21 September 2020
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The American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR), a non-profit institution dedicated to advancing knowledge of Jordan past and present, seeks a Project Technical Archivist. This full-time position in Amman is primarily intended to assist the organization in the implementation of a digital archives grant.
About the Project
The “ACOR Digital Archive: Developing a Multimedia Teaching and Learning Resource” project, supported by a four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education, will process, digitize and make freely available approximately 18,600 multimedia objects (including photographs, audio and video tapes, and born-digital files) of relevance to regional cultural heritage and archaeology.
Position Summary:
The technical project archivist will work closely with the project staff to index, digitize, and care for the archival collections. During the course of the project, he/she will contribute to an archival workshop, prepare a photo essay about the collections, develop related social media content, and provide Arabic translations of archival descriptions (metadata), and other duties as assigned. The position involves working as part of a team in achieving project goals, as well as working efficiently on an individual basis on detail-oriented technical tasks. The position requires patience, diligence, and a keen eye for detail. This is a full-time position. Training opportunities in digitization and digital media will be made available during the course of this project.
Position Responsibilities:
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
VIDEO AND IMAGE PROCESSING AND DIGITIZATION
● Assist with the indexing, processing/digitization and description of photographs (35mm slide film and born digital), VHS/Betamax tapes, and born-digital videos
● Support the preparation of materials for digitization and the organization of the physical collections according to established standards
● Digitize media according to established standards; maintain alphanumeric file naming system, handle archival materials properly with care, adjust and manipulate media, calibrate monitor and other digitization equipment as required
● Support the review of born-digital photos, filtering for content, and editing for quality control
● Contribute and present digitization reports to Archives Team meetings
METADATA CREATION AND TRANSLATION
● Maintain existing metadata organizational systems
● Work collaboratively with the project metadata specialist, consultant translator and project co-leads to select and apply Arabic taxonomies/authority lists to guide Arabic-language metadata creation and translation for limited fields (e.g., Title, collection name, keywords, and theme)
● Contribute to item-level description and finding aids in Arabic
● Assist in the production of one (1) Arabic glossary of subject terms relevant to the archival collections to be published via the open-access archive platform
● Contribute to the creation of promotional materials for the collection, including print media and social media posts to be shared on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram to ACOR’s audience (currently 7,000+ followers across the three platforms)
Preferred Qualifications and Skills:
● University Graduate in cultural resource management, heritage or archaeology; library and archival sciences; translation; or related degree program. MA level preferred.
● Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop/Lightroom, Bridge), collaborative working tools (e.g., Google Drive, OneDrive), and MS Office programs. Knowledge of digitization tools and equipment are desirable but not required.
● Demonstrable experience with English-Arabic translation and independent research. Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills and proven attention to detail. Fluency in Arabic and English is required.
● Experience or interest in photography, digital media and archives
In the coming year, the ACOR facility will be undergoing a major renovation. The successful candidate will be asked to assist with such matters as relates to the renovation, as will all staff. Active participation in supporting the renovation is expected. The renovation may result in periods of time working off-site and/or from home.
This position is grant funded.
SALARY AND BENEFITS:
Based on experience. Health insurance and social security payments included.
TO APPLY:
Please send a letter of interest as a PDF, names and contact information for two references, and current CV or resume to opportunity@acorjordan.org. Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls please.
This position will be filled as soon as the selected candidate accepts, after 1 October 2020. This is a full-time position (1.0 FTE). Physical presence in Amman, Jordan, is required. Travel expenses are not covered. Review of applications will begin immediately, and continue until the position is filled.
ACOR is an equal employment opportunity employer. Employment decisions including hiring, termination, promotion, and wages and privileges will be made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, or any other classification protected by law.
To learn more about past iterations of ACOR archival projects (2016–2020), please visit photoarchive.acorjordan.org.
This page was last updated on 21 September 2020.
