Please visit Digital Assets Manager for complete job posting and application instructions.
The Digital Asset Manager will serve as part of the Anthropology team at the direction of the Curator of Anthropology to implement digitization of approximately 8000 objects in the ethnographic collection. Responsibilities include object inventories, photographing objects, scanning, or otherwise digitizing supplemental research associated with the ethnographic collection. Additional responsibilities include assessing object condition, rehousing objects according to museum safe storage best practices. The candidate must have experience handling a range of objects and materials and caring for cultural objects.
The Digital Asset Manager will join the Collections team in the ongoing transfer of collections data to a new collection management system (CMS). This system will serve the diverse needs of collection management staff as well as support digital assets from the Museum collections. The collections include cultural objects, artifacts, and art related to the history of the state of Illinois with extensive collection holdings in the fields of Anthropology, Art, Botany, Geology, History, Library Science, Paleontology, and Zoology. The Digital Asset Manager will play a key role in the future of ISM online curated experiences and collections data served on the website.
The Digital Assets Manager is instrumental in the creation and documentation of metadata, digital images, workflows of cataloging and all such data from the ethnographic collections that will be migrated to the new CMS. The successful cadidate must be prepared to serve a lead role overseeing the ethnographic collections actively researching and assisting the Curator of Anthropology as a research assistant. The successful candidate can expect to work with the CMS’s company’s staff tech expert(s) and the Museum’s information technology curator with support of the Anthropology curator(s) and registrars. This position has additional responsibilities, such as providing training for new system users.
Educational/Experience Qualifications
Requires a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, Museum Studies or similar associated subject preferably with an emphasis on ethnographic studies. Requires 2-3 years of prior digital database software experience in a museum or similar cultural collections settings such as universities or libraries.
Must have solid knowledge of technology, object photography and scanning of collection objects. Should possess experience with collections management systems (CMS) as well as a general understanding of database design and functions. The successful candidate must have excellent research skills and substantial research experience and knowledge in the fields of anthropology or ethnography or similar associated subject. Must possess good communication, organization skills and be detail oriented. The position will be focused 50% on the role of being Digital Asset Manager and 50% on the role of being a research assistant to the Curator of Anthropology.
Anticipated Salary Range: $35,000 to $55,000 (commensurate with experience). This job description is subject to change at any time.