Job Information
University of Oregon Audiovisual Preservation Postdoctoral Scholar in Eugene, Oregon
Audiovisual Preservation Postdoctoral Scholar
Apply now (https://secure.dc4.pageuppeople.com/apply/726/gateway/default.aspx?c=apply&lJobID=534133&lJobSourceTypeID=831&sLanguage=en-us) Job no: 534133
Work type: Faculty - Other
Location: Eugene, OR
Categories: Communications/Public Relations/Marketing, Information Technology, Library
Department: University Libraries
Rank: Postdoctoral Scholar
Annual Basis: 12 Month
Salary: $55,000 – $61,000 per year
Review of Applications Begins
July 15, 2024; position open until filled
Special Instructions to Applicants
Please include the following with your online application:
• A resume that outlines your educational and professional work experience. These details are used to determine if applicants meet the qualifications of this position, and
• A Cover Letter stating your interest and qualifications for the position.
We are interested in finding the best candidate for the position. We encourage you to apply, even if you don’t think you meet every one of our preferred qualifications--use your cover letter to let us know what is meaningful to you about the role and what transferable skills or other qualities you would bring.
Department Summary
The University of Oregon Libraries is an essential partner in the University of Oregon’s educational, research, and public service mission. With five locations on the Eugene campus and branches at UO Portland and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, the UO Libraries offers many flexible service- and technology-rich environments for our users’ research, learning, and publishing needs.
The UO Libraries’ mission is informing research and learning breakthroughs for Oregon. We strive to realize our vision of being a model for the enduring, positive impact that research libraries can have on their academic and civic communities. We do that with an unwavering commitment to our values. Learn more about the UO Libraries’ strategic design, our values, and our goals at library.uoregon.edu/strategy
The University of Oregon Libraries is the only Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member in Oregon. We are also members of the Orbis Cascade Alliance, SPARC, Center for Research Libraries, DuraSpace, the Council on Library and Information Resources, the Coalition for Networked Information, EDUCAUSE, and other major organizations.
About Digital Library Services:
The Digital Library Services (DLS) department is the center for production and dissemination of digitized holdings from the Libraries, university and state partners, and contributes to the acquisition and development of technologies to support the discovery and preservation of these materials. DLS is a highly collaborative environment, providing stewardship for digitized assets throughout their lifecycle, from creation, metadata application, ingest, and discovery, through long-term preservation. Working closely with other Library departments, DLS staff apply their expertise in project management, digital collection management, copyright, exhibit curation, digitization and capture, descriptive metadata, linked open data, information architecture, user interface design, accessibility, and digital preservation to aid the Libraries’ mission and positively impact the university and the state of Oregon.
The University of Oregon is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the ADA. The University encourages all qualified individuals to apply and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status, including veteran and disability status. The University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities.
Position Summary
The University of Oregon Libraries' Digital Library Services (DLS) department provides a limited-term opportunity for holders of a doctoral degree in library and information science to research multimedia digitization and metadata methods, processes, and best practices. Scholars will shape and participate in new audiovisual preservation workflows and investigate metadata standards for time-based digitized works. Scholars will have the opportunity to engage with faculty across the UO Libraries, professional organizations, and practitioners as they research and document issues surrounding at-risk media items housed in Special Collections and University Archives and across UO. This opportunity provides early-career librarians with meaningful work experience, helping prepare DLS for the systematic preservation of UO audiovisual holdings to support the teaching, research, and public service mission of the Libraries.
Reporting to the Director of Digital Library Services (DLS), the Audiovisual Preservation Postdoctoral Scholar investigates and develops procedures, standards, and best practices for the digitization and metadata application for time-based media including audio, video, and film materials in multiple analog formats. The Scholar will conduct research and create documented workflows in line with other cultural heritage institutions, including benchmarking and statistics; tracking unaccessioned or non-library materials; digitization standards, encoding, and formats for preservation and access; automated and eyes-on quality assurance; descriptive metadata standards and embedded metadata application; and preservation procedures complementing existing Libraries practice. The position gathers data on Special Collections and University Archives and other UO analog media holdings; performs research to identify potential unique or rare materials; assists library conservation staff in evaluating materials for condition and preservation risk; prioritizes materials for digitization; participates in grant writing for projects; and contributes to efforts in seeking external funding support. The Scholar will also formulate a process for planning large-scale preservation projects and working with vendors for digitization that cannot be done in-house.
The Scholar will serve on Libraries and UO committees, taskforces, and interdepartmental groups, and contribute to the advancement of the Libraries’ mission and strategic directions by taking advantage of relevant opportunities for professional development, including those related to issues of equity, inclusion, accessibility, and social justice.
The position is anticipated to last up to two years.
This position will have a formal mentorship plan.
Minimum Requirements
• Doctoral degree in library/information/archival/museum/humanities/social sciences from an accredited institution or international equivalent. The doctoral degree must be awarded on or before June 31, 2024.
• Formal training or experience in the digitization of analog materials.
• Demonstrated interest in digital preservation or metadata for cultural heritage collections.
Professional Competencies
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects and activities, meet deadlines, and maintain documentation of complex workflows.
• Excellent communications skills, and the ability to communicate effectively with people from different backgrounds and with diverse life experiences and learning styles.
• Ability to work as a positive, proactive collaborator in a team environment.
• Ability to support and enhance a diverse learning and working environment.
• Knowledge of audio, video, or film digitization and preservation standards, formats, codecs, or workflows.
• Working knowledge of media editing applications such as Adobe Premiere, Adobe Audition, Audacity, IZotope, etc..
• Experience applying descriptive, administrative, preservation, or intellectual property metadata.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience with analog audio, video, or film playback equipment and carriers such as magnetic tape (reel-to-reel, cassette), VTRs (VHS, Betacam, U-Matic, HDV, etc.), turntables, or film projectors.
• Experience with audio, video, or film digitization equipment such as analog-to-digital converters, motion picture film scanners, etc..
• Experience converting analog audio, video, or film sources to digital formats, and editing, restoring, encoding, and transcoding resultant media.
• Experience handling rare and fragile audiovisual materials of multiple types and formats.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, assess, and handle a wide range of analog formats.
• Demonstrated knowledge of media file compression and optimization techniques.
• Experience with transcription and caption generation and editing software.
• Successful experience with grant proposal writing and grant project activities.
All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background check.
The University of Oregon is proud to offer a robust benefits package to eligible employees, including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off. For more information about benefits, visithttps://hr.uoregon.edu/about-benefits.
The University of Oregon is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the ADA. The University encourages all qualified individuals to apply and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status, including veteran and disability status. The University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation in connection with the application process, please contact us atuocareers@uoregon.eduor 541-346-5112.
UO prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy (including pregnancy-related conditions), age, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including family medical history), ancestry, familial status, citizenship, service in the uniformed services (as defined in federal and state law), veteran status, expunged juvenile record, and/or the use of leave protected by state or federal law in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by UO policy. Questions may be referred to the Office of Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance. Contact information, related policies, and complaint procedures are listedhere (https://investigations.uoregon.edu/reporting) .
In compliance with federal law, the University of Oregon prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and services. The Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report is available online athttps://clery.uoregon.edu/annual-campus-security-and-fire-safety-report.
Advertised: June 24, 2024 Pacific Daylight Time
Applications close: