Descriptions of the 2017 Atkins Fellows positions, with contact information for each supervisor.

Digital Image Processing Fellow (Special Collections and University Archives)

Digital University Records Fellow (Special Collections and University Archives)

Electronic Resources Management Fellow (Collection Services)

Public Services Fellow (Public Services)

Technology Services Fellow (Technology and Digital Strategies)

 

Digital Image Processing Fellow

Description:

The Digital Image Processing Fellow will work to preserve and disseminate born-digital photographs created by motorsports photographer Bryant McMurray.  The fellow will complete the accessioning of the photographs using established processes, then develop and implement a workflow for processing the digital files and ingesting them into a digital repository on the Islandora platform. The Fellow will work with digital production and metadata librarians, and possibly the photographer himself, on the creation of metadata and workflows.
 

Preferred Education/Training, Experience, Skills/Competencies:

• Coursework and/or professional experience with digital archives, including principles of digital preservation

• Experience with BitCurator and digital forensics tools

• Understanding of digital photography formats including JPG, TIF/TIFF, and RAW formats

• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills

• Basic familiarity with one or more metadata standards, including MARC, MODS, Dublin Core, EAD, etc.

• Familiarity with digital asset management systems and frameworks for libraries, such as CONTENTdm, Hydra, or Islandora

 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Complete the transfer of files from an external drive to local server using existing workflow

• Research best practices for processing born-digital photographs

• Establish workflow for processing born-digital photographs, which may include:

  • Extracting embedded file metadata

  • Researching best practices for working with born-digital JPG files

  • Reformatting files, if needed

  • Arrangement and description

• Develop a plan for ingest into Islandora repository

• Working with the Digital Production Librarian, begin the ingest process

• Working with the Metadata Librarian, ensure standard-compliant metadata is applied and creator-supplied metadata is cleaned up

 

Supervisor: Rita Johnston, Digital Production Librarian (rjohn211@uncc.edu)

 

 

Digital University Records Fellow

 

Description:

Reporting to the university archivist, the fellow will assist in projects that facilitate the selection, acquisition, transfer, preservation, arrangement, description, and access to born-digital university records in accordance with emerging standards and best practices.

 

The fellow’s work will have several different components, but the primary tasks will be to: 1. develop a survey instrument to gather information about university offices’ born-digital records and record keeping practices; and 2. to develop and draft procedures for the transfer and ingestion of permanently valuable born-digital university records.

 

The person in this position will continue work begun in 2015 by another Atkins fellow. The 2015 fellow initiated this project by identifying at-risk record groups and performing basic research on current best practices.

 

Preferred Education/Training, Experience, Skills/Competencies:

Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills; Completed coursework in archival theory, including the theory and practice of digital preservation; Experience with digital repository platforms; Basic familiarity of records management principles and practices.

 

Duties and Responsibilities:

Create a digital records survey instrument that assesses the record keeping practices, technical environments and record types generated by university offices and/or departments; Research best practices and emerging standards related to the acquisition and transfer of born-digital records; Draft procedures and related workflows that will facilitate the selection, acquisition, transfer and preservation of born-digital records.

 

Supervisor: Katie Howell, University Archivist (chowel29@uncc.edu)

 

 

Electronic Resources Management Fellow

 

Description:

Atkins Library collects and manages thousands of electronic resources. In order to manage all of the electronic resources effectively, the library is implementing an Electronic Resources Management System (ERMS). The fellow will work with the Electronic and Continuing Resources Librarian and the Collection Development Librarian on creating workflows for adding information to the system, help populate the system, and code licenses to determine what information should be included. Through this work they will learn the intricacies of electronic resources management including acquisitions, licensing, and assessment and be prepared to perform this work in a professional capacity upon completion of the fellowship.

 

Preferred Education/Training, Experience, Skills/Competencies:

1. Basic familiarity with the MARC cataloging format and cataloging

2. Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills

3. Familiarity with common subscription database collections at an academic library.

 

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Research best practices for electronic resource management.

2. Populate ERMS with information about the libraries electronic resources collection.

3. Create and update records of resources, licensing, organizations, and usages statistics in ERMS.

4. Review, code, and organize the electronic resources license agreements and contracts.

5. Gather, manage, and assess electronic resources COUNTER compliant usage statistics.

6. Assist in creating workflow for future use of the ERMS and create guides instructing others on the workflow.

7. Work collaboratively to coordinate responses to reports of access problems.

 

Supervisors: Shoko Tokoro, Electronic and Continuing Resources Librarian (stokoro@uncc.edu)

Liz Siler, Collection Development Librarian (esiler3@uncc.edu)

 

Public Services Fellow

Description:

 

This position centers on improving teamwork and processes in the Public Services unit.  Public Services is newly formed, combining Access Services and Research and Instructional Services, and we aim to maximize the integration and productivity of our team. This position is ideal for candidates interested in library leadership and/or public services. The Fellow will focus on several aspects of Public Services including team building, promoting collaboration, process workflows, and research.

 

Duties and Responsibilities:

 

The Fellow will work with the Business Librarian and the Interim Interlibrary Loan Coordinator on two projects in Public Services.

 

The first project includes researching and utilizing best practices for team and morale building. The desired outcomes of this project are a database of ideas/activities for team and morale building, a literature review that will be utilized for a future publication on which the Fellow will be included as an author, and the implementation of one or more team building programs to improve integration and cross functional collaboration by faculty and staff within Public Services.

 

The second project entails mapping workflows for service points within Public Services. The Fellow will investigate areas of overlapping responsibilities between subunits in Public Services and identify opportunities for further collaboration or methods to streamline operations.

 

For example:

• How might interlibrary loan processes be improved and how could subject liaisons better instruct students on utilizing this service?

• How might technical services, circulation, and liaisons work together to evaluate missing items more efficiently?

.

The investigation will be conducted using a variety of methods, including shadowing, focus groups, usability testing, and surveys. The desired outcomes are workflow diagrams and recommendations for improving services and collaboration/communication in the form of a final report. A secondary outcome would be the establishment of a process by which services in the library, particularly within Public Services, could be evaluated in an ongoing manner.

 

Preferred Duties, Skills, Experience:

 

• Research skills

• Enthusiasm for team building

• Business process mapping skills (workflow diagramming) using Visio, Smartdraw, LucidChart, or similar software; or a desire to learn to use such software.

 

Supervisors: Nicole Spoor, Business Librarian (dspoor1@uncc.edu)

Renee Moorefield, Interim Interlibrary Loan Coordinator (RMoorefield@uncc.edu)

 

 

Technology Services Fellow

 

Description:

The Technology Services Fellowship provides a mid-career library information science student or recent graduate an opportunity to conduct research in the area of Makerspace and Fabrication Labs. The purpose of the project is to investigate the ongoing Makerspace movement and develop a collaborative model that enables cross-pollination of ideas, activities, and resources to support creative inquiry in the classroom and beyond. The fellow will have the opportunity to engage with students and faculty from different fields. During the duration of the fellowship, the fellow is embedded within Technology & Digital Strategies, immersing them in a fast-paced learning environment and exposure to new and emerging technologies. The fellow will become an expert in the area of Makerspace and Fabrication Labs through research and hands-on learning.

 

Preferred Education/Training, Experience, Skills/Competencies:

• Knowledge and/or experience with Makerspace/Fabrication Lab technologies;

• Understanding of prototyping and agile development processes;

• Experience conducting independent research;

• Excellent written and oral communication skills;

• Analytical and creative problem solving skills;

 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct literature review and environmental scan of Makerspace and Fabrication Community;

  • Conduct Literature Review with focus on curriculum integration;

  • Conduct Environmental Scan of current Makerspace and Fabrication Labs’ service and resource offerings at UNC Charlotte and surrounding region which may encompass community, public, and other academic libraries;

  • Identify best practices and recommend service models for curriculum integration and support of service;

• Design and develop interactive and accessible web portal for Makerspace and Fabrication Lab information;

  • Create mechanism for cross-organizational communication and collaboration amongst students, researchers, and scholars;

• Identify Short and Long-term opportunities for J. Murrey Atkins Library;

• Generate reports, documentations, present findings, and recommendations to internal and external audiences.

 

Supervisors: Somaly Kim Wu, Head of Library Technology Innovation (skimwu@uncc.edu)

Bob Price, Assistant Dean for Technology and Digital Strategies (Bob.Price@uncc.edu)