In Collaboration with the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), the Internet Archive seeks an innovative, technologically savvy Visual Data Curation Fellow to work with their diverse team of archivists, computer scientists, digitization specialists, scholars and the public to advance data curation of their visual collections.
This fellowship requires both excellent technological skills and a deep understanding of the rich constellation of information that surrounds visual objects to enhance some of the world’s largest visual collections of film, video, images from texts, web images, historic software, and music-related images.
The fellow will add his/her area expertise to every aspect of the Internet Archive’s collections work: identification, preparation and digitization of different types of data, merging disparate metadata sources and developing schema for enhanced descriptions, data mining, data transfer between institutions, outreach to external visual collections, and supporting scholars and filmmakers who utilize our collections.
The successful candidate will have a PhD in Visual Studies, Film, Photography, or Library and Information Science-or a relevant discipline. The candidate must have a strong technical aptitude and be able to do basic coding and apply skills in data identification, data preparation, data ingest, and metadata generation.
Job Duties
- Develop and implement workflows for film collections, including film identification, film preparation, data ingest, and metadata generation.
- Be able to potentially work with a wide range of data formats—including all types of film, video, software, audio, web captures—to ensure adherence to leading practices of data curation.
- Develop ongoing partnerships with libraries, special collections, scholars and researchers to enhance their understanding, discovery and use of the Internet Archive’s collections
- Promote the Internet Archive’s Visual Collections through papers, blogs, presentations, and workshops
- Work with multi-functional teams to design innovative ways to visualize and display our data
- Participate in the strategic development, design and testing of a next-generation user interface and toolset for www.archive.org,
- Conduct outreach to curators of special collections who might want to digitally preserve their visual collections within the Internet Archive
Required Knowledge and Skills
- A PhD in a relevant field of Visual Studies, Film or Library and Information Sciences
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and successfully in a team-based environment
- Ability to blend visual expertise with technical expertise to develop best practices for visual collections
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Excellent work ethic and self-starter
Desired Knowledge and Skills
- Strong facility with all forms of technology and software, especially databases
- Demonstrated ability in software development with a proficiency in Python
- Familiarity with metadata standards, including Dublin Core
- Familiarity with diverse film formats, quality control of film transfers, and a basic understanding of digitization standards
Contract: Two years. Salary: $60,000 plus benefits. Also included: $6,000 travel stipend for travel expenses to nearby universities and other conferences.
Position is from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2017.
To learn more about this fantastic opportunity with the Internet Archive, visit their website for the full posting: http://www.clir.org/fellowships/postdoc/applicants/internetarchive2015
