Digital Humanities Website Graduate Student Assistant

Overview

Auburn University Libraries is seeking applicants for the position of Graduate Student Assistant to assist in the upkeep of the AlabamaMosaic website. The student should be interested in digital humanities, a branch of study that marries humanities research and sources with computing skills and methods.

 

AlabamaMosaic (http://alabamamosaic.org/) is a public repository of digital materials on Alabama's history, culture, places, and people. Its purpose is to make unique historical treasures from Alabama's archives, libraries, museums, and other repositories electronically accessible to Alabama residents and to students, researchers, and the general public in other states and countries. The project collects metadata and links from online archives across Alabama to create a single-search site for primary source documents relating to Alabama history.

 

The selected student may work up to 10 hours per week, depending on operational needs. Work hours are scheduled between 7:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday.

 

Important Note: This position is not a graduate assistantship.

Responsibilities

This student will help to update and maintain content of the AlabamaMosaic site by assisting the project coordinator with:

• Maintaining an inventory of active collections
• Regularly checking links to participant collections
• Using Google Analytics to generate AlabamaMosaic usage statistics for quarterly reports
• Ingesting new collections into the AlabamaMosaic index
• Checking on and reporting issues with the AlabamaMosaic website
• Performing regular check-ins with institutional partners to see if they have updates to their collections
• Working with the AU Libraries IT team to develop harvesting scripts for new collections
• Updating metadata standards to improve search experience in the index
• Searching for online collections that could be good candidates for adding to AlabamaMosaic

• Other duties as assigned

 

This student will learn to use metadata harvesting tools, write eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT), perform batch file processing, and enforce a Dublin Core XML metadata schema.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled graduate student at Auburn University
• Must include a cover letter
• Must provide detailed availability for each day of the week within library operating hours

Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Preferred Skills

• Demonstrated interest in public service and providing high-quality customer service

• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team while interacting professionally with faculty, staff, and students

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills

• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills

• Demonstrated dependability with consistent attendance and punctuality

• Ability to multitask and work effectively in a fast-paced environment

• Experience with or interest in Computer Science, English, History, Geography, and/or Political Science is a plus

Why Work at Auburn?

Why should YOU consider student employment at Auburn University?

• Gain valuable work experience! Student employment allows you to explore different interests, identify strengths, and make informed decisions about your future career goals.
• Build your network! Interacting with faculty, staff, and fellow students can lead to valuable connections and potential mentors.
• Make a difference! Have the satisfaction of knowing YOU are a part of providing the premier academic experience at Auburn and the life-changing work our students and employees perform.

Equal Opportunity Compliance Statement

It is our policy to provide equal employment and education opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by applicable law. Please visit the Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance's website to learn more.