VRC Metadata Research Associate (Remote)

Opportunity Description:

The Visual Resources Center (VRC) in the Department of Art History seeks to hire a cohort of remote Metadata Research Associates to work on metadata maintenance (descriptive attributes and information about the object) and critical cataloging—the theoretical approach that analyzes and addresses the ethical implications of metadata and classification—improvements for a specific project selection of images in our Art History Department Image Collection hosted in the LUNA database (more than 160,000 images). Student employees will define a project selection of images they will work with in consultation with VRC staff as part of the position. The researchers will work within the context of a curricular-based experience that introduces students to the full lifecycle of metadata work for art objects within the visual resources field, from initial analysis and research to editing the descriptive metadata for digital objects within the database. The Art History Department Image Collection is the VRC’s flagship digital collection in LUNA and contains more than 150,000 images that have been collaboratively developed over the past 15 years in response to faculty, instructor, and student requests’ for images that support the specific teaching and research needs of this scholarly community. VRC staff are currently engaged in a large-scale project to make repairs and improvements to our cataloging database and the individual metadata records in LUNA's Art History Department Image Collection, the primary database for teaching and researching art images on campus. Countless staff and student employees have cataloged images in our digital collections since our digital collections program began. We have an opportunity to adapt VRC workflows to prioritize ethical metadata improvements in support of our user-centered digital collections program that actively supports teaching and research in Art History and other Humanities disciplines on campus. Project selections can be specific to a particular time period, culture, or stylistic movement, or they can be constructed through the lens of a particular topic that may cut across multiple styles or cultures, such as analyzing gender, race, sexuality, colonialism, etc. Examples of selections include the following, but students are welcome to propose their own selection when applying. To view, or to explore images in LUNA, please go to https://luna.lib.uchicago.edu/luna/servlet and login at the upper right with your CNetID and password. Examples of potential research subsets include: -Assessing the architecture images to include tags that are relevant to the Urban Architecture and Design initiative and courses. -Image subset of works pertaining to LGBTQ history, artists, or themes -Image subset of works pertaining to non-Western iconography Research Associates will undertake online academic research (library, database, archive, conservation, materials science laboratory, or other museums) into a project selection of objects in the VRC’s digital collections database, LUNA. Regular meetings with VRC staff mentors, other student colleagues working on parallel research projects, and a component to read and engage with the professional library literature about metadata, description, critical cataloging, etc. VRC staff will also arrange remote professional development opportunities for Research Associates to meet professionals in the field through roundtable discussions and/or supplemental professional workshops. Research associates will gain experience with national digital library metadata standards, sourcing digital images, and a finished project to improve metadata access and description for a subset of images in our LUNA digital collections. We welcome students interested in aligning their VRC project with a current or future academic project, such as a thesis. We will further define and refine the subset of images in collaboration with students selected for the position.

Primary Responsibilities: 

The undergraduate researcher will conduct remote academic and library, museum, and archival research into how a subset of images related to their research priorities are categorized, described, and presented in an academic research database. The undergraduate researcher will make improvements and repairs to the metadata records for their project selection. The undergraduate researcher will also propose additions to the collection in order for greater context and cohesion. The undergraduate researcher will also participate in cohort professional development opportunities including trainings, roundtable discussions, and more.

Minimum Qualifications and/or Eligibility Requirements: 

All majors are encouraged to apply. Students with an interest in art, art history, visual/material culture, or libraries/archives preferred.

Academic research experience for a paper, project, internship, etc, ideally related to art, visual, or material culture.

Knowledge or skills gained from the experience: 

Research, digital project lifecycle, metadata, digital collections, digital archives, art history research, cataloging.

Application Process: 

Please submit your CV or resume, a statement of interest that describes a proposed research project you'd like to work on in relation to the "Art History Department Image Collection" database, and your unofficial transcript.

Application Deadline: 

Application Requirements: