How to Apply
You should submit a resume and a cover letter. Please upload both documents as one file through the U-M Careers website. To ensure full consideration, applications must include the following:
- The cover letter should describe your interest in the position and your experience directly relevant to the work of the position
- A resume / CV
- A list of three professional references, including their names, contact information, and your professional relationship
- If you are selected for an interview, you will be asked to present an overview of relevant experience.
Job Summary
The Audio-Moving Image Preservation Librarian is responsible for leading and coordinating the preservation, management, and access to the library's audio and moving image collections. This position plays a vital role in ensuring the long-term usability of materials through specialized preservation strategies, digitization, metadata creation, and collaborative outreach. You will work closely with library curatorial, selector, technical services staff, archivists, faculty, students, and external partners to develop best practices for preserving diverse formats and supporting research.
Reporting Structure:
As an important member of Preservation Services which includes conservation, book repair, bindery preparation, preventive care, and digital preservation staff, you will report to the Director of Preservation Services for Physical Collections and have a close working relationship with the Director of Preservation Services for Digital Collections and the Manager of the Digital Conversion Unit. This position requires maintaining strong working relationships with teams involved in preservation, digitization, curation, and media access. Collecting areas are located across the library system, including but not limited to the Special Collections Research Center, Music Library, Art, Architecture, and Engineering Library, Asia Library, International Studies, and the Askwith Media Library.
Supervisory Experience:
You will organize and guide the work of the Audio-Moving Image Digitization Technician; mentor and supervise student assistants and interns.
Why Work at Michigan?
In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, The University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and your family, and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:
- Generous time off
- A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting
- Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
- Life insurance
- Long-term disability coverage
- Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses
Responsibilities*
65% Care of audio-visual materials
- Systematically survey collections in order to assess, plan, and implement preservation and conservation strategies for analog and digital audio-visual collections (film, videotape, audiotape, born-digital video/audio, etc.)
- Stabilize, clean, and evaluate the condition of sound and moving-image media across a wide variety of physical formats.
- Judge whether media can safely be digitized locally or sent to an outside vendor.
- Organize and guide the work of the Audio-Moving Image Digitization Technician; mentor and supervise student assistants and interns.
- Oversee the digitization for preservation program for AMI collections, including reformatting workflows, quality control, and migration of legacy formats in accordance with national and international standards.
- Develop and maintain comprehensive metadata records to enhance discoverability, enable robust access to collections, and document preservation actions.
- Collaborate with library curators and selectors, faculty, and researchers to facilitate access, digital scholarship, and instruction using audio-visual materials.
- Provide expertise in rights management, privacy, and responsible stewardship related to audio-moving image collections.
- Contribute to collection development, policy review, and strategic planning for audio-visual holdings.
20% Project planning and management
- Design and execute prioritized preservation strategies and workflows for various projects, including managing materials designated for future offsite cool and cold storage.
- Contribute to the development of metadata standards and protocols.
- Support the creation of strategies for the delivery and access of digital audio and moving image collections.
- Gather statistics and prepare reports, including projected costs.
15% Departmental responsibilities
- Monitor and stay abreast of evolving technologies, industry standards, and trends in audio-visual preservation.
- Deliver training, workshops, and outreach activities to promote preservation awareness within the campus and broader community.
- Participate in departmental meetings and planning activities, including departmental goal-setting.
- Participate in the broader work of the U-M Library by serving on committees, working groups, and task forces as appropriate.
- Other duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications*
- Master's degree in library and information science or equivalent graduate degree with specialization in audio-visual preservation.
- Practical experience with the handling, preservation, and digitization of audio-visual materials.
- Knowledge of relevant digital preservation practice and standards.
- Familiarity with metadata schemas (MARC, Dublin Core, PBCore, PREMIS, METS, XML, etc.)
- Excellent organizational, problem-solving, and communication skills.
- Commitment to fostering a welcoming environment by recognizing and incorporating differing viewpoints, backgrounds, and ideas to enrich the organization.
- You will work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
Desired Qualifications*
- Additional certification or training in audio-visual preservation.
- Experience with archival management software and digital repository platforms.
- Demonstrated success in project management.
- Instructional or outreach experience in an academic or research setting.
Work Locations
You will complete the work onsite in an office setting and multiple library buildings. The position must be performed primarily on-site. Moving and transporting materials that weigh up to 40 pounds may be required. The role follows established safety procedures for working with chemicals and mold when applicable.
Modes of Work
Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.
Additional Information
The appointment is at the Assistant or Associate Librarian rank. The salary range is $61,000-$68,000 at the Assistant rank and $68,000-$79,000 at the Associate rank. The salary offered will be based on the selected candidate's qualifications and experience. This position is covered under the collective bargaining agreement between UM and the Lecturers Employee Organization, AFL-CIO, on behalf of the LEO-GLAM Librarian, Archivist, and Curators bargaining unit. You will have increased expectations for professional development, research, and service, in line with the process for librarian promotion and advancement.
If you have questions about this posting or to request accommodations, please contact [email protected].
It is the policy of the University of Michigan to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and other applicable federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination based on disability. Pursuant to the U-M LEO-GLAM agreement, each appointing unit shall designate an administrative contact ("Administrative designee") responsible for communicating with the necessary parties about accommodation requests made by employees in that appointing unit on each campus. The Administrative Designee for the Library Collections department is Deb Jackson. They may be reached at 734-764-9529 or [email protected].
Union Affiliation
This position is covered under the collective bargaining agreement between the U-M and the Lecturers Employee Organization, AFL-CIO, on behalf of their Librarian, Archivists, and Curator bargaining unit (LEO-GLAM), which contains and settles all matters with respect to wages, benefits, hours and other terms and conditions of employment.
The University of Michigan complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other applicable federal and state laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. The Administrative Designee, who is responsible for communicating with Employees about requests for reasonable accommodations in [INSERT APPOINTING UNIT NAME], is [FULL NAME]. They may be reached at [PHONE AND EMAIL ADDRESS].
Employees on the Ann Arbor or Dearborn Campuses may also contact the Disability Equity Office by email at [email protected], by phone at 734-763-0235, or by visiting their website.
Application Deadline
This job posting will be open for six weeks. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled at any time after the minimum seven-day posting period has ended. Applications will be reviewed as received throughout the posting period and will continue until the position is filled.
U-M EEO Statement
The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.