JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

Library Technician (Technical Services) Student Assistant
The technical services department of the library at the National Gallery of Art welcomes applicants for a part-time student assistant position. This position is a key member of the acquisitions and cataloging team, providing a variety of support. Students will have opportunities to learn about all of the functions of an art research library, as well as activities and roles throughout the museum. Duties include: 

  • unpacking and receiving newly acquired library materials from book vendors around the world
  • performing bibliographic searching and working with bibliographic records
  • end processing (barcoding, labeling, book plating, and routing)
  • supporting general bibliographic maintenance within the catalog and physical collection
    The purpose of the position is three-fold:
  • to support the art-information and scholarly aspects of National Gallery of Art’s core mission: serving
    the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity
  • to introduce students to the world of libraries in cultural heritage organizations
  • to provide opportunities for interest-driven exploration of the museum and library fields

Applicants must be enrolled at least half-time as students, and able to work onsite for a total of twenty hours a week during the school term. Work hours must fall within Monday through Friday and between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm, no evenings or weekends. Full-time hours are available during semester breaks and summer recess. Pay is at the GS-5 level (approximately $20.61 per hour.) Employees earn vacation and sick leave and can receive transit benefits. Members of underrepresented groups, people living with a disability, and anyone interested in art museum and library professions are particularly encouraged to apply – or to contact us with questions.

Those interested in this position should send cover letter and résumé and any inquiries by email to library@nga.gov and reference the position title in the subject line.

ARLIS/NA Mid-Atlantic Chapter Fall 2023 Meeting

WHEN: Friday, December 1, 2023, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A formal invitation is forthcoming, but a general schedule will include in-person local tours in the morning, a hybrid business meeting and member presentations in the afternoon, and a happy hour or dinner.

WHERE: University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia. Tours will include a curator’s talk of the exhibition, Their World As Big As They Made It: Looking Back at the Harlem Renaissance, at the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library. The day will also include a curator-led tour of UVA’s Academical Village focused on the work and lives of enslaved African Americans, followed by a visit to the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers.

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS Please share your work with your colleagues! Presentations can be 5-10 minutes long and can be given in person or via Zoom, with or without an accompanying slide show. Co-presenters are welcome. To submit your presentation, please fill out this form by Friday, November 10.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Please join the Mid-Atlantic Chapter Group on ARLIS/NA’s Humanities Commons.  

To stay up to date on these events and more and to stay connected with colleagues in the region, please join the Mid-Atlantic Chapter Group on ARLIS/NA’s Humanities Commons. This replaces the previous listserv. See more on the Chapter’s new website: https://midatlantic.arlisna.hcommons.org/

Make it a weekend in Charlottesville! Attractions include the Fralin Museum of ArtKluge-Ruhe Aboriginal CollectionMonticelloHistoric Downtown Mall, and many restaurants, wineries, and cideries. There is an Amtrak station in Charlottesville.

Job Announcement: National Gallery of Art

Librarian – Cataloger (Monographs/Metadata Maintenance)

Pay scale & grade: GS-11 Salary: $78,592-102,166 per year Promotion potential: GS-12

Open & closing dates: 08/18/2023 to 09/01/2023 (links to USA Jobs posting at bottom)

The National Gallery of Art is seeking an experienced cataloging librarian who possesses enthusiasm about museums and libraries, metadata, and art history. The incumbent will support an extensive art research library as part of the technical services department. By creating, enhancing, and maintaining descriptive metadata for collection resources, the incumbent will provide access and create meaningful relationships between items and collections. Deploying traditional cataloging practices and considering opportunities for linked open usable metadata, the incumbent will contribute to local, national, and international catalogs, authority files, and knowledge bases, as well as participate in established and responsive local cataloging policies. The successful candidate will possess creative problem solving, curiosity and interest in the changing professional landscape of libraries and museums, inclusive and respectful collaboration habits, a track record of professional involvement, demonstrated ability with multi-lingual collections, a love and knowledge of art history and the humanities, and commitment to continued professional development. The library supports the National Gallery in its mission to serve the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity.

Your core responsibilities will include:

  • Performing descriptive cataloging in accordance with national standards as interpreted by the Library of Congress and National Gallery adaptations of these to meet the library’s specialized research needs.
  • Performing subject cataloging and applying classification base on the Library of Congress Subject Headings, the Subject Cataloging Manual: Subjects, and local policies. Participating in the continued development of the library’s unique artist classification scheme.
  • Creating and revising authority records following Library of Congress guidelines, Name Authorities Cooperative Project and providing guidance within all collections of the library.
  • Performing continuous assessment of bibliographic metadata in the library’s online catalog and carries out isolated as well as systematic maintenance to resolve conflicts or inconsistencies. Identifies opportunities to apply and deploy linked open data principles. 
  • Providing procedural training for department’s technical support staff and assists with developing effective workflow for the section’s technical processing tasks.
  • Formulating policy concerning the library’s cataloging procedures, locally managed classification schemes, and authority record management in collaboration with the department.
  • Keeping informed on developments in cataloging/metadata, authority control, and linked data as reporting in relevant professional literature and through communication with professional colleagues. 

Required qualifications: 

Your online application and resume must demonstrate one year of experience, at least at the federal GS-9 equivalent level, providing descriptive and subject cataloging, original and copy, for monographs in English and foreign languages. 

You must be a United States citizen.

Additional skills and knowledge:

  • Mastery knowledge of cataloging standards and principles such as: RDA, MARC21, AACR2, LCSH, LC/PCC rules and rule interpretations.
  • Experience with principles and tools such as: linked open data, Wikidata, MARCEdit, and OpenRefine.
  • Experience working with specialized library materials in the arts and humanities.
  • Knowledge of and demonstrated practice in linked open data principles and ability sufficient to participate in critical discussion around its application.
  • Demonstrated ability to conceive of, instruct, carry out, and document metadata management and catalog maintenance projects both independently and with collaborators.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of the principles and standards of authority control for names and subjects. Training in the ArtNACO program for contributing and revising authority records.
  • Demonstrated skill in achieving cooperation, consensus, and support for changes in metadata as a result of standardization or for recommended library policy changes related to metadata.
  • Reading knowledge of at least two western European languages.
  • Effective oral and written communication and ability to express complex cataloging concepts at a variety of levels within and outside of the library.
  • Demonstrated familiarity with art history or related subjects in the humanities.

This position reports to the head of technical services who reports to the executive librarian. The position is eligible for limited telework (not to exceed two days per week) when independent off-site productivity is possible and reasonable.

For more information about the position and to apply, please click on the USAJOBS links below:

NGA-23-154-DE
https://www.usajobs.gov/job/742929800 (Open to all U.S. citizens)

NGA-23-154-MP
https://www.usajobs.gov/job/742930700 (Persons with federal competitive status or reinstatement eligibility, or who are eligible under the Veterans’ Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) or other special hiring authorities, including Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment (VRA) authority and Schedule A authority to hire individuals with severe disabilities.) 

Note: Persons wishing to be considered under both announcements must apply separately to each.