NDNP Project Manager

Association of Research Libraries · India

This is a grant-funded clinical faculty position with an initial one-year contract, with the opportunity for additional annual appointments as funding allows. The Digitizing Alabama Newspapers Project will digitize Alabama newspapers between the years 1894-1963 in accordance with National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) technical digitization standards during the grant period of performance. The National Digital Newspaper Program, a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Library of Congress, is a long-term effort to develop a searchable database of digitized historic newspapers from every U.S. state and territory for open access and digital preservation.

The Digitizing Alabama Newspapers Project will digitize Alabama newspapers between the years 1894-1963 in accordance with National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) technical digitization standards during the grant period of performance. The National Digital Newspaper Program, a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Library of Congress, is a long-term effort to develop a searchable database of digitized historic newspapers from every U.S. state and territory for open access and digital preservation. Historic Alabama newspapers will be digitized from microfilm and reformatted to preservation technical standards from previously digitized files. All content produced as part of the Digitizing Alabama Newspaper Project will be included in the Chronicling America database, which currently houses over 13 million pages of historic newspapers published between 1690 and 1963: This rich digital resource is developed and maintained by the Library of Congress. The University of Alabama Libraries has participated in the National Digital Newspaper Program since 2018, contributing over 300,000 digitized pages of historically significant state newspapers to Chronicling America to date. Content contributed by the University of Alabama Libraries is served through the database to an international user base 2.2 million times per month on average, with up to 40,000-page views recorded monthly by users based within the state.
The NDNP Project Manager will manage daily operations and workflow, supervise student assistants, and coordinate the work of other staff contributing to the project. The NDNP Project Manager will additionally be responsible for coordinating digitization outsourcing, overseeing established QC procedures using specialized software, and developing regular reports on project progress. The incumbent will possess strong managerial skills, project management experience, supervisory experience, knowledge of and experience with technical and metadata standards and best practices for digitization and/or microfilm conversion projects, and excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills. The incumbent will report to the Project Director. This is a good opportunity for an early career librarian or a recent graduate to gain expert knowledge of digitization best practices and grant management in an R1 university Special Collections unit.
Responsibilities of the position evolve as the library environment continues to change.

SPECIFIC DUTIES INCLUDE

• 70% Manage day-to-day NDNP project operations and workflow, including maintaining regular contact with contracted vendors; supervise the technical inspection of microfilm per ISO specifications; supervise quality control checks on all digital assets created by vendors; supervise the shipment and tracking of microfilm and digital assets; oversee microfilm evaluation and metadata collection; maintain project records and documentation, including invoices; compile statistics; prepare progress reports; monitor the project budget; and assist with the title selection and duplication process, including reels held by contributing state institutions.
• 20% Supervise project student assistants; coordinate work of other contributing project staff.
• 10% Develop and implement outreach initiatives, including overseeing project publicity and developing public relations materials; assist with the maintenance of the project website; serve as point of contact for the project Advisory Board and interested stakeholders; promote the project through presentations (local, state and online) and targeted outreach activities as assigned; and actively participate in the NDNP user community, including the annual NDNP Awardee Meeting.

SALARY/BENEFITS

12 month grant funded faculty appointment at rank of assistant professor. This position will include a one-year contract with the opportunity for additional annual appointments contingent upon satisfactory performance and available funding allocations. Salary is $68,000.00 – $72,000.00, commensurate with qualifications, experience, and advanced degrees. Strong benefits, including professional development support and tuition fee waiver.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree in library or information science from an ALA-accredited program or a graduate degree in a related field.
• Demonstrated experience with digitization processes.
• Demonstrated project management and supervisory experience.
• Demonstrated experience applying standards-based metadata schemas (MARC, MODS, Dublin Core) and XML.
• Demonstrated understanding of microfilm to digital conversion processes and technical standards governing digital reformatting. Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize tasks and document decisions and procedures.

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum of one year’s experience as a project manager or coordinator for an NDNP or other federal grant.
• Experience in an academic or research library setting.
• Experience with digital reformatting projects, including microfilm to digital conversion.
• Knowledge of strategies and standards relating to digitization of historical newspapers.
• Experience with project management applications such as Basecamp or Trello.
• Experience with budget management and reporting.
• Demonstrated experience with file management best practices at scale.
• Demonstrated knowledge of copyright principles and experience conducting copyright research.
• Demonstrated knowledge of preservation best practices for digitized materials.
• Experience conducting outreach and instruction to K-12 educators, a university community, or the general public.
• Knowledge of Alabama history and geography.

Instructions and Required Materials for Application

The University of Alabama is an Affine Action/ Equal Opportunity employer and is strongly committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. Applicants from a broad spectrum of people, including women, members of ethnic minorities and disabled persons, are especially encouraged to apply. THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

About the Division/College/School

The University of Alabama Libraries, a system of seven separate discipline-related libraries, is proud to support the research enterprise at the University of Alabama via a comprehensive and integrated network of resources, services, and technologies designed to meet the academic and research needs of students, faculty, and staff. We take pride in serving as a hub for innovation, knowledge creation and dissemination, research assistance, and collaborative learning. As a U.S. Government Documents Regional Depository since 1860, University Libraries also serves the public and our local community.

The University of Alabama Libraries maintains memberships in the Association of Research Libraries, the Center for Research Libraries, the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA), the Coalition of Networked Information, centerNET, LYRASIS, HathiTrust, the Association of Research Libraries, the Center for Research Libraries, the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA), the Coalition of Networked Information, centerNET, LYRASIS, HathiTrust, the Association of Research Libraries, the Center for Research Libraries, the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA), the Coalition of Networked Information, centerNET, LYRASIS, HathiTrust.

University Libraries provides strong mentorship for faculty and staff, with ongoing collaborative opportunities, and administrative support for innovative services and ideas. We promote and administer a robust professional development environment that supports faculty research and conference travel, and we are invested in academic freedom with teaching and research. We are heavily invested in performing the same high value research that our stakeholders produce, and that assists in our data-driven strategic planning for the future. Our staff routinely update and maintain cutting edge programs of service in support of our stakeholders. Our faculty librarians have developed a record-breaking instruction program, including a series of research data services and workshops, that consistently perform at the top of the SEC.

UA is located in Tuscaloosa, a metropolitan area of over 250,000, with a vibrant economy, a moderate climate, and reputation across the South as an innovative, progressive community with an excellent quality of life. If working with a talented group of professionals who value service, innovation, and high achievement, earning a nationally competitive starting salary, in a thriving college town, with a low cost of living, close to Birmingham, Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans, and the Gulf Coast sounds interesting to you, start your application process with us to learn more!
Prior to employment the successful candidate must pass a pre-employment background investigation.

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