HASTAC has some wonderful opportunities for contributions to scholarship on electronic literature, tied to a major project, the Electronic Literature Directory (ELD).

The Electronic Literature Directory is a collection of literary works, descriptions, and keywords. Both a repository of works and a critical companion to e-literature, the ELD hosts discussions that are capable of being referenced and revised over years of use, and the ELD feed directly into Electronic Literature Organization (ELO)‘s larger CELL project.

The ELD is looking for 3 Associate Editors and for entries:

Associate Editor positions:
The title of Associate Editor for the ELD will be given to selected members of our affiliated (CELL) database who agree to identify research areas of common interest between the ELD and other databases. The drafting and assignment of entries on specific works of born digital literature that are identified as incomplete, merely descriptive, or missing in one database, might be undertaken by the Associate Editor or assigned to others whose research interests are suitable. The creation, or assignment of one entry a month for presentation in the ELD is expected of each Associate.

Guidelines for ELD entries:

• Entries must be about “electronic literature.” Electronic Literature refers to works with important literary aspects that take advantage of the capabilities and contexts provided by the stand-alone or networked computer. Within the broad category of electronic literature are several forms and threads of practice, some of which are:
• Hypertext fiction and poetry, on and off the Web
• Kinetic poetry presented in Flash and using other platforms
• Computer art installations which ask viewers to read them or otherwise have literary aspects
• Conversational characters, also known as chatterbots
• Interactive fiction
• Novels that take the form of emails, SMS messages, or blogs
• Poems and stories that are generated by computers, either interactively or based on parameters given at the beginning
• Collaborative writing projects that allow readers to contribute to the text of a work
• Literary performances online that develop new ways of writing
• Entries should not be written by the authors of the works that they describe.
• Entries should be well-developed, well-written, descriptive, and accurate.
• Entries should be written in English.

Contributing to the ELD will help:

• expand the field of electronic literature
• other scholars and curators putting together classes and exhibits
• yourself by making your scholarship available in an open-access peer-reviewed platform opportunity

Please contact Joseph Tabbi regarding these opportunities.

The department of Library Technical Services at Cornell University is seeking a Metadata Specialist.  Working under the general direction of the Head of Metadata Services and in consultation with other key staff, the Specialist will provide strategic and technical guidance on metadata practice for Cornell University Library’s (CUL) digital, physical and virtual collections within the broader context of CUL’s digital and programmatic needs. The Specialist also provides consultation and advocacy to both CUL colleagues and the community more broadly; this effort demands a strong knowledge of well-established and evolving metadata standards as well as their practical applications.

Key Opportunities this position provides:

• Contribute to strategic library initiatives focused on resource discovery and repository implementation
• Collaborate on the development of long-term solutions for improved metadata management and interoperability
• Participate in the library’s research and development efforts as well as local and national discussions relating to access, retrieval, description and management of library resources
• Play an active role in professional organizations inside and outside of the Cornell University Library community

Specific Duties Include:

Metadata Management and Coordination (70%)

• Serves on library projects addressing better discovery solutions for library users, including research and development initiatives; current R&D efforts include the Andrew W. Mellon funded Linked Data for Libraries Labs (LD4L Labs) and Linked Data for Production (LD4P) projects
• Performs data modeling and develops standards for local and community use based on principles of integration and reusability of metadata across platforms and collections
• Assesses and implements best practices and standards for interoperability
• Identifies, monitors and engages in national areas of interest in metadata development

Metadata Outreach and Consultation (20%)

• Builds and maintains strong working relationships with staff throughout Library Technical Services (LTS) and CUL, fostering collaborative efforts between LTS and other CUL units, notably CUL-IT
• Serves as a metadata consultant to larger library projects and initiatives
• Collaborates with colleagues to initiate and provide continuing education to LTS and other library staff regarding linked data, resource description and metadata management
• Participates in the strategic alliances with partner institutions on metadata initiatives

Professional Activities (10%)

• Monitors and contributes to local, national, and international forums on metadata standards and policies
• Actively participates in CUL and professional working groups, task forces, instruction programs, and committees
• Conducts research and contributes to professional publications and forums in areas related to metadata, access to information, and digital libraries

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in relevant field, such as library science or information science; applicants with advanced degrees in fields such as linguistics and digital humanities will also be considered
• Strong and diverse metadata background
• Demonstrated skills with scripting languages and/or tools for data manipulation (e.g. Python, OpenRefine, XSLT, etc.)
• High comfort level with evolving technology landscape and cataloging practices; ability to bridge knowledge between technical services staff and information technologists
• Strong service orientation and interest in library users’ values and needs
• Excellent communication and analytic skills, including the ability to work well in a team-based environment

Preferred Qualifications:

• Academic or professional background working with dataset manipulation or digital scholarship
• Three to five years of progressive experience with metadata projects
• Demonstrated aptitude for learning and applying new technologies and metadata standards
• Excellent organizational and project management skills
• Proven history of designing creative solutions to meet demonstrated user needs
• Familiarity with, and aptitude for, the application of linked data technologies and methodologies (e.g. ontology development, semantic tools and best practices)
• Demonstrated experience creating and/or working with authority and entity data (e.g. ISNI, LC authorities, Getty vocabularies, etc.)

Application Procedure: submit an online application including the following (preferred as one PDF document) :

1. cover letter
2. resume
3. names and contact information for three references at this link.

Preference will be given to applications received by March 15, 2017.  Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until position is filled.