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Metadata Archivist

The University of Texas at Austin
retirement plan
United States, Texas, Austin
101 East 27th Street (Show on map)
Oct 17, 2025

Job Posting Title:

Metadata Archivist

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Hiring Department:

Dolph Briscoe Center for American History

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

The Briscoe Center for American History is one of the nation's leading research centers for historical study. The center's archives, libraries, museums, and historic buildings are part of The University of Texas at Austin's commitment to collecting, preserving, and making available the evidence of the past.

The center's exhibit spaces, classrooms, and Reading Room are located on The University of Texas at Austin campus. The center also operates the Briscoe-Garner Museum in Uvalde, Texas; the Sam Rayburn Museum in Bonham, Texas; and Winedale, a research collection of nineteenth-century structures, material culture, and decorative arts located near Round Top, Texas.

The Briscoe Center promotes the university's teaching and research mission through classes and seminars, academic fellowships, faculty collaborations, and student internships. The center fosters public exploration of history through research services, exhibits, books, public programs, and digital humanities projects inspired by archival holdings.

Purpose

The Briscoe Center for American History seeks a detail oriented and collaborative metadata archivist who will be responsible for coordinating and managing the development and implementation of metadata strategies that support the discovery of the Centers digital and analog materials, across platforms and data types, including collection description, collection management data, born-digital archives, curated digital collections, and institutional digital assets. The Metadata Archivist will report to the Assistant Director for Digital Content Strategy.

Responsibilities

  • Develop and implement metadata strategies for current and future platforms to support the discovery and preservation of the Center's digital and analog materials. This includes collection descriptions, management data, born-digital archives, curated digital collections, and institutional digital assets.
  • Maintain and develop metadata standards, ontologies, policies, and workflows for digital resources. Provide training to staff on metadata practices and procedures.
  • Serve as the primary contact for user experience and usability in staff metadata creation and editing. Lead authority control efforts to ensure consistent use of names, places, and subjects in metadata.
  • Normalize, map, and migrate legacy metadata for use in evolving systems and applications.
  • Participate in center-wide activities, working groups, and other center committees as assigned. Work in the reading room regularly and respond to reference inquiries from a wide variety of individuals and entities.
  • Recruit, train and supervise student interns.
  • Collaborate with campus colleagues in Information Technology Services, University Libraries, the Texas Advanced Computing Center, and Records Management to integrate linked data technologies.
  • Keep abreast of national standards and emerging technologies in resource description, applying relevant developments and advising colleagues on their potential impact.
  • Other duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications
  • MLS/MLIS from an ALA accredited program or equivalent degree in a related field
  • 1-2 years of experience in a library or archives setting.
  • Knowledge of relevant metadata schemas and standards used in libraries and archives
  • Strong problem-solving abilities and technical skills
  • Experience managing metadata throughout its lifecycle, from initial description to release in a production application
  • Experience using archival information management systems and digital object repository systems
  • Knowledge of data modeling, data conceptualization, and data exchange formats
  • Knowledge of transforming metadata using tools like open refine or scripting languages
  • Proficiency using Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, and text editors like BBEdit
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Demonstrated commitment to a collaborative work environment

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience developing in Unix based environments
  • Experience with project management
  • Familiarity with the Open Archive Information Standard
  • Knowledge of preservation metadata standards such as PREMIS
  • Advanced knowledge of PHP, TWIG, and Python
  • Experience in automation, integration and deployment, and data modeling
  • Knowledge of linked open data/semantic web principles and methods of implementation (RDF), object stores, searching and indexing (Solr), authentication and authorization concepts, and APIs for aggregated discovery tools
  • Understanding of link resolvers and proxy authentication systems
  • Understanding and experience using Git and gitflow.
  • Experience with ArchivesSpace
  • Experience with library management systems
  • Supervisory experience
Salary Range

$63,000

Working Conditions
  • May work around standard office conditions
  • Use of manual dexterity
  • Climbing of stairs
  • Climbing of ladders
  • Lifting and moving up to 50 lbs.
Work Shift
  • very occasional evening/weekend work ours for special events
Required Materials
  • Resume/CV

  • 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
  • Letter of interest

Importantfor applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers:You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure thatALLRequired Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers:As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questionspresented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer,complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university's company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

  • E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
  • Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
  • Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.

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