Library Associate, The Met (NY)

Library Associate, Circulation and Technical Services, Thomas J. Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, NY

 

The Thomas J. Watson Library in The Metropolitan Museum of Art is pleased to announce an opening for the position of Library Associate, Circulation and Technical Services. This full-time position is a special opportunity to contribute to the success of an innovative and productive art library at a world-class museum while learning and applying new skills.

 

The Library Associate is a key member of both the technical services and circulation departments, responsible for ensuring accurate access and inventory control of the library’s collection. Core tasks include receiving, processing, barcoding, and cataloging physical and digital collections in both MARC and non-MARC formats to international standards; performing quality control and resolving discrepancies for bibliographic records, utilizing Sierra software; sending and receiving orders and invoices in accordance with international EDIFACT protocols from all major book vendors; loading bibliographic records via FTP from bibliographic cataloging vendors and communicating with them for proper quality control; processing materials for offsite, withdrawals, and Wert commercial bookbinding; departmental library management and maintenance; managing cataloging of the reference collection in the Drawings and Prints; processing books for departmental libraries; managing daily recalls (average of 120 per month) between curatorial staff; and conducting a detailed inventory of library materials checked out to Museum staff. Provides outstanding service to all library patrons at the Circulation and Registration Desks on a daily basis.

This position reports to the Associate Manager of Circulation and Reader Services. The schedule is Monday-Friday.

Please submit a cover letter stating your interest and your CV, addressed to the search committee, to lib.search@metmuseum.org.

 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILIES & DUTIES:

 

·       Utilizes knowledge of RDA/AACR2 and the LC Classification system to create high quality descriptive and technical metadata in both MARC and non-MARC formats for both physical and digital collections; catalogs research materials in all formats according to national standards

·       Assists with data loads of bibliographic and authority records and financial data from vendors using EDIFACT, systems maintenance, and Sierra library software

·       Assists in processing and cataloging of gifts for Watson and departmental libraries

·       Assists with collection management including offsite processing, withdrawals, and departmental library maintenance

·       Collaborates with library staff to maximize the functionality of our integrated library software, Sierra, to assess best practices and streamline workflow for inventory, collections management, recall procedures, and cataloging

·       Manages the daily recall process of library materials between curatorial staff and the circulation of departmental library materials for Museum staff

·       Coordinates with departing Museum staff to ensure all library materials are returned

·       Maintains an ongoing and accurate inventory of materials checked out to Museum fellows

·       Processes overdue notices for departmental library books

·       Assists with the maintenance of the circulation database in Sierra, including creating and updating item and patron records

·       Responsible for cataloging the reference collection in the Drawings and Prints departmental library

·       Assists in departmental book retrieval and circulation for library patrons

·       Coordinates with curatorial departments to conduct a detailed inventory of library materials checked out to Museum staff

·       Provides outstanding customer service in daily Circulation and Registration Desk shifts

·       Occasional weekend work required

·       Other duties as assigned

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience and Skills:

·       Library experience required

·       Excellent customer service skills required

·       Excellent communication and interpersonal skills required

·       Ability to do detailed work accurately and independently required

·       While performing duties of this job, the employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and also push or pull objects weighing 30-400 pounds on wheels (book trucks).

 

Knowledge and Education:

·       Work toward or completion of an MLS preferred

·       Experience using an automated integrated library system and preferred

·       Knowledge of RDA/AACR2, LC Classification and MARC21 preferred

 

The Thomas J. Watson Library is the central research library of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Reflecting the depth and scope of the Museum’s collection, the library collects scholarly material from the art of early antiquity to contemporary art. Like the Museum, the library’s holdings are encyclopedic and global in nature and provide a broad range of research materials on Ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian, Greek and Roman, Asian, Islamic, European and American art. In addition to its extensive collection of monographs, exhibition catalogs and rare books, the library includes 150,000 auction and sale catalogs dating from the eighteenth century to the present day. Watson Library’s staff of thirty eight adds nearly 20,000 volumes a year, manages a large collection of electronic resources, and continues to build its digital collections, now comprising over one million pages of online content.

The Museum’s library system includes The Robert Goldwater Library, covering the art of Africa, Oceania and the Americas; Nolen Library, providing materials for all ages on the history of art and also curriculum related material for teachers; The Lehman Collection Library, a collection on European painting and decorative arts; The Joyce F. Menschel Library in the Department of Photographs; The Onassis Library in the Department of Greek and Roman Art; The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library; and the Cloisters Library for medieval art and related topics. The Museum’s departmental libraries contribute to combined holdings of more than one million volumes, a collection unrivaled in depth and coverage for the history of art on a global scale.

 

See https://www.metmuseum.org to learn more about the Museum’s libraries, including access policies and hours, and to connect to the libraries’ catalog, Watsonline.