Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to inclusive excellence and nondiscrimination in its educational program and employment practices and encourages candidates who will further advance the goal of fostering a diverse and inclusive community. As one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher learning, Swarthmore College is global in outlook and draws students from around the nation and world. The 425‐acre campus is a designated arboretum, complete with gardens, rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails in the Crum Woods.

Who We Are:

The Swarthmore College Libraries cultivate scholarship and intellectual curiosity in our community through access to collections, expertise, and spaces. In collaboration with our academic partners, we teach the craft of research and foster a critical understanding of the contexts in which knowledge is developed and disseminated. For more information, see the Swarthmore College Libraries website.

The opportunity:

Reporting to the Head, Cataloging & Metadata, the Cataloging and Metadata Librarian will perform original and complex copy cataloging for materials in all formats including print, video, special collections and rare books, streaming videos, and e-books. The position will strengthen the discovery of the Libraries’ collections by creating original MARC metadata records following RDA and AACR2 standards. The incumbent will also collaborate with the Special Collections team on creating, maintaining, and enhancing subject and name authority records in a shared ArchivesSpace platform, managed by the Friends Historical Library, Peace Collection, and College Archives. The incumbent will implement the development of metadata policies that include descriptive, administrative, and technical metadata schemas for the Libraries’ current and future systems, including Ex Libris’ Alma/Primo, ArchivesSpace, and other content management systems. The incumbent will also collaborate with colleagues to improve and revise migrated data.

Essential Responsibilities

Cataloging

• Performs original and copy cataloging for monographs, serials, and standing orders, resolving complex problems related to serials records and migrated data
• Contributes to copy cataloging of print monographs, particularly when department workload is heavy (e.g., rush cataloging at start of semester, cataloging large gifts, etc.)
• Evaluates and upgrades minimal level bibliographic records to facilitate discoverability and ensure accuracy (e.g., records for streaming video)
• Corrects data errors in bibliographic, holding, and item records that occurred during system migration
• Enriches metadata representing the Libraries’ print and non-print collections, including brief records for Rare Book Room titles created during retrospective conversion
• Supervises 1-2 student assistants engaged in cataloging and bibliographic maintenance projects, developing workflow documentation and providing feedback as needed
• Coordinates with supervisor and collection managers to review donations of rare materials and catalog these materials for the Rare Book Room, updating classification as needed
• Applies rare book cataloging standards and local collection notes to improve the discovery of Rare Book collections, including artists’ books and other special materials
• Updates bibliographic, holding, and item records to reflect item transfers or withdrawals
• Contributes to authority control and classification

Metadata Management

• Creates and edits subject and agent records within a shared ArchivesSpace platform in collaboration with the Friends Historical Library, Peace Collection, College Archives, and TriCollege colleagues
• Evaluates existing subject and agent records in ArchivesSpace, maintaining consistency in metadata according to national and local standards
• Contributes to the creation and development of Alma normalization and indication rules for data manipulation 
• Collaborates with colleagues to support the use of Alma functionality for metadata management, including working with sets and using analytics to facilitate the management of metadata at scale
• Streamlines processes for metadata cleanup and provides support for metadata transformation and remediation tools such as MarcEdit
• Participates in TriCollege projects for metadata creation and enrichment, identifying, adapting, harvesting, or manipulating existing metadata to aid in user discovery of resources
• Ensures data integrity across platforms (e.g. Alma/Primo)
• Corrects data errors in bibliographic, holding, and item records, often identified by Access & User Services staff
• Investigates, develops, and implements tools and technologies that contribute to workflow effectiveness and quality control
• Identifies and utilizes alternative data sources to enhance or generate discovery metadata
• Maintains awareness of inclusive metadata standards and participates in reparative language projects
• Contributes to name and subject authority enhancement in collaboration with the Head, Cataloging & Metadata

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Supervises 1-2 student assistants engaged in cataloging and bibliographic maintenance projects.

Who you are:

• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.
• Ability and desire to work both collaboratively and independently.
• Strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
• Strong service orientation, analytical, and organizational skills
• Self-motivated and detail-oriented with outstanding written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
• Knowledge of and experience applying cataloging standards such as AACR2/RDA, MARC, LCC, LCSH, CONSER, and LC Name Authority records.

What you bring:

Required Qualifications

• MLIS, MLS, or equivalent degree
• Two or more years of experience working with metadata in an academic or research library.
• Experience with OCLC Connexion or WorldShare Record Manager, MarcEdit, and an integrated library system.
• Experience working with ArchivesSpace.

Preferred Qualifications

• Highly desirable: Experience with Ex Libris’ Alma/Primo integrated library system.
• Experience working with regular expressions, Perl or Python.
• Knowledge of system and metadata interoperability.
• Experience with MarcEdit.
• Experience cataloging materials for special collections.
• Interest in and awareness of metadata issues and trends.

What You Will Get:

You’ll work at one of the world's most renowned liberal arts Colleges, with incredible benefits, a stunning 420-acre campus, and a collaborative work environment. Join a team of passionate, creative people who work hard and have fun supporting the College students, faculty, and staff.

We want to hear from you if you are excited about this role! For full consideration, submit applications with pay expectations, including a resume and cover letter, by March 22, 2024.

PA Criminal Required

Swarthmore College requires a PA Criminal background check for all staff positions prior to the start of employment.

Education Verification Required by Position

An education verification is required for this position because a college degree is a required qualification for this position.

Review the 2024 Benefits Flyer. We offer benefit plans starting at zero cost! Upon benefit eligibility, the College contributes 10% of an employee’s salary to their retirement account. Employees are 100% vested in their accounts on the date participation begins.

Swarthmore Benefits Guidebook

Retirement Plans

Tuition Grant Program

Tuition Reimbursement Program

Paid Time Off (Staff)*

Holiday Schedule

Swarthmore College actively seeks and welcomes applications from candidates with exceptional qualifications, particularly those with demonstrable commitments to a more inclusive society and world. Swarthmore College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.