Position Title:
Digital Asset Management System- Project Consultant/ Archivist-Washington Performing Arts
Position Description:
Department: Advancement
Title of Immediate Supervisor: Chief Advancement Officer
Rate of Pay: $18/hr, non-exempt
Hours: Part-time, 25 hours per week; Temporary position for a 6 Month Period
Best Consideration Date: Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Washington Performing Arts is seeking a part-time (six-month, 25-hours per week) temporary employee to serve as its Digital Asset Management System [DAMS] Project Consultant. The DAMS Project Consultant supports the creation, development, and implementation of the new Washington Performing Arts Digital Archive, a capacity-building initiative funded through short-term grant support. This new digital archive (Phase 1 launch in Spring 2022) preserves and provides access to the institutional history of Washington Performing Arts, which includes over fifty years of activity as a leading presenter of performances and arts education programs in the nation’s capital. This digital archive also contains content to enhance, propel, and inform Washington Performing Arts’ growing library of digital/video performance and educational content. The Washington Performing Arts Digital Archive will include a wide range of objects of multiple formats, from concert program booklets and press releases to photos, audio recordings, and video recordings.
The DAMS Project Consultant will lead and oversee the work to assess and finalize the migration-phasing plan, define the meta-tagging structure, and migrate and meta-tag digital assets in the database. Washington Performing Arts staff across multiple departments (Communications and Creative Media; Advancement; Programming; Education and Community Engagement) will also help to identify and tag digital assets uploaded into the DAMS. The DAMS Project Consultant will also coordinate activities and work with a cross-departmental team called DAWG (Digital Asset Working Group), and a part-time Advancement Intern to organize and process archival materials (physical and digital).
The DAMS Project Consultant will also participate in collections management work (including rehousing and documenting the organization scheme of the physical collection), digitize physical objects, migrate digital objects, create and copy metadata for digital objects, and additional archival tasks as assigned. The DAMS Project Consultant will manage all project timelines and collaborate with Advancement staff to prepare data reporting on progress for this grant-funded initiative.
Essential Duty #1: Project Management
Percentage: 50%
● Liaise with interdepartmental colleagues on behalf of the Washington Performing Arts Digital Archive project and serve as Team Lead for the cross-departmental DAWG (Digital Assets Working Group)
● Partner with Resource Space consultant to track and support initial migration and ensuing training
● Establish and manage project timelines for data migration and meta-tagging
● Coordinate and design beta testing of the DAMS system and digital archive
● Train Washington Performing Arts staff to use the DAMS and associated meta-tagging conventions
● Preparing documentation and training tools for future staff training and orientation to utilize the DAMS
● Prepare interim and final progress reports (April 2022 and August 2022) in collaboration with Advancement staff
Essential Duty #2: Data Management
Percentage: 50%
● Perform and oversee addition of digital objects and metadata into a Digital Asset Management System (DAMS)
● Creation of metadata and copying metadata from third-party platforms
● Migrate digital objects to appropriate file types for preservation purposes
● Collections management tasks for a performing arts archive
● Digitization of physical archival objects, such as photographs, documents, sound recordings, and moving images
● Basic preservation and curation of original electronic records
● Facilitating access to digital collections and digital repository management
Minimum Qualifications:
● Professional, scholarly, or work-study experience with data and project management
● Must be organized, highly IT- literate, and have excellent administrative skills
Essential Capabilities & Preferences
● Must possess knowledge of the principles of organization of information and practical applications (including metadata schemas and digitization procedures)
● Proficiency with Digital Asset Management Systems; fluency with Resource Space a plus
● Knowledge of performing arts terminology, obtained through academic study or practical experience as a performer, arts administrator, or student of a performance discipline
Organizational Position Description
● Academic or professional interest in digital collections, archives, or performing arts librarianship
● Knowledge of current digital collections/archival practices
● Proficiency with PC and Mac computers
● Experience with scanning physical objects
● Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills
● Ability to learn quickly, handle a multitude of tasks, take initiative, and work independently with little supervision
● High level of energy and accountability, and ability to work well under deadline
● Undergraduate or graduate course work in archives/special collections or equivalent professional or internship experience a plus
Specific Conditions of Work
● Work will be performed mostly remote, though physical presence at the Washington Performing Arts DC office for digitization of some content is also required
● Flexible telecommuting work schedule of 25 hour per week at a pay rate of $18/ hr.
● This project must be completed by August 31, 2022
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement:
Washington Performing Arts values the safety of our employees and families, our patrons and visitors, artists and students, and the community at large. Effective October 15, 2021, all Washington Performing Arts employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. The COVID-19 vaccines remain a critical tool for saving lives, reducing the severity of the illness in infected people, and stopping the spread of COVID-19. In support of these values, if you are selected for this job, you must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, except when vaccination is not medically advised or violates your sincerely held religious beliefs. If you are invited to join our team, you must submit proof that you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to the Washington Performing Arts’ HR representative, or you must request an accommodation from the HR representative. New employees must either provide proof of vaccination or be granted a medical or religious exemption before working with Washington Performing Arts. Accommodations will be granted where they permit employees to perform the essential functions of their jobs and/ or do not cause Washington Performing Arts undue hardship or pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others.
Application Process:
How to Apply:
● Send cover letter and resume (in attachment format) with position title in subject line.
● For best consideration, please send applications by February 22, 2022.
