Digitization Technician

Education and Experience

The digitization technician will serve on a 3-year, grant-funded project to establish a digitization lab at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. A bachelor’s degree in history, information science, data management, museum studies, or a related field is preferred, but not required. At least 2 years of experience leading digitization, data entry, records management, or digital collections-based projects are needed, with experience in natural history or cultural collections preferred.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provides 2D and 3D digital imaging of the Museum’s permanent collection, which includes a wide variety of materials, shapes, and sizes that can be complex to digitize.
• Manages identified digitization projects, communicating and coordinating with team members in multiple departments, contributing to project design and implementation, supporting 2D and 3D imaging requirements, assisting with digital asset management, and contributing to data collection workflows.
• Safeguards the data lifecycle for digital assets, including data management and processing of new 2D and 3D image files, following Museum guidelines for file naming, metadata, and organization.
• Ensures thorough tracking, documenting, and reporting of project activities and outcomes, including specimen organization and movement in collections.
• Builds and adapts workflows, supports digitization projects, evaluates new tools and technologies, and works across various collection types with a pragmatic approach to problem-solving.
• Displays excellent organizational and project management skills, with a high degree of attention to detail, undertaking complex projects to a high level of accuracy.
• Demonstrates comprehensive and current knowledge of standards and best practices for museum collections management care and possesses experience working with collections management and digital asset management systems (e.g., EMu, Terentia).
• Shows excellent IT skills, including the ability to check and verify data in documents, spreadsheets, databases, or other sources, and possesses excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to deal effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, maintaining positive working relationships.
• Is self-motivated with a demonstrated ability to work independently and successfully in a team towards deadline-driven projects.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Comprehensive and current knowledge of standards and best practices for museum collections management care.
• Experience working with collections management and digital asset management systems (e.g., EMu, Terentia).
• Ability to build and adapt workflows, support digitization projects, and assist with evaluating new tools and technologies.
• Pragmatic approach to problem-solving.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills with a high degree of attention to detail.
• Excellent IT skills including the ability to check and verify data in documents, spreadsheets, databases, or other sources.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to deal effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, maintaining positive working relationships.
• Self-motivated with a demonstrated ability to work independently, as well as successfully in a team, towards deadline-driven projects.

Equipment

The digitization technician must demonstrate the ability to use imaging equipment and software tools used to produce, process, and manage digital assets.

Physical Working Conditions

The position requires sitting, walking, standing, reaching including stooping, kneeling, and crouching. Physical effort may occasionally be required, such as standing or walking for extended periods, climbing up and down ladders, lifting 30 lbs., and responding to emergency situations.