Digital Collections Curator

Job Description:

Job Summary

Reporting to the Associate Director of the Center for the Art of East Asia (CAEA) and Faculty Director of the Dispersed Chinese Art Digitization Project (DCADP), the Collections Curator will manage research and data related to the DCADP, which include but are not limited to research papers, photographic images, and digital 3D object models for the dispersed artworks. The Collections Curator will work with collaborators at the Institute for Technological Preservation of Cultural Heritage in the Xiâ™an Jiaotong University (XJUAD) Art Department, and liaise with other campus partners, including the Visual Resources Center in the Department of Art History, Humanities Computing, Research Computing Center, and the UChicago Library Center for Digital Scholarship and Digital Library Development Center, separately. This is a full-time position with benefits and is grant funded.  Provisions will be discussed for remote work during the pandemic.

Unit-Specific Responsibilities

1) Establish and maintain a content management system for the DCADP; work with campus partners to implement and maintain metadata standards to enable transnational resource-sharing and discovery.
2) Perform quality-control for digital files; work with Humanities Computing campus unit on web platform content; maintain written and digital project documentation and communication.
3) Train CAEA student employees, faculty, and other staff as needed on technology and metadata standard trends, changes and best practices during the project.
4) Collaborate with the Department of Art History to incorporate the DCADP collection into its annual Suzanne Deal Booth Conservation Seminars.
5) Promote the collection and engage the community-at-large through various outreach initiatives and activities including, but not limited to, the curation of physical and digital exhibitions, speakers, panel discussions, and workshops/seminars; may be done in collaboration with other staff and organizations on and off campus; targeted audiences include K-12 students, undergraduates, graduates, faculty, staff, community researchers, Chinese art history enthusiasts/East Asian art enthusiasts, academic communities, and more. 
    
Unit-Preferred Competencies

1) Strong communication skills, verbal and written to compose accurate and concise communications suitable for professional discourse.
2) Work independently as well as collaborate with colleagues to solve problems. 
3) Learn and integrate new tools and technologies to achieve the goals of the project; stay abreast of new and emerging technologies and standards in the field.
4) Demonstrated or documented success supporting and advocating for diversity, equity, inclusion or accessibility values in professional or personal capacities.  
5) Have some form of a remote working space during the pandemic.

Preferred Qualifications

Education

1) Masterâ™s degree in art history or cultural heritage management-related discipline (archives and manuscripts management, museum studies, library and information science, etc).

Experience

1) Experience with content management systems or digital asset management systems, art-related metadata and description standards.

2) Familiarity with archiving standards and best practices for born-digital collections.

Technical Knowledge or Skills

 1) Written and verbal fluency in Chinese.

Required Documents

1) Resume/CV

2) Letter of Interest in this position

3) Reference Contact Information (3)

4) APPLICANTS, PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR RESPONSE TO THE STATEMENT WHICH FOLLOWS WITHIN THE RESUME/CV ATTACHMENT PORTION OF THE APPLICATION SYSTEM:  Describe your experience with data management projects that have required you to adapt by applying new tools and developing new skills on the job.

NOTE: When applying, all required documents MUST be uploaded under the Resume/CV section of the application.

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Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via the Applicant Inquiry Form.

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