Position title: Changeable and Digital Collections Officer
Section: Collection Engagement
Classification: APS 5
Immediate supervisor: Manager, Changeable and Digital Collections
Status: Non ongoing until 1 March 2024.
Location: Canberra, ACT
Application close date: 11:59pm, Sunday, 13 August 2023
Position contact: Asti Sherring, Manager, Changeable and Digital Collections, Asti.Sherring@nma.gov.au / 0401827168
The Job Opportunity
The Museum has an exciting opportunity for a professional to join the Collection Engagement Business Unit, providing quality training and support to Museum staff in the use and development of its collection information systems.
The Collection Engagement business unit focuses on the current and future processes supporting engagement with the Museum’s collections, including building capacity to manage, store and preserve digital collection material. The Collection Engagement business unit encompasses the diverse range of activities which make the Museum’s collections discoverable. These include collection documentation, collection imaging and digitisation, supporting and developing the Museum’s Collection Management System (EMu) and Digital Asset Management System (Piction), managing associated IP rights, managing the Library and Archive collections and providing public access to the collection – both online and on-site in the Museum’s collection stores. The business unit also includes a First Nations Collections section, which is responsible for repatriation, facilitating First Nations community access to collections, and enhancing the knowledge of the First Nations collections held by the Museum.
The Collection Engagement business unit works closely with the Curatorial team, who set the intellectual framework for collection development, and the Collection Care and Management team who are responsible for collection conservation, storage and related logistics.
This position plays a critical role in undertaking activities that build and support the Museum’s capacity to collect, document, store and conserve the Museum’s Changeable and Digital collections. These collections comprise material that is dynamic, variable, ephemeral, audio visual and digital (born-digital or digitised). This role undertakes a broad range of tasks that contribute to the development of workflows and procedures for acquiring, managing, preserving and providing access to NMA Changeable and Digital collection materials. In conjunction, this role undertakes necessary collection documentation work, such as research related to collection objects, the verification and updating of item records in the CMS (EMu) and minor digital preservation condition activities. You will work with internal stakeholders across Discovery and Collections to enhance the Museum’s digital collecting capacity and ambition. You will also develop and maintain associated training documentation including manuals and technical proformas.
What will the successful candidate bring to the role?
To be successful in this role you will have knowledge and experience of contemporary collection management approaches and best practice collecting standards for complex and multiplex objects. You will have a background or interest in collection management practices to help identify emerging trends in digital curatorship. You will have a sound understanding of digitisation and digital preservation standards and practices. You will be adaptable and responsive to user needs when providing training and support, being able to readily distil information and communicate effectively. You will also have excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting abilities.
Selection criteria
Applicants must respond to each of the selection criteria and include contact details for two referees in their application.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and those from culturally diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. The National Museum of Australia is an equal employment opportunity workplace.
The National Museum of Australia is committed to ensuring a child-safe and child-friendly enviornment. All employees are expected to demonstrate a commitment to, and support for these principles in theory and practice.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for this vacancy, applicants must:
- be an Australian citizen
- undergo a number of pre-employment checks, including a police records check.