Job Title: Digital Archivist
Reporting To: Director, Library Services
Location: St Stephen’s Green (Mercer Building)
School (or department): RCSI Library Services
Contract type/duration: Full-time, 3 years Fixed Term
Closing date for applications: June 22, 2025
Interview date: w/c 30th June 2025
About the post:
A member of the Heritage Collections team, the Digital Archivist plays a key role in maintaining, developing and delivering RCSI digital heritage collections and contributes significantly to public engagement activities, online and onsite, which use heritage material to support RCSI organisational goals. Working in partnership with multiple internal and external stakeholders the post holder acquires and processes historic and institutionally significant digital collections for the benefit of RCSI and future users of the collections.
Job Responsibilities
* Liaising with internal RCSI stakeholders to identify digital material for permanent preservation in the College Archive and setting up processes for their transfer to RCSI Heritage Collections.
* Coordinating and undertaking all aspects of digital collections management and development, including acquisition, appraisal, cataloguing, digitisation, and preservation of digital objects.
* Maintaining and developing an engaging online presence for RCSI Heritage Collections to increase awareness and facilitate use of the collections including the Heritage Collections webpages, Digital Heritage Collections website (Preservica) and content on the RCSI Arts and Cultural Heritage webpage.
* Leading/Supporting/Participating in Heritage Collections Team promotion and marketing activities.
* Leading on the review and procurement of collection management systems for RCSI Heritage Collections in conjunction with RCSI IT and the Library Digital Systems & Services Coordinator.
* Leading on the development and documentation of digital collections processes and procedures, and identifying continuous improvement opportunities.
* Managing the RCSI Heritage Collections digitisation programme including: prioritising material for digitisation according to agreed criteria; liaising with relevant third-party service providers; quality management of digital deliverables.
* Cataloguing collections to recognised standards, and providing appropriate descriptive metadata to aid the search, retrieval, and discovery of digital objects by users.
* Marketing and promoting the collections through public engagement activities as appropriate, e.g., online exhibitions, talks, participating in collaborative and consortial sharing of digital collections etc.
* Ensuring appropriate security of digital collections in conjunction with IT and vendors
* Responding to internal and public enquiries concerning the collections.
* Supervision of library assistant, interns and volunteers from time to time.
* Performing other duties as set out by the Director Library Services or nominee in response to specific opportunities and needs.
* Complying with statutory legislation and rules and requirements in furtherance of your own and general staff welfare and safety.
* Undergoing programmes of training and development relevant to the role and as may be required from time to time.
* Representing the best interests of RCSI at all times.
Knowledge & Experience – (Essential):
* A recognised postgraduate qualification in archives management or archives & records management or digital preservation.
* Demonstrated ability to be flexible, tolerate ambiguity, adapt to change, to take initiative and drive projects with minimum supervision while working collaboratively.
* Demonstrated experience of managing large or complex datasets and excellent attention to detail.
* Demonstrated knowledge of metadata standards for the description of archives e.g. ISAD(G), and digital resources e.g. Dublin Core.
* Knowledge of the principles of digital preservation standards, e.g., OAIS, and demonstrated experience in, managing and using ingest, preservation, migration, access and associated workflows in a digital repository environment.
* Demonstrated experience of managing content and collection management systems e.g. for catalogue management, digital preservation, digital asset management.
* Knowledge of records management standards, records retention and disposition schedules, policy and technical issues related to digital records.
* Public engagement experience relevant to cultural heritage or marketing or communications experience
* Excellent IT skills, with a strong proficiency in MS 365 applications including Excel and SharePoint.
* Demonstrated experience in the management of digitisation projects and the procurement of digitisation services by third parties.
* Strong organisational, project management and administrative skills with the ability to focus, prioritise objectives, produce results, make decisions and meet deadlines.
* Ability to work efficiently on your own initiative.
* Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Desirable Skills
* Experience of task automation and data processing using command line interface or programming languages e.g. Python, PowerShell
* Experience of using Preservica and Axiell CALM.
* Knowledge of the use of APIs for access, exchange, and migration of data.
* Evidence of being professionally active within the field and/or evidence of continuing professional development.
* Understanding of academic research processes.
* Interest in or knowledge of history of medicine/surgery in general.
* Knowledge of transfer and donor agreements in addition to rights management issues for personal digital archives and organisational records.
We are all too aware that imposter syndrome and the confidence gap can sometimes stop fantastic candidates putting themselves forward, so please do submit an application — we’d love to hear from you.
Application Process
Please apply online through the RCSI careers portal on or before the closing date with your CV and cover letter. Please note we do not accept CVs directly.
Informal enquiries are invited in the first instance through, Florencia Raimondo, florenciaraimondo@rcsi.ie
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