Getty is committed to creating a welcoming workplace that reflects the various backgrounds of the communities we serve. We value differences in the pursuit of inquiry and knowledge, mutual understanding, respect, trust, transparency, and cooperation. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship or immigration status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected status.
Job Summary
Getty seeks applications from innovative and forward-thinking individuals to join the Getty Research Institute’s (GRI) newly established Digital Stewardship and Metadata Optimization section within Special Collections Management as Metadata Strategies Specialist. Based in Los Angeles, the GRI is committed to advancing knowledge and understanding of the visual arts and their histories. Serving an international community of scholars, the Research Library is one of the world’s largest art and architecture libraries, with holdings exceeding 1.5 million volumes. Our Special Collections encompass rare books and journals, photographs, prints and drawings from the 15th century to the present, architectural plans and models, art multiples, film, audio and video recordings, born-digital content, and extensive archives and manuscript collections.
As a key institutional priority, the GRI is embracing a transformative, program-wide approach to metadata strategy. This is an exciting moment of transition, as we undertake major initiatives to evolve the systems and processes that manage and disseminate our digital archival collections. These efforts are opening new opportunities to generate and enrich metadata at scale, grounded in usability and sustainable practices. The Metadata Strategies Specialist will play a central role in designing and implementing innovative workflows to create, link, and enhance collections metadata, collaborating closely with internal teams across the GRI and with Getty technology partners. This position also offers the opportunity to contribute to institutional-wide initiatives in Linked Open Data and the Arches data management platform.
Major Job Responsibilities
- Design and lead projects focused on metadata remediation and enrichment, working in partnership with internal stakeholders across the Getty Research Institute and Getty Digital
- Analyze archival description source metadata to identify opportunities for reconciliation, normalization, and enrichment that improve discoverability and interoperability.
- Lead the development and implementation of metadata enrichment strategies that strengthen and expand the GRI’s linked data infrastructure
- Establish and maintain quality control processes to evaluate the accuracy, consistency, and usability of metadata produced through emerging models and methodologies to ensure trustworthiness and alignment with institutional standards
- Apply methods of computational analysis and tools to support metadata analysis and enrichment at scale
- Identify and pursue opportunities for external metadata contributions, including participation in aggregators, Wikidata, and other open data repositories
- Provide guidance and mentorship to staff on updated workflows, tools, and emergent metadata practices
- Contribute to enhancements of data management platforms by providing input on features, workflows, and tools that support scalable metadata creation and enrichment
- Contributes to documentation of standards, procedures, and workflows
Qualifications
- MLIS from an ALA-accredited program; undergraduate and additional graduate degree in an appropriate discipline preferred
- Minimum 5 years related professional experience
- May require related supervisory and/or project management experience
- Requires strong communication skills
- Requires special subject knowledge, foreign languages, and/or technical expertise
- Experience working in the visual arts, library, and/or archives domains highly desirable
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Strong knowledge of current metadata standards used in libraries archives, and museums, such as EAD, Dublin Core, CIDOC-CRM, and other emerging standards
- Technical expertise in OpenRefine and other computational methods and tools for data retrieval, analysis, reconciliation, and transformation
- Familiarity with or willingness to learn Python and other relevant scripting languages
- Demonstrated ability to build expertise in emerging approaches as well as established practice standards
- Familiarity with database structures and data management
- Basic understanding of linked data concepts and technologies; willingness to develop expertise in Linked.Art, JSON-LD, and Arches platform
- Experience in project management and/or supervisory roles
- Excellent communication, analytical, and problem solving skills
- Ability to conceptualize metadata work within broader institutional and strategic goals
- Proven ability to work collaboratively in team-based environments with colleagues across domains
- Adaptability and effectiveness in dynamic and evolving work environments
- Interest in pedagogy, training, and knowledge sharing
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to meet deadlines, apply policies and procedures consistently, conduct research, and present recommendations
- Ability to design and optimize workflows with an understanding of how changes impact systems, staff, and existing processes.
- Strong understanding of metadata’s role in enhancing search and discovery within user interfaces.
Benefits and Perks
Here are just some examples that Getty offers/provides for full-time employees:
- Medical, Dental and Vision insurance coverage, starting on date of hire. Getty pays 75%-95% of the premium, depending on the plan selected.
- 403(b) Employee Investment retirement plan – with up to 5% Getty Match
- Getty contribution of 6%, on behalf of employee, to 401(a) retirement account
- Educational Assistance and professional development
- Paid Vacation, Sick and Personal Days
- 12 Paid Holidays
- Many positions have bi-weekly Off-Fridays
- On-Site Fitness Center at Getty Center
- Community service opportunities
To learn more about our comprehensive benefits and long list of perks, go to Getty HR.
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