year, the Library’s digitization labs add several thousand digital objects to the collections, including born digital items, newly digitized archival collections, and those recently received as gifts, while also overseeing the technical infrastructure that makes these items discoverable and usable, and ensures their long-term preservation. Digital Initiatives, under the aegis of the Library, partners with faculty and students from across campus to support teaching, learning, and research with digital collections.

Reporting to the Head of Digital Initiatives, the Digital Asset Coordinator ( DAC ) is responsible for supporting digital production, use, and management across the library, including to the Visual Resources Center, Special Collections & Archives, the Anthropology and Archaeology Collections, and the College of East Asian Studies collection.

The DAC will assist in determining the appropriate level of digitization and preservation for requests and projects, ensure that digital files meet national standards for digitization of cultural heritage materials, and update processes as necessary to reflect those standards.
Responsibilities include:

• Manages digitization requests and ongoing projects for Digital Initiatives, including communication with constituents about the status of the work
• Updates, documents, and enacts efficient digital production workflows that support the creation of digital objects conforming to national standards
• Oversees the day-to-day operations of the Digital Lab, including hiring and supervision of student employees
• Performs digitization, post-processing, and quality control for a range of material types
• Performs ingest for a variety of platforms in use at the library, including Islandora, JSTOR Forum, and Brightcove; and deposits files in the preservation storage system
• Provides faculty support with issues related to using images produced and managed by Digital Initiatives for teaching and publication
• Facilitates the RFP process for outsourced digitization including drafting and posting proposals, as well as preparation, shipping, and receiving of materials
• Stays up-to-date on trends in the field of digital scholarship and curation, and seeks to apply continuous improvement to Digital Initiatives workflows and processes
• Performs additional duties as assigned
  
  

Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree and at least 1 years’ related experience in a digital capture studio at an academic or cultural heritage organization OR an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience. Working knowledge of best practices in digitization and experience using and supporting digital imaging equipment, including digital cameras and flatbed scanners. Experience in color calibration of monitors, building color profiles, objective and subjective quality control assessments, and performing color correction and image manipulation using standard digital-imaging software. Self-directed with a proven ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively. Demonstrated ability to learn new software, technologies, and technical standards. Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills. Demonstrated commitment to work within a diverse environment and interact collegially with individuals of different backgrounds.

Preferred Qualifications
Demonstrated ability to manage projects, plan and execute workflows, track progress, and meet deadlines and objectives. Experience digitizing 2- and 3-D objects to digital preservation standards for cultural heritage institutions. Experience handling fragile or rare material.
Note: Applicants who meet the required qualifications but not the preferred qualifications are encouraged to apply and communicate the ways in which their relevant experience makes them good candidates for the position.


Special Instructions to Applicants
Application close date is August 29, 2021
Additional Information
Any and all offers to external applicants are contingent on the candidate’s completion of a pre-employment background check screening to the satisfaction of Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University, located in Middletown, Connecticut, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, marital status, ancestry, present or past history of mental disorder, learning disability or physical disability, political belief, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or non-position-related criminal record. We welcome applications from women and historically underrepresented minority groups. Inquiries regarding Title IX, Section 504, or any other non-discrimination policies should be directed to: Alison Williams, Vice President for Equity & Inclusion/ Title IX Officer, 860-685-3927, awilliams@wesleyan.edu.