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Digital Preservation Librarian

Posting Details

Position Information

School/College UAB Libraries
Title Digital Preservation Librarian
Assignment Category Full-Time
Rank Assistant/Associate Professor
Tenure Status Non-Tenure Track
Payroll Status Faculty 12
Job Description
UAB Libraries seeks a creative, collaboratively minded, and enthusiastic librarian to join our team as Digital Preservation Librarian. As a core member of the Digitization and Digital Preservation team (DnD), the Digital Preservation Librarian is responsible for ensuring the long-term preservation storage, maintenance, and access of UAB Libraries’ digital collections, including digitized and born-digital content. 

 
  • Serves as the primary expert on digital preservation systems, tools, and processes, including our local preservation platform (currently Rosetta).
  • Prepares born-digital materials for preservation ingest, stabilization and storage.
  • Ensures best practices are followed for transfer, ingest, storage, and migration of digital assets.
  • Creates workflows and implements processes for ingest into the digital preservation repository (Rosetta), upload to geographically distributed preservation, and any preservation-focused cloud storage.
  • Consults and guides faculty, staff, and students on digital preservation standards, practices, and processes.
  • Provides guidance, documentation, training, and a variety of routine support related to ingest, description, and storage of digital assets.
  • Liaises with stakeholders within UAB Libraries and across campus to develop sustainable, long-term strategies for digital preservation.
  • Actively participates in projects and teams related to the preservation of digital content, which may include accessibility studies and initiatives to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in UAB digital collections.
  • Works with other members of the Digitization and Digital Preservation team to develop, enact, and evaluate digital preservation plans that support digital libraries and digital archiving of content from UAB and other institutional partners.
  • Explores and implements innovative tools and methods for the preservation of UAB Libraries’ digital collections.


  • Collaborates with local, national, and international groups on digital preservation standards for library and archival collections.

  • Maintains knowledge of developments in digital libraries, digital preservation, and digital scholarship, including advancements in both infrastructural tools and technologies and international digital curation standards.
Required Qualifications
  • ALA-accredited master’s degree in library and information science, or equivalent combination of education and experience
  • Knowledge of digital preservation issues, strategies, standards, practices, including various assessment tools such as ISO16363/ TDR and NDSA Levels of Preservation
  • Knowledge of current issues, strategies, standards, and best practices for digital preservation
  • Thorough understanding of the OAIS reference model and its application to digital curation tools and technologies
  • Knowledge of metadata standards such as Dublin Core, METS, and PREMIS 
  • Knowledge of digital formats (image, audio, video, object, text, and web formats) and their associated best practices for preservation
  • Demonstrated experience with project management skills, including planning, organization, and time management
  • Experience leading and participating in teams focused on the long-tern preservation of digital assets
  • Project management skills, the ability to adjust priorities and manage time wisely, in response to the needs of digital preservation stakeholders and the objectives of the Digitization and Digital Preservation team
  • Experience or service that shows a commitment to promoting inclusion and diversity in the workplace and community
  • Ability to establish positive and productive collaborations with diverse teams across departments and disciplines
  • Excellent interpersonal, analytical, organizational, oral, and written communication skills
Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with Rosetta, Archivematica, or similar preservation software
  • Experience with digital repository software (DSpace, ContentDM, Fedora Repository, etc.)
  • Ability to script in Bash, Python, Java, or other language(s) relevant to digital curation tools and technologies
  • Experience with a wide range of automations and tools for managing digital assets
  • Demonstrated experience in outreach, relationship building, and/or collaboration with diverse populations and groups
  • Fluency with data and metadata curation, including experience with XML, databases, and data analytics
  • Experience in teaching, educating, and training faculty and staff in digital preservation tools, techniques, and processes 
Posting Detail Information

Posting Number F1766P
Open Date 01/21/2022
Close Date
Open Until Filled Yes
Special Instructions to Applicants
EEO Statement
UAB is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and family-friendly environment in which all faculty and staff can excel and achieve work/life balance irrespective of, race, national origin, age, genetic or family medical history, gender, faith, gender identity and expression as well as sexual orientation. UAB also encourages applications from individuals with disabilities and veterans.
COVID-19 Vaccination Statement
Pre-employment Background Check
A pre-employment background check investigation is performed on candidates selected for employment.
Drug/Nicotine Screen (if applicable)
About University of Alabama at Birmingham
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Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

  1. How did you hear about this faculty employment opportunity?
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    • Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC)
    • Inside Higher Ed
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    • UAB Faculty Jobs Portal
    • Personal Referral
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    • Indeed.com
    • AAMC
    • New Scientist
    • ScienceCareers.org
    • Association for Information Systems
    • New England Journal of Medicine
    • Science Magazine www.postandgo.org
    • SFN Careers
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    • Conference
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    • Academic Keys
    • Other-- Please list the source in the next question.
  2. If you answered "Other" above, please explain:

    (Open Ended Question)

Documents Needed To Apply

Required Documents
  1. Cover Letter
  2. Curriculum Vitae
Optional Documents
  1. Sample Syllabus
  2. Portfolio
  3. Research Statement
  4. Graduate Transcripts (Unofficial Only)
  5. Diversity and Inclusion Statement