At the University of California, Berkeley, we are committed to creating a community that fosters equity of experience and opportunity, and ensures that students, faculty, and staff of all backgrounds feel safe, welcome and included. Our culture of openness, freedom and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty and staff.
The University of California, Berkeley, is one of the world’s leading institutions of higher education, distinguished by its combination of internationally recognized academic and research excellence; the transformative opportunity it provides to a large and diverse student body; its public mission and commitment to equity and social justice; and its roots in the California experience, animated by such values as innovation, questioning the status quo, and respect for the environment and nature. Since its founding in 1868, Berkeley has fueled a perpetual renaissance, generating unparalleled intellectual, economic and social value in California, the United States and the world.
We are looking for equity-minded applicants who represent the full diversity of California and who demonstrate a sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ethnic backgrounds present in our community. When you join the team at Berkeley, you can expect to be part of an inclusive, innovative and equity-focused community that approaches higher education as a matter of social justice that requires broad collaboration among faculty, staff, students and community partners. In deciding whether to apply for a position at Berkeley, you are strongly encouraged to consider whether your values align with our Guiding Values and Principles, our Principles of Community, and our Strategic Plan.
At UC Berkeley, we believe that learning is a fundamental part of working, and our goal is for everyone on the Berkeley campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support this by providing all of our staff employees with at least 80 hours (10 days) of paid time per year to engage in professional development activities. To find out more about how you can grow your career at UC Berkeley, visit grow.berkeley.edu.
Departmental Overview
The Library Information Technology (Library IT) Department, a department within the UC Berkeley Library, is charged with the design, development, management, and maintenance of flexible and reliable technology environments for the Library, specifically: the development and management of digital collections and services and their associated digital discovery and access platforms; creation of digital content; digital preservation tools; the development of a fully accessible and responsive library web presence that applies user experience principles and strategies; the development and support of server-based technologies for the delivery of library services; the maintenance of library management and discovery systems; the management of the library's computing services including desktop support, software, and library labs for library staff and public; and the development and delivery of frameworks and applications to support collaborative storage, delivery, and preservation of information resources. The digital and library technology applications and collections developed and managed by Library IT are research vehicles that are used by library patrons ranging from UC Berkeley faculty, students, and staff, other institutions’ faculty and graduate students, and the general public.
Application Review Date
The First Review Date for this job is: 7/11/2024
Responsibilities
The Digitization Services Assistant supports the department’s digitization operations and specialists. The Assistant will digitize analog materials that include manuscripts, books, and a variety of collections from UC Berkeley Libraries and other University holdings to meet the Libraries’ goals for preserving collections and providing online resources. Under general supervision works on different scanning equipment, tracking time and work. Scans materials and performs quality control on images produced. Uses software to produce mildly corrected OCR to digitized materials. Supports the department to meet the requests from users with disabilities. Moves materials between Digitization Services locations to ensure student employees have materials for their assigned work. Makes recommendations to improve processes and/or procedures. Performs other non-routine tasks as related to the needs of the department and/or division. This position works under the oversight of the Head of Digitization Services department.
50% - Material Preparation and Digitization
• Compiles basic information for inclusion in reports or presentation materials.
• Compiles and prepares routine factual reports from readily available information.
• Performs physical preparation of items for digitization.
• Using a variety of digital scanners scans materials, including digitizing bound volumes, oversize items, loose materials, and other print formats following Library image capture guidelines.
• Use appropriate software to scan and inspect image files and various scanning software.
• Follow departmental procedures for tracking the status of projects.
• Pick up items requested by Alt Media and other patrons and put in the appropriate digitization queue.
• Perform OCR processing and required correction using appropriate software on digitized materials as required.
• Notify patrons when books are ready for download.
• Verify and adhere to the established file naming convention.
• Assist with digital conversion of files from one format to another.
• Directs files to next step of processing.
40% - Provides information on department procedures and straightforward policies.
Workflow and departmental support
• Keep items in queue for student workers, including disbanding discarded items, keeping queues up-to-date, and discarding items when digitization is completed.
• Pick up items at main circulation that are ready for digitization, e.g., eReserves
• Pick up and return items from other Library locations and areas across the various libraries and other units on campus.
• Attend meetings and assist with department events and programs.
• Assist with systematic organization of the physical items that have been digitized.
• Help (as needed) in compiling statistics of digitization projects.
5% - Communication
• Notify manager of items that do not meet digitization guidelines for the manager to address.
• Keep manager informed regularly of work being completed, any issues that arise, and status of work to be completed.
5% - Miscellaneous
• Pursue opportunities for professional development, including workshops, conferences, seminars, and specialized training classes.
• Other duties as assigned, including being cross-trained in other digitization department workflows and processes.
Required Qualifications
- Strong attention to detail.
- Strong computer skills and demonstrated ability to learn new technology and required software (database software; web-based tools, etc.).
- Requires basic verbal and written communication skills, active listening, critical thinking, multi-task and time management skills.
- Ability to understand and follow oral and written directions.
- Sound judgment to identify and report problems to the supervisor and contribute to resolving them.
- Must be self-motivated, work independently and as part of a team as needed, and meet deadlines.
- Excellent fine motor coordination, e.g., to handle fragile paper-based originals.
- Ability to do repetitive tasks keeping to exacting imaging standards.
- Ability to move from one project to another, keeping track of the workflows and requirements for each project.
- High school diploma and/or equivalent experience/training.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working in a Library or Higher Education environment
- Experience working in Google Docs and Google sheets environments.
- Knowledge of Alma or other integrated library systems.
- Experience handling library or archival materials.
- Experience doing manual OCR corrections with tools, such as, Abbyy Finereader.
Salary & Benefits
This is a 100% full-time (40 hrs a week) non-exempt career position, which is paid hourly and eligible for full UC Benefits.
For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.
Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.
The budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $22.74 (Step 2.0) to $24.76 (Step 6.0).
How to Apply
To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.
Other Information
This position is governed by the terms and conditions in the agreement for the Clerical & Allied Services Unit (CX) between the University of California and Teamsters Local 2010. The current bargaining agreement manual can be found at: http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/cx/index.html This is not a visa opportunity.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. For more information about your rights as an applicant, please see the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission poster.
For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy, please see the University of California Discrimination, Harassment, and Affirmative Action in the Workplace policy.