Assistant Librarian or Senior Assistant Librarian - Metadata Librarian
Position Overview
Organization: University Libraries
Title: Assistant Librarian or Senior Assistant Librarian - Metadata Librarian
Position Details
Position Description
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON AND THE UW LIBRARIES
The UW is ranked the No. 1 most innovative public university in the world by Reuters, which examines scholarly articles and patent applications. For more information, please visit the UW homepage. Serving all three UW campuses, the Libraries is an integral partner in the education, research, clinical care, and service mission of the University. Beyond the strength of its extensive collections and digital resources, the Libraries is recognized for its excellent programs and services, innovative learning and research spaces, faculty partnerships, global reach, assessment efforts and diverse award-winning staff. The Libraries is committed to integrating equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility into all aspects of our work and organizational culture. Learn more about the UW Libraries online.
Cataloging and Metadata Services
Cataloging and Metadata Services (CAMS) provides enhanced and original cataloging of monographs, serials, and integrating resources in all formats and subjects in 45+ languages. CAMS is active in BIBCO, CONSER, NACO, and SACO and is one of the largest contributors of new LC subject, genre/form, and demographic group authority records. The University of Washington Libraries uses OCLC Connexion, a consortial implementation of Alma, the Primo discovery system, ContentDM, and DSpace.
THE POSITION
The University of Washington Libraries seeks a Metadata Librarian to oversee metadata creation and maintenance for the Libraries’ digital collections. Reporting to the Director of Cataloging and Metadata Services, this position will contribute to strategic planning for digital collections and develop workflows for metadata creation and quality assessment. The successful candidate will have the capacity to thrive in an exciting, fluid, future-oriented Libraries environment, and to respond effectively to changing needs and priorities.
This position is not tenure eligible. This position is represented by SEIU 925 – Libraries. Please see SEIU 925 UW Libraries 2023-2026 collective bargaining agreement for the Librarian promotion process.
This position is eligible for hybrid work (on campus and remote).
SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES
- Contributes to Libraries’ digital collections strategic planning.
- Establishes workflows for creating metadata and for metadata quality assessment.
- Contributes to planning and evaluation for new digital projects and collections with relevant stakeholders.
- Leads development of a standard baseline metadata schema for digital collections.
- Develops and maintains customized metadata schemas as needed for digital collections while ensuring compatibility between collections and platforms.
- Creates and maintains internal documentation for digital collections metadata policies, standards, and workflows.
- Chairs the Libraries’ Metadata Implementation Group, which coordinates metadata standards for digital library projects within the Libraries.
- Recruits, trains, and supervises student assistants.
- May perform descriptive, subject, and genre/form cataloging and classification following Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) standards and practices.
- Explores implementation of innovative technologies, including machine learning and AI, to help manage metadata workflows and improve accuracy.
RANK
Position will be at rank of Assistant, or Senior Assistant Librarian, depending on qualifications and background. See the Rank, Status, Initial Appointments, Renewal of Appointments and Promotions of UW Libraries Librarians article in the SEIU 925 UW Libraries 2023-2026 collective bargaining agreement for librarian rank appointment criteria.
BENEFITS
Librarians are academic personnel and participate in the UW Retirement Plan (UWRP) or the state’s Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) Plan 3. This is a full-time, 12-month appointment. Vacation is accrued at the rate of 26 working days per year; sick leave at the rate of 12 working days per year. No state or local income tax. A summary of benefits associated with this title/rank can be found on our Benefits page. Appointees solely employed and paid directly by a non-UW entity are not UW employees and are not eligible for UW or Washington State employee benefits.
SALARY
The base salary range for this position will be $5,800-$7,200 per month, commensurate with experience and qualifications, or as mandated by a U.S. Department of Labor prevailing wage determination. Other compensation associated with this position may include a moving allowance.
ANTICIPATED START DATE
While we hope to fill the position in Fall 2025, we are happy to work with the successful candidate to explore opportunities for an earlier or later start date.
Qualifications
Required
- Graduate degree from a program accredited by the American Library Association or an equivalent graduate library science/information studies degree.
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity and understanding of the contributions a diverse workforce brings to the workplace.
- Two years of experience with metadata content and encoding standards such as Dublin Core, MARC 21, or EAD.
- Familiarity with platforms that manage and provide access to digital content, such as CONTENTdm and DSpace.
- Familiarity with one or more tools to create, extract, transform, analyze, and manage quality of metadata records, such as MarcEdit, Python, or Open Refine.
Preferred
- Experience with traditional cataloging standards such as RDA, including the creation of MARC 21 bibliographic and authority records.
- Experience transforming or “crosswalking” metadata using standard tools and scripts.
- Ability to work effectively in a shared decision-making environment, as both a teammate and a project leader.
- Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing (including documentation), with stakeholders at all levels of technical expertise.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills combined with attention to detail for complex work.
- Familiarity with creating and managing metadata in academic libraries or research institutions.
- Experience writing grant proposals and managing projects.
- Experience supervising staff or students.
- Demonstrated interest in assessing and implementing innovative technological solutions, including machine learning and AI, to optimize metadata workflows and enhance data accuracy within digital library environments.
Instructions
Applications received by 8:59 p.m. PDT/11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, August 8, 2025, will receive priority review. Applications received after this date will be reviewed on a rolling weekly basis at the discretion of the unit.
The following documents are required as part of your application for this vacancy:
- Cover letter (addressed to Laura Lillard, Director, Libraries Human Resources)
- Curriculum vitae or resume (include a telephone number, mailing address, email address and salary requirements)
- List of three references who are knowledgeable of your qualifications for this position, one of which must be your current supervisor (include telephone numbers, mailing addresses, and email addresses, and specify current supervisor)
- Equity Diversity Inclusion Accessibility (EDIA) Statement*
* UW Libraries Equity Diversity Inclusion Accessibility (EDIA) Statement Guidelines
Equity is a core value of the UW Libraries and an integral component of the Libraries 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. We aspire to become a truly inclusive and equitable organization. We actively support the University in sustaining diversity, creating inclusive experiences for the UW community, and confronting institutional bias and structural racism. In your application, please include a separate statement of no more than 300 words that describes your potential or experience to support and contribute to the Libraries’ commitment to providing equitable services and resources to all people, regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, or veteran status.
For questions about this position, or questions regarding potential disability accommodations, please contact Laura Lillard at libjobs@uw.edu.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity or expression, age, disability, or protected veteran status.
Benefits Information
A summary of benefits associated with this title/rank can be found at https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/benefits-orientation/benefit-summary-pdfs/. Appointees solely employed and paid directly by a non-UW entity are not UW employees and are not eligible for UW or Washington State employee benefits.
Commitment to Diversity
The University of Washington is committed to building diversity among its faculty, librarian, staff, and student communities, and articulates that commitment in the UW Diversity Blueprint (http://www.washington.edu/diversity/diversity-blueprint/). Additionally, the University’s Faculty Code recognizes faculty efforts in research, teaching and/or service that address diversity and equal opportunity as important contributions to a faculty member’s academic profile and responsibilities (https://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/FCG/FCCH24.html#2432).
Privacy Notice
Review the University of Washington Privacy Notice for Demographic Data of Job Applicants and University Personnel to learn how your demographic data are protected, when the data may be used, and your rights.
Disability Services
To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or dso@uw.edu.