Digital Preservation Analyst

Background

The National Library of Ireland (NLI) is the official repository for Ireland's historical and cultural records. Founded in 1877, the NLI became an independent cultural institution on May 3, 2005, under the National Cultural Institutions Act of 1997. It operates under the governance of a Board, comprising a chairperson and 11 ordinary members, who report to the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media. The NLI's staff of approximately 110 employees works towards achieving five strategic priorities: collecting, protecting, revealing, engaging, and innovating.

The NLI plays a crucial role in preserving and sharing the story of Ireland with the world through its extensive and unique collections. It houses over twelve million items, including books, manuscripts, newspapers, photographs, prints, maps, drawings, ephemera, music, and digital media. The NLI's various sites in Dublin, such as the National Photographic Archive in Temple Bar, are accessible to the public free of charge. These sites feature reading rooms that serve as visitor attractions, as well as a wide range of exhibitions and public programs. More information about the NLI can be found on their website, www.nli.ie .

The Role

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Policy Management :
   • Develop, implement, and manage policies, guidelines, and procedures.
   • Lead initiatives to implement the NLI's Digital Preservation Policy 2023.
2. Practice Improvement :
   • Collaborate with colleagues to embed good practices and improve digital preservation maturity.
   • Refer to recognized benchmarks (e.g., DPC-RAM) and certification standards (e.g., CoreTrustSeal).
3. Risk Management :
   • Engage in risk management for digital preservation.
   • Identify risks to NLI collections and monitor issues from the wider digital preservation community.
4. Digital Repository :
   • Contribute to the needs analysis, scoping, requirements, and implementation of the NLI’s digital repository system and related services.
5. Material Management :
   • Prepare, process, manage, and provide access to digital materials (both digitized and born-digital).
   • Work with donors, depositors, and creators as appropriate.
6. Technical Advisory :
   • Advise colleagues on formats, transfer methods, receipt, and storage.
   • Process digital materials using appropriate systems/software.
7. Training Development :
   • Develop training programs to enhance digital preservation skills and knowledge among NLI staff.
8. Advocacy :
   • Champion digital preservation internally and externally.
   • Represent NLI at national and international levels, coordinate events, and develop relationships within the digital preservation network.

Essential Requirements

• Educational Qualification :
  • A third-level qualification and a minimum of 2 years of relevant professional experience in digital preservation, digital libraries, digital collecting, or a related field.
• Technical Proficiency :
  • Significant expertise in digital preservation theory and practice.
  • High level of technical proficiency with commonly used tools and systems.
• Domain Expertise :
  • Expertise in areas such as digital collection accessioning, processing, repository ingest, digital preservation, metadata creation, digital rights management, web archiving, donor/depositor engagement, maturity modeling, and benchmarking.
• Standards Knowledge :
  • Experience working with relevant standards, specifications, and guidelines (e.g., OAIS, PREMIS, METS).
• Stakeholder Management :
  • Strong track record in managing stakeholder relationships.
  • Ability to work well with technical and non-technical staff at all levels.
• Project Management :
  • Strong project management skills.
  • Ability to prioritize and schedule workloads amid conflicting demands.
• Policy Development :
  • Experience in developing and implementing policies, guidelines, and SOPs relevant to digital collecting and preservation.
• Communication Skills :
  • Ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical users.
  • Strong advocacy skills.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible candidates must meet one of the following criteria by the date of any job offer:

• Citizenship :
  • A citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
  • A citizen of the United Kingdom (UK).
  • A citizen of Switzerland under the EU-Switzerland agreement on the free movement of persons.
  • A non-EEA citizen with a Stamp 4 visa.
  • A person awarded international protection under the International Protection Act 2015 or a family member entitled to remain in the State due to family reunification with a Stamp 4 visa.
  • A non-EEA citizen who is a parent of a dependent child who is a citizen and resident of an EEA member state, the UK, or Switzerland, and has a Stamp 4 visa.

Competition Process

How to Apply

Applicants should submit:

• A current Curriculum Vitae (CV).
• A letter of interest.
• The names and contact details of two referees.

These documents should be submitted via email to careers@nli.ie as a single PDF file.

Shortlisting

Applicants will be shortlisted based on the information provided in their CVs. The NLI reserves the right to make necessary enquiries about applicants before extending a job offer.