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Position Summary

Appointment Term: 2 years, temporary position.

Reporting to the Head of Digital Archives and working closely with the Director of the Rose Library and the Interim Archival Systems Program Manager, the Irish Poetry and Virtual Reading Room Project Manager will lead the Rose Library’s Mellon Foundation–funded initiative to explore the viability of establishing a virtual reading room to share the Rose Library’s Irish poetry collections more effectively with users in Ireland. The Project Manager will coordinate efforts to define the current challenges inhibiting access to the Rose’s Irish poetry collections; identify key partners and stakeholders amongst Irish libraries, archives, and cultural centers; conduct focus groups amongst researchers to identify research challenges for Irish collections; complete an environmental scan of virtual reading room models and practices; investigate copyright considerations and licensing requirements for a virtual reading room focused on literary collections; determine the scope, requirements, and costs of digitizing key collections; scope, plan, and assess an experimental remote access method; create workflows and documentation for remote users and external partners; draft user stories and requirements for a future virtual reading room; and make recommendations for social, legal, and technological ways to expand the current methods of discovery and delivery of Irish literary papers held by the Rose Library.

At the completion of the two-year grant cycle, the Irish Poetry and Virtual Reading Room Project Manager will have created a viable framework for a shared virtual reading room, including generating concrete recommendations for implementation, drafting a policy framework, and working with stakeholders across Emory Libraries to develop policies, roadmap proposals, business cases, digitization project proposals, and copyright and risk assessments. Finally, the Irish Poetry and Virtual Reading Room Project Manager will develop a sharable, scalable toolkit and set of best practices to guide and support other repositories interested in conducting similar projects and assessing their impact.

Emory Libraries requires that our employees recognize diversity, equity, and inclusion as essential core values to achieving our mission to enrich the quality of life in an inclusive work environment through competency training, reassurance of personal growth, restorative communication practices, and embrace our diverse identities of patrons within the Emory community.

Essential Responsibilities & Duties

Build and Manage Partnerships

1. Define, identify, and engage stakeholders, including archives users, Irish repositories, Emory colleagues, and expert advisors.

2. Facilitate work with partners from Irish repositories and writers’ estates.

3. Survey or interview users of Irish poetry collections to determine user needs and draft user stories based on findings, paying special attention to accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

4. Help convene a community of practice around discovery and delivery of literary collections, focusing on split collections and collections removed from their communities of origin.

Research and Test Virtual Reading Room Methods

1. Evaluate the current state of digital access to Rose Library’s Irish poetry collections for researchers in Ireland and identify where stakeholder needs are not being met.

2. Research existing models and practices for virtual reading rooms and other forms of controlled remote access to archival collections

3. In partnership with the Copyright and Scholarly Communications Librarian, evaluate approaches to managing intellectual property rights issues and help execute license agreements.

4. In partnership with the interim Archival Systems Program Manager, develop user stories into a set of minimal, mid-level, and optimal requirements for a virtual reading room.

5. In partnership with interim Archival Systems Program Manager and Library Technology and Digital Strategies staff, test a baseline method of remote discovery and access for researchers in Ireland.

6. Assess researcher engagement with and responses to baseline access method.

Develop Implementation Plans and Toolkit

1. In consultation with project team members and experts in intellectual property, archival discovery, and library technology, compile recommendations for a virtual reading room, including copyright or licensing strategy, policy framework, partnership requirements, and unified discovery method.

2. Draft an action plan for implementing the recommendations and user stories to inform technology solutions.

3. Work with stakeholders to develop technology roadmap proposals and business cases.

4. Develop and share tools, templates, and sample documentation that can be resources for other repositories undertaking similar projects.

Professional Responsibilities

1. Participate in appropriate professional and scholarly associations and organizations.

2. Attend project-related meetings, conferences, and workshops.

3. Maintain up-to-date professional knowledge and skills in areas related to primary job assignment as well as general knowledge of current trends in higher education, academic libraries, and information and educational technology.

See full description on Emory Libraries website...

https://libraries.emory.edu/about/employment-emory-libraries

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Emory University is a leading research university that fosters excellence and attracts world-class talent to innovate today and prepare leaders for the future. We welcome candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of our academic community.

Emory University is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and Georgia State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. Emory University does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Students, faculty, and staff are assured of participation in University programs and in use of facilities without such discrimination. The University also complies with all applicable federal and Georgia statutes and regulations prohibiting unlawful discrimination. All members of the student body, faculty, and staff are expected to assist in making this policy valid in fact. Any inquiries regarding this policy should be directed to the Emory University Office of Equity and Inclusion, 201 Dowman Drive, Administration Bldg., Suite 305, Atlanta, GA 30322. Telephone 404/727-9867 (V) 404/712-2049 (TDD).