Digitization Technician

Internet Archive; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 28,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Internet Archive in San Francisco seeks a Digitization Technician to operate a Scribe digitization machine, capturing images of pages from books and manuscripts for online access. You will join a non-profit partnership with UC Berkeley and other libraries to digitize and share unique collections, requiring steady concentration and meticulous handling of materials.

This is a full-time hourly role with consistent daily work expectations, strong safety awareness, and a genuine love of books,

Qualifications

• Must be able to read, write in English and organize materials.
• Must be able to relate to other people in a professional manner.
• Ability to remain focused despite internal and external distractions.
• Must exhibit good safety awareness and judgment.

Responsibilities

• Digitally capture images of pages in books and manuscripts using established processes and procedures.
• Ability to assess image quality and determine if a page has been skipped.
• Ability to troubleshoot and communicate problems or solutions to others.
• Working knowledge of computers, e-mail, and spreadsheets; strong technical skills are preferred.
• Must be able to lift and move stacks of books (5-15 lbs each), sit at a Scribe station, and use a foot pedal to raise and lower a glass platen.
• High tolerance for repetitive tasks and expert attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communications skills.
• A love of books is a plus!
• Walking, lifting, seeing, sitting, and dexterity requirements as described.

Job description

The Digitization Technician will operate a \"Scribe\" digitization machine that takes digital photos of books from various collections and displays them online for universal access.

The Internet Archive is a non-profit organization working with 80+ world-class universities and libraries to create the world's largest digital open library. We partner with institutions to digitize and share unique collections of bound materials.

Gain experience in the following fields of endeavor: building an open source digital library, digital photography and digital scanning software, preservation and handling of special collections, presentation and production of digital books.

Responsibilities and Duties

We are looking for Digitization Technicians who are patient, conscientious, detail-oriented and who have the ability to work independently in a pleasant, low-stress work environment.

• Digitally capture images of pages in books and manuscripts using established processes and procedures.
• Ability to assess image quality and determine if a page has been skipped.
• Ability to troubleshoot and if that fails, to communicate with others about problems or solutions.
• Working knowledge of computers, e-mail, and spreadsheets - strong technical skills are preferred.
• Must be able to lift and move stacks of books (5-15 lbs. each) short distances, sit at a Scribe station, and use a foot pedal to raise and lower a glass platen.
• A high tolerance for repetitive tasks and expert attention to detail is necessary.
• Strong written and verbal communications skills.
• A love of books is a plus!

Physical/Special Requirements

Walking: Ability to move about on foot to accomplish tasks, to pick up materials to scan.

Lifting: Ability to raise and lower objects horizontally from position to position and lift up to 25 pounds safely.

Pushing/Pulling: Ability to use upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, haul or tug carts in a sustained push or pull motion.

Seeing: Required to have close visual acuity to determine the accuracy, neatness and thoroughness of scanning activity.

Sitting: Works at a computer 100% of the time. Must be able to sit at a scanning device for full shift length.

Dexterity in operating a scribe: Ability to use legs to push a foot pedal, use hands and arms to raise and lower a book cradle and to use eyes to see materials being scanned. This activity occurs throughout the work day.

Cognitive Considerations

• Must have the ability to read, write in English and organize materials.
• Must be able to relate to other people in a professional manner.
• Ability to remain focused despite internal and external distractions.
• Must exhibit good safety awareness and judgment.

Must have availability Monday to Friday to work on location at an academic library near the campus of UC Berkeley. This is a full time hourly position (8 hours/day).