Metadata Initiatives Librarian at Lehigh University – Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Lehigh University

Lehigh University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national or ethnic origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Lehigh University provides comprehensive benefits including partner benefits.

Metadata Initiatives Librarian - Join Lehigh University's Library and Technology Services

Lehigh University seeks an innovative Metadata Initiatives Librarian to lead transformative work in bibliographic and research data management. This exempt, full-time position offers the opportunity to shape metadata practices across diverse collections while contributing to open-source communities and global linked data networks.

About the Opportunity

The Metadata Initiatives Librarian participates in the full lifecycle of the library's bibliographic and research data through expert original cataloging, data normalization, and metadata transformation. This role centers on the technical production of metadata across diverse formats—including digital assets, datasets, and special collections—utilizing standards such as MARC, BIBFRAME, and RDA. You'll provide leadership within Arts and Libraries while ensuring metadata is expertly crafted for local accuracy, reparative integrity, and seamless integration into global linked data networks.

Position Number: S77180

This position is a Grade: 9 - 40 with an approximate salary range of $56,030-$68,190 and is subject to change based on experience, skills and qualifications.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform cataloging and metadata creation for traditional formats, digital assets, datasets, and special collections.
• Data Preparation: Explicitly prepare and normalize data for reuse in shared environments and consortial discovery layers.
• Standards: Work with MARC, BIBFRAME, Dublin Core, RDF, RDA, and LCSH.
• Lead reparative description initiatives to address harmful language in legacy metadata, ensuring that finding aids and catalog records reflect contemporary standards.
• Library Metadata Teamwork: Works with the metadata team to ensure a high catalog quality, especially as it pertains to batch work. Tools like Python, OpenRefine, MarcEdit, and APIs will be leveraged to automate batch processing and prepare records for complex, shared discovery environments.
• Quality Assurance: Analyze bibliographic/metadata problems and help lead the team toward automated or batch-process resolutions.
• Community Engagement: Actively participate in open-source communities and user groups to influence the development of library services platforms and metadata tools.
• Collaborative Design: Partner with Arts and Libraries and ITS to integrate metadata into new systems, focusing on API-driven workflows and microservices.
• Consortial Initiatives: Represent the library in regional and national technical committees to develop shared metadata standards and inter-institutional data-sharing protocols.
• Project Leadership: Lead projects that maximize efficiencies in data migration, mapping, and transformation.
• Serves on the Data Management Group, communicating with faculty and researchers regarding metadata best practices.
• Leverage semantic web concepts and tools to connect University history with current research output.
• Work collaboratively with stakeholders to identify opportunities within the Arts and Libraries to expose Lehigh's cultural assets.
• Persistent Identifiers: Advocate for and implement ORCID iDs, ROR iDs, and DOIs to ensure the university’s research output is globally uniquely identified and linkable.
• Work with Open Knowledge Librarian to facilitate metadata implementation needed for discovery of open resources.
• Create and maintain documentation in the internal wiki.
• Train team members on emerging processes and the use of new open-source tools.
• Use institutional project management tools to track and report on progress.
• Work with the Library Technology Team to design and implement new and improved workflows.
• Maintain a record of library and information science scholarship and professional engagement.
• Participate in national/international standards development to keep the library at the forefront of the field.

Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Library and Information Science from an ALA-accredited institution or the equivalent combination of education and experience
• Three to five years of related work experience
• Advanced Standards: Demonstrated experience with BIBFRAME, Linked Data (RDF), and the Semantic Web
• System Knowledge: Demonstrated experience with MARVA or other emerging metadata editors
• Experience working with national and/or international organizations on cooperative cataloging including authority control and entity management
• Coding & Automation: Demonstrated ability to utilize programming languages (Python, etc.) and APIs to manipulate large datasets
• Open Source Mindset: Experience or strong interest in participating in community-governed software projects
• Collaborative Spirit: Proven ability to work across units and departments (Acquisitions, Technology, Lending) and across institutions to reach a consensus on data standards
• Project Management: Experience with formal project planning and workflow development

Why Lehigh University?

Located in Pennsylvania's beautiful Lehigh Valley, Lehigh University combines academic excellence with a supportive work environment. Our community values innovation, collaboration, and professional growth. Lehigh’s Arts and Libraries fosters creativity and embraces emerging technologies, making it an ideal place for metadata professionals who want to make meaningful contributions to scholarly communication and information access.

Lehigh University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate. We are committed to a culturally and intellectually diverse community and we seek qualified candidates to contribute to the university’s mission. Lehigh University offers a comprehensive and family friendly benefits package which includes but is not limited to Health Care, Retirement and Educational benefits. Information can be found on our website.

Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing an accommodation for any part of the interview or hiring process may contact Lehigh's Accommodations Specialist.

Special Considerations

• The duties of this position may allow the employee to work partially remote as deemed appropriate by their supervisor.

Successful completion of standard background checks including but not limited to: social security verification, education verification, national criminal background checks, motor vehicle checks, PATCH, FBI fingerprinting, Child Abuse Clearance and credit history based upon the requirements of the position.

Only complete applications will be considered therefore please complete the application in its entirety. Once the posting is removed from the website applications may no longer be allowed to be completed.