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Director of Information Systems

Employer
College of St. Benedict/St. John's University
Location
Minnesota, United States
Salary
Salary Commensurate with experience
Date posted
Apr 14, 2022

 

The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML) at Saint John's University invites applications for the full time, benefit eligible position of Director of Information Systems. The Director of Information Systems manages HMML’s digital ecosystems and leads HMML’s technology planning and implementation. This position reports to the Executive Director of HMML.  
 
Founded by the Benedictine monks of Saint John's Abbey in 1965, HMML has become the global leader in preserving manuscripts through microfilm and digital technology, especially in locations where manuscripts are endangered by war and other threats. HMML partners with Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist communities around the world to preserve and share their manuscript heritage. HMML safely archives the manuscript images, catalogs their contents, and shares them freely with a worldwide audience through its vHMML online platform.
 
HMML has been featured in broadcast media on CBS News 60 Minutes, National Public Radio, the BBC World Service, and in print media in The Economist, the Wall Street JournalThe AtlanticSmithsonian Magazine, and numerous other publications. HMML inspires students, scholars and the general public through lectures, summer programs, research fellowships, and exhibitions of rare books and art both at HMML and in the nearby Saint John's Bible Gallery. HMML's goal is to provide experiences of manuscripts as bearers of cultural identity that will foster greater understanding of the past and of the complex reality of the modern world.
 
Since the introduction of its first online manuscript catalog in 1999, HMML has become a leader in the use of digital technology for the preservation and study of manuscripts. HMML’s many field projects in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia work with manuscript collections that are endangered or inaccessible. Since 2016, HMML’s online Reading Room, part of the vHMML online environment for manuscript studies, has provided access to digital images and authority-controlled metadata. The new HMML Authority File shares thousands of names representing historically understudied manuscript traditions.  
 
The Director of Information Systems manages vHMML.org, the HMML Authority File (HAF), HMML.org, and other associated systems. This responsibility includes system maintenance, upgrades, and further development. The Director of Information Systems plays a key role in ensuring that HMML remains a global leader in access to digitized manuscripts.
 
The Director works closely with HMML staff, including curators and catalogers, as well as with external programmers, developers, and academic partners. The Director ensures the integration of HMML's systems and data with those of other libraries, institutions, and digital humanities projects.?The Director also manages the relationship with IT Services at the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University.  
 
A hybrid schedule of both remote and on-site work is possible, with some presence required weekly at HMML.  HMML is located on the campus of Saint John's University (SJU), a liberal arts college for men and a graduate School of Theology for both men and women, located in the central lakes area of Minnesota. The campus is minutes away from St. Cloud, an increasingly diverse regional center with a population of over 100,000, and 70 miles from Minneapolis and St. Paul.
 
SJU is a Catholic university in the Benedictine tradition enlivened by values of community, hospitality, stewardship, and justice. The university is dedicated to cultivating an equitable, inclusive community founded on respect for all persons. Students, staff and faculty from many diverse belief systems and backgrounds collectively bring a rich dimension to the academic, cultural, and religious experience at SJU. Saint John's is also home to the Collegeville Institute, a residential research center promoting ecumenical and interreligious dialogue.

Responsibilities

 

  1. Provides leadership and management for the online scholarly programs of HMML: vHMML and the HMML Authority File. 
  2. Provides leadership and management for HMML’s website (hmml.org) and various ancillary websites.  
  3. Designs, creates, and maintains web applications and databases associated with other HMML systems.
  4. Provides leadership to develop and execute the long-term technology strategy for HMML. 
  5. Coordinates HMML information system infrastructure and best practices with CSB/SJU Information Technology Services staff.
  6. Manages project development with programmers and team members who may be in geographically diverse areas.
  7. Serves as primary contact with system vendors.
  8. Collects, organizes, and interprets statistics for reports.
  9. Assists with planning and grant proposals as required.

 

Qualifications

 

  1. MLIS and/or an MA/MS in Computer Science with a strong background in the humanities. 
  2. Knowledge and demonstrated experience with JAVA. 
  3. Knowledge and demonstrated experience with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Github. 
  4. Knowledge and demonstrated experience with SQL. 
  5. Knowledge of PHP, Linux and Unix system operations, AWS services and service billing. 
  6. Knowledge of digital image platforms and IIIF metadata standards. 
  7. Understanding of SEO harvesting. 
  8. Familiarity with current digital issues for libraries, museums, and cultural institutions. 
  9. Ability to work both independently and in collaboration with other projects nationally and internationally. 
  10. A willingness to provide technical support for scholars using vHMML and the ability to maintain data confidentiality.
  11. Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English.

 

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