Associate Museum Librarian, Cataloging and Metadata

About the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online.

Since its founding in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. We are committed to fostering a collaborative and respectful work environment with a staff as diverse as the audiences we engage. Our staff members are art lovers who are passionate about working toward a common goal: creating the most dynamic and inspiring art museum in the world.

At The Met, every staff member – from security officers to researchers to scientists and beyond – lives by our core values of respect, inclusivity, collaboration, excellence, and integrity. 

Respect: Engage one another with collegiality, empathy, and kindness, always.

Inclusivity: Ensure that all are and feel welcome and valued.

Collaboration: Reach across boundaries to exchange ideas and work together toward our shared mission.

Excellence: Lead the cultural world in quality and expertise—and inspire curiosity and creativity.

Integrity: Hold ourselves to the highest moral standards, admit when we fall short, and then evolve. 

ABOUT WATSON LIBRARY 

Thomas J. Watson Library is The Met's research library. With its collection of more than one million volumes, extensive digital collections, and online resources, Watson Library is one of the world's most comprehensive art libraries. The library's holdings reflect the global and encyclopedic nature of The Met, with books ranging in date from the late fifteenth century to current scholarship, in all fields covered by The Met. The library's mission is to support the research activities of the Museum staff and to offer access and outstanding services to an international community of students and scholars. The staff of the Sherman Fairchild Center for Book Conservation are responsible for the preservation of Watson’s collection, and for other Met departmental collections. 

GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES: 

This position performs original and complex copy cataloging adhering to current national and international standards (e.g., RDA, LCNAF, LCSH, PCC); engages in name authority record creation (NACO); contributes to the department’s continued engagement with reparative cataloging practices; and increases awareness, discoverability, and use of the library’s collections through publications, presentations, programs, digitization, and social media.   

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES: 

• Applies specialized subject and metadata expertise, and performs original and complex copy cataloging of library material;  

• Creates high-quality descriptive and technical metadata in MARC and non-MARC formats for physical and digital collections, including serials;  

• Performs original and complex copy cataloging for print and electronic materials following RDA standards in all subjects collected by the library, including materials in Romance and other European languages;  

• Creates and enhances LC/NACO records, and participates in linked data initiatives involving NACO, Wikidata, and other vocabularies;  

• Creates TMS records for library material that is exhibited publicly; 

• Plays a leading role in cataloging material from all Departmental Libraries, as well as managing projects related to the handling of Departmental Library projects;  

• Increases awareness, discoverability, and use of the library’s collections through publications, presentations, programs, and social media;  

• Contributes to the metadata creation of the library’s digital collections; 

• Assists in coordinating the cataloging and processing of library materials by Watson staff, interns, and volunteers;  

• Provides reference assistance and research support to Museum staff and visiting researchers in Watson, including 3-4 weekend days per year;  

• Maintains a course of professional development through participation in professional associations or other professional activities external to the library, and brings best practices and innovative approaches to Watson Library;  

• Other duties as assigned.  

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS: 

• ALA-accredited master’s degree in library or information sciences required; M.A. in Art History or significant experience working in the humanities preferred 

• Five years’ experience in a professional position in a museum or academic library required  

• At least five years of experience in original and complex copy cataloging, with demonstrated fluency in cataloging print, digital, continuing resources, and online resources required 

• Experience with OCLC Connexion, MarcEdit, OpenRefine, and an integrated library system required 

• Experience creating records in TMS preferred 

• Experience creating and updating NACO records and coordinating linked data initiatives that involve NACO records preferred 

• Experience with automated methods to improve or enhance bibliographic records and metadata at scale preferred 

• Excellent instruction and communication skills, and the ability to provide high-quality reference services and to make presentations to a broad range of researchers from novice to advanced required 

• Ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders including curatorial and research staff, fellows, and local academic programs required 

• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to establish positive and productive collaborations with library colleagues and museum staff required 

• Ability to plan, manage, and oversee multiple projects, meet deadlines, and prioritize work in alignment with the strategic goals of the library and the Museum required 

• Ability to perform detailed work accurately and independently required 

• Knowledge of cataloging and classification practices, standards, and schema such as MARC, RDA, AACR2, LCSH, and Program for Cooperative Cataloging standards (NACO, SACO, BIBCO) required 

• Reading knowledge of at least one Romance or other European language; proficiency in a second and third language strongly preferred 

• Experience with large cataloging projects preferred 

COMPENSATION:

• Pay Rate: $95,000 - $105,000

The advertised pay scale reflects the good faith minimum and maximum salary range for this role. The advertised pay scale is not a promise of a particular wage for any specific employee. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may be dependent on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, education, special licensing or qualifications, and other factors.

Location Requirements

At time of employment, employees are expected to be located within commuting distance of the Museum. “Commuting distance” means that they are located in one of following states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania (the “Tri-state and PA” areas), and be able to commute to and from the Museum in a single day.

Benefits Offerings

The Museum provides competitive compensation, and generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees. Note: Benefits Offering may differ based on Employee Status.

• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• 403(b) basic retirement plan and optional matching retirement plan with an outstanding employer match
• Considerable paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and 13 Museum holidays
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible Spending Accounts & Health Savings Account (pre-tax income for eligible health care expenses)
• Commuter benefits (pre-tax income for parking or mass transit expenses)
• Free financial-planning services
• Financial assistance for relevant coursework, seminars, and training programs
• 25% discount for staff in Museum shops
• A subsidized staff cafeteria
• Access to the Museums Council pass, which grants free admission to various museums and cultural institutions

We recognize that it is highly unlikely that someone meets 100% of the desired attributes for a role. If much of this job description describes you, then please apply for this role.

The Met is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, The Met will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed in this process, please contact [email protected].  

The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, alienage or citizenship status, marital status or domestic partner status, genetic information, genetic predisposition or carrier status, gender identity, HIV status, military status and any other category protected by law in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, lay-off and termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.