Head of Digital Strategies and Services for Archives and Special Collections (Boston)

Head of Digital Strategies and Services for Archives and Special Collections

Although this position will remain posted until filled, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by the end of the day on Friday, October 18th.

Harvard Library seeks a dynamic and innovative leader to serve as the Head of Digital Strategies and Services within Technical Services for Archives and Special Collections (TSASC), a recently formed department that brings together staff from Harvard University Archives and Houghton Library. This newly created role will play a key part in shaping and executing an emerging vision for TSASC to advance open knowledge and strengthen user engagement through digital initiatives. This is an exciting opportunity to build a team, craft and implement a vision, and collaborate across Harvard Library to support a user-focused approach to access and discovery for archives and special collections.

Reporting to the Director of Technical Services for Archives and Special Collections, the Head of Digital Strategies and Services will lead a team dedicated to digitization, stewardship of born-digital content, and metadata and systems support for stakeholders in Harvard University Archives and Houghton Library. The Head will help create collaborative culture and communities of practice across Harvard Library’s AASC portfolio, which consists of the Fine Arts Library, Harvard Film Archive, Harvard University Archives, Houghton Library, and Loeb Music Library. The incumbent will contribute to strategic efforts to enhance discovery of and access to archives and special collections, including University records, through new digital platforms and services. They will lead efforts to enhance capacity for born-digital stewardship; oversee programmatic and patron-driven digitization; and work to enhance interoperability, accessibility, and usability within our systems infrastructure. The Head will lead the team in innovative ways of doing work and experimentation with innovative technologies while balancing environmental impact, sustainability, and total costs of stewardship for digital content.

Position Description

• Lead and manage a team consisting of 7 FTE; oversee day-to-day operations of unit including a free scanning program, programmatic and project digitization, stewardship of born-digital content, metadata consultation services including automation, batch edits, reporting, and standards compliance, as well as service ownership for existing and emerging systems supporting archives and special collections.
• Through partnerships across Harvard Library develop and implement a comprehensive digital strategy and roadmap for Technical Services for Archives and Special Collections.
• Collaborate with stakeholders within AASC and across Harvard Library to create and align methods of prioritization for services within a newly reorganized structure; communicate regularly with stakeholders the unit’s work and status on projects.
• Oversee programmatic and user-driven digitization initiatives to enhance access to archives and special collections for a global audience, with a focus on Harvard Library’s initiatives to highlight narratives from diverse perspectives and underrepresented groups.
• Establish scalable infrastructure and capacity to steward born-digital content with a focus on providing mediated and un-mediated access in physical and virtual reading room environments.
• Partner with colleagues across Harvard Library to help reimagine and implement an interoperable environment for access and discovery systems that are easy to use for both staff and researchers.
• Participate in Harvard Library working groups and national professional organizations, staying abreast of emerging trends, standards, and best practices.

Basic Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Library Science, Archives Management, or a related field.
• 5 or more years’ professional experience with digital projects, collections, or services.
• 2 or more years’ experience managing and supporting staff.

Additional Qualifications and Skills

• Demonstrated success developing and implementing strategies and workflows in a complex environment with many stakeholders and numerous competing priorities.
• Expertise in library and archives metadata standards, systems interoperability, born-digital stewardship, and/or user experience design.
• Passion for enabling access to cultural heritage collections through emerging technologies, balancing innovation with sustainability and long-term costs of stewardship.
• Strong project management experience, written and verbal communication, and leadership skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, belonging and anti-racism.
• Demonstrated discretion in handling confidential information.
• Capacity to thrive in an environment of change.

Physical Requirements

Frequently moves boxes weighing up to 20 pounds across the library for various needs.

Working Conditions

• May interact with collections that may contain dust, mold, or other contaminants.
• Hybrid position. The position is based on site in Cambridge, MA. There may be the opportunity for a hybrid work model compliant with Harvard University policies.
• Work location is responsive and subject to change based on business needs. Requests for flexibility will be considered consistent with Harvard University flexwork policies.

How to apply