Web Collection Librarian

Working on behalf of the Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation (IPLC), https://ivpluslibraries.org/ , the Web Collection Librarian coordinates the IPLC Web Collecting Program, a collaborative collection development effort to build curated, thematic collections of freely available but at-risk web content in order to support research at participating Libraries and beyond.

The Web Collection Librarian will perform the operational work of maintaining and growing the existing 30 collaborative IPLC thematic web collections and building new web collections--including web harvesting, website owner notifications, quality assurance, description and organization, disclosure, assessment, preservation, and outreach for public use--while working closely with IPLC stakeholders to help coordinate the collaborative Program. The ideal candidate is a focused and detail-oriented information professional with outstanding communication skills and demonstrated experience with collaboration, equally suited and committed to in-depth web collection building and high-profile collaborative outreach with IPLC participants and the research library community. 

The Web Collection Librarian will be organizationally based at Columbia University Libraries, reporting to Columbia’s Web Resources Collection Coordinator and the IPLC Web Collecting Advisory Committee, and working closely with the IPLC Director of Collection Initiatives and other IPLC stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Manage processes for website owner notifications, web harvesting, quality assurance, description and organization, disclosure, public use, assessment and preservation of freely available web resources
• Collaborate with members of the IPLC Web Collecting Advisory Committee and other colleagues to draft and maintain workflows and policies for the Web Collecting Program
• Collaborate with subject specialists from across all IPLC partner institutions to develop new thematic web collections
• Collaborate with subject specialists from across all IPLC partner institutions to maintain and grow the 30 existing thematic web collections, by adding new websites and new captures of current seed websites
• Provide regular Program updates to IPLC stakeholders, including new collection announcements
• Advocate for web collections and archives and promote relevant best practices within IPLC
• Represent the IPLC and the Web Collecting Program at, and participate in local, national and international organizations and initiatives devoted to electronic archival standards development and research

*This is a three (3) year temporary position from date of hire with possibility for extension*

Minimum Degree Required:

Master’s Degree in Library Science or equivalent combination of education and experience.

 Minimum Qualifications:

• Demonstrated web archiving experience and familiarity with digital preservation issues
• Demonstrated project management skills and experience
• Demonstrated ability to clearly communicate verbally and in writing
• Demonstrated experience building and/or coordinating collaboration
• Experience with software tools used in libraries, archives or museums

 Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated work experience in research libraries or archives
• Demonstrated understanding of the MARC bibliographic and authorities formats and some non-MARC metadata schemas
• Active engagement in professional organizations, with focus on web archiving, digital materials and/or digital preservation

About the Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation

The Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation (Brown, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, and Yale) comprises some of the greatest library collections in the world.

IPLC Mission: For the benefit of current and future scholars globally, the Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation leverages our collective assets to improve discovery of and access to information, and its innovative use at scale for the creation of new knowledge and exercises collective action and leadership in helping shape the discourse around scholarly communication, and the outcomes of that discourse.

The three strategic priorities of the Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation are: 

• Collaborative resource discovery and sharing,
• Collaborative collection development and management of collections, and
• Collaborative leadership to change the scholarly communication system

About Columbia University Libraries

We encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, identities, and abilities to apply for this unique opportunity to become a part of our evolving Libraries and University community. Columbia University Libraries is a globally-recognized academic research library system, serving one of the world’s most important centers of research and learning in the most exciting and dynamic city in the world. Talented Libraries staff build, sustain, and make discoverable collections that transcend traditional boundaries of format and domain, keeping pace with a dynamic and rapidly evolving information environment and creating opportunities for users to encounter 4,000 years of human thought.

Our decisions are informed by new curricula developed to meet the needs of a more diverse student body, new and emerging areas of research being conducted by a broad spectrum of researchers, including graduate students and newly-hired faculty, as well as by perspectives from the diminished or entirely lost voices of historically oppressed, marginalized, and underserved populations and communities. As an organization, the Libraries provides a supportive, connected environment where every employee’s perspective is valued and every employee is encouraged to grow. All staff members have an impact on Columbia’s mission to advance knowledge at the highest levels and make the results of research accessible to the world.

Columbia University has a longstanding commitment to diversity rooted in values of inclusion and social justice, a commitment reflected in the curriculum and throughout University life. Columbia welcomes applications from candidates who share these values and who will foster their contribution to the University’s educational mission. We invite applicants who have demonstrated creative approaches to empowering and mentoring staff, leading projects, solving problems, and developing user-centric programs, services, or collections. We offer salary and benefits commensurate with qualifications and experience.

The Search Committee will review applications and nominations and will continue to receive