1969 Digitization Assistant

JOB TITLE: Digitization Assistant, Publications 

LOCATION: History Center - 345 W Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102 

COMPENSATION: $22.54 hourly minimum 

STATUS & HOURS: Full-time, regular (approximately 2,080 annual hours) position. 

BENEFITS: Eligible to participate in State Employee Group Insurance Program and a retirement program with employer contribution. Generous vacation and sick time accruals with additional paid holidays. 

DESIGNATION: Bargaining Unit AFSCME Local 3173 

POSTING DATE: November 13, 2024 

DEADLINE DATE: November 27, 2024 

TO APPLY: Interested applicants must apply online at the Minnesota Historical Society’s career center at www.mnhs.org/jobs and include a resume and cover letter by the application deadline date. 

DESCRIPTION: This position exists to support the preservation of and online access to the publications collections, primarily newspapers and serials, through digitization activities. 

SUMMARY OF WORK: 1) Lead activities related to publications digitization; 2) Lead activities related to processing digital files for online access and preservation; and 3) Provide general support for the Collections Digitization unit. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

● Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, plus two years digitization experience. 

● Hands-on experience with digital imaging, scanners, related procedures/techniques, standards, and best practices. 

● Hands-on experience with calibration of scanning equipment to ensure capture of best images, including willingness to troubleshoot as necessary. 

● Experience in quality control procedures. 

● Experience developing and delivering hands-on technical training. 

● Experience creating and maintaining technical documentation. 

● Flexibility and willingness to shift priorities according to current needs. 

● Physical ability to regularly lift, maneuver, and carry storage containers weighing 40 pounds as well as oversize materials. 

● Physical tolerance to dust, mold and other airborne materials. 

● Ability to stand for a minimum of two hours at a time. 

● Ability to sit, kneel, crouch, reach, bend, and to push loaded carts. 

● Ability to use a keyboard and work at a computer for extended periods of time. 

● Valid driver’s license and willingness and ability to travel on occasion. 

DEMONSTRATED SKILLS IN:

● Attention to detail. 

● Multitasking, working effectively under pressure to meet deadlines, prioritizing and adapting to changing priorities. 

● Working independently and taking individual initiative while also being able to collaborate effectively and contribute positively in a team environment. 

● Strong verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills. 

● Computer skills, specifically Google Apps including Drive, Docs, and Sheets; Microsoft Access and Excel. 

KNOWLEDGE OF: 

● Digitization standards and best practices 

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

● Experience with a variety of digitization equipment such as flat-bed, sheet-feed, camera based, large-format, overhead, and microfilm scanners. 

● Experience with digitization equipment and software, troubleshooting, and vendors. 

● Experience with WideTek scanners, Mekel microfilm scanners, DT Versa and Titan imaging systems. 

● Experience with docWizz, newsClip, Capture One, QuantumScan and QuantumProcess softwares. 

● Experience with publications, including newspapers and serials, and microfilm. 

● Experience with unique, old, and fragile materials. 

● Experience tracking productivity metrics. 

● Experience scheduling staff and providing lead work direction. 

● Experience developing, writing, and maintaining procedure manuals. 

● Knowledge of newspapers and serials and ability to assess complex relationships between titles. 

● Knowledge of cataloging rules and metadata encoding standards. 

Should you have questions with the application process, email humanresources@mnhs.org or call MNHS Job Line at 651-259-3181. 

At MNHS, we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on diversity for the benefit of our employees, our products and services, and our community. The Minnesota Historical Society believes that an inclusive culture among our team members is critical to our success as a historical society and museum, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. The Minnesota Historical Society is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and employer.