Urgently Require Manager, Metadata & Discovery Services in Charlottesville, VA
Posted 2025-04-06Job title: Manager, Metadata & Discovery Services
Company: University of Virginia
Job description: The University of Virginia Library seeks an expert in library description and discovery with leadership experience and a vision for the future of the discipline for the role of Manager, Metadata and Discovery Services (MDS) Team. Reporting to the Director, Digital Strategies and Scholarly Communication within the Scholarly Resources and Content Strategies (SRCS) division, the MDS Manager leads a production-oriented team, oversees operations and workflows for MARC and non-MARC description and discovery for analog and digital resources, and participates in regional and national consortia and initiatives. Directly supervises a staff of 7.5 FTE. This is a mid-career professional librarian job opportunity.
University of Virginia Library staff recognize that many of our materials result from, are created by, or represent marginalized groups of people. We are committed to describing all people accurately and respectfully. We also acknowledge that many of the subject headings used to describe marginalized communities are biased and harmful. We support efforts underway throughout the profession to change these terms, and we are implementing local workflows to replace harmful and racist terms with acceptable headings in our own catalog. In support of our library?s reparative efforts, we seek an individual who is prepared to collaborate and lead to redress bias and structural racism in our metadata.
About UVA Library: The University of Virginia was conceived with a library at its heart, placed in the Rotunda at the head of the Academical Village. Today, the UVA Library?s original purpose remains unchanged: to provide access to accumulated knowledge and, in so doing, increase it ? in short, to advance learning.
The Library is here to ensure that the University community has the information it needs for teaching, research, and personal enjoyment and enrichment. Regularly ranked in the top quartile of ARL libraries, UVA Library has six locations, more than 220 staffers, and more than 100 student employees. Staff members support a collection that includes more than 20 million manuscripts and archive materials, 4.8 million books, 4.5 million e-books, and hundreds of thousands of journal subscriptions. Additionally, as a major research institution, the Library regularly collaborates with professional organizations such as the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA), Virginia Library Association, Association of College and Research Libraries, and others.
The University of Virginia Library is committed to a culture of mutual respect, civility, inclusiveness, cooperation, mindfulness, accountability, and acceptance of individual differences. Departments and individuals are expected to work together, both in professional collaborations and in creating a culture where all can thrive. Library staff enjoy generous benefits for use of Library materials and professional development, in addition to UVA?s standard benefits package.
UVA is located in beautiful Charlottesville with easy access to the Blue Ridge Mountains; Richmond; Washington, D.C.; and the Eastern Shore. Charlottesville is a vibrant town with culture, music, numerous restaurants, excellent schools, and countless outdoor activities.
What you will do:
Manage and prioritizes timely creation and enhancement of standards-based description for analog and digital resources using replicable and sustainable workflows.
Understand and integrate Library Mission, Values, and Strategic Directions into a vision for library discovery.
Establish goals and evaluates the work of assigned staff members in accordance with established timelines and requirements, ensuring accountabilities are clear, well communicated, and relate to the goals and objectives of the department or unit.
Provide vision and shared leadership for the Library?s Subject Access Enhancement Initiative with a mission to improve subject access to University of Virginia Library resources with a focus on under-represented and marginalized communities.
Develop and document community-of-practice-aligned metadata standards to ensure that discovery platforms used by the Library meet minimum metadata standards, will be interoperable with internal and external systems, and provide for the integrity of description created by the Library.
Primary contact for colleagues, vendors, and scholars in support of description workflows as well as research and scholarly initiatives throughout the Library and University.
Required Qualifications
Master?s degree in Library Sciences from an ALA accredited program
5 years of professional experience in cataloging, metadata, or descriptive operations in a library or cultural heritage organization
3 years? professional experience building/leading teams and workflows
Experience with MARC and non-MARC standards and description and application of technology/tools in this work
Demonstrated success working cooperatively and independently as part of a team.
Demonstrated success managing projects while meeting deadlines and managing multiple priorities.
Ability to communicate in writing to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, belonging, and anti-racism through participation in educational sessions, creation of policies, or implementation of practices in support of an inclusive workplace or reparative description.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience formally supervising permanent staff positions.
Experience managing a diverse team.
Experience with PCC NACO, BIBCO, CONSER or SACO programs.
Experience providing description for at least one non-English language.
The UVA Library supports career development and provides opportunities for both formal and informal training as part of professional development. We are interested in reviewing candidates with a broad range and combination of experiences, education, and qualifications. We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and dynamic workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your past experience doesn?t align perfectly with every preferred qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway.
Anticipated hiring range: $75,000-$85,000
TO APPLY:
Please visit UVA job board: and search for R0052860
Complete an application online and attach:
Cover letter expressing interest and qualifications.
Resume/ CV
***Please upload all documents in the resume / cv box ***
PROCESS FOR INTERNAL UVA APPLICANTS: Please apply through your Workday Home page, search ?Find Jobs?, and search for R0052860.
Review of applications will in early October. For questions about the application process, please contact Rhiannon O?Coin, Senior Academic Recruiter, or Jennifer Roper, Director, Digital Strategies and Scholarly Communication, .
The selected candidate will be required to complete a background check at the time of the offer per University Policy.
The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician?s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.
Expected salary: $75000 - 85000 per year
Location: Charlottesville, VA
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