Metadata Specialist

Library Systems & Services, LLC.; Beltsville, Northern (MD, KY); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care plan

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Job summary

LAC Federal seeks an experienced Metadata Specialist to ensure metadata quality, completeness, and machine readability in a federal research library setting in Beltsville, Maryland. The role emphasizes controlled metadata cleanup, validation, and documentation within a governance framework.

You will apply MARC, RDA, and Dublin Core expertise, support QA, and use Python and other tools to analyze and validate metadata while maintaining auditable records and complying with privacy and security

Qualifications

• Experience with library metadata standards (MARC, RDA, Dublin Core).
• Familiarity with Alma metadata remediation workflows.
• Knowledge of controlled vocabularies and authority control.
• Ability to follow governance and change-control procedures.
• Experience using Python or similar scripting for metadata tasks.

Responsibilities

• Perform metadata cleanup and remediation in Ex Libris Alma per standards.
• Execute change requests within change-control procedures with testing.
• Review and improve metadata quality for bibliographic, research, and administrative records.
• Validate identifiers (DOIs, ISSNs, ISBNs, ORCID) against authoritative sources.

Skills

Metadata standards

Governance & change-control

Documentation

Communication

Python scripting

Education

MLS/MLIS preferred

Tools

Ex Libris Alma

Python

MARCEdit

Job description

Description

LAC Federal is seeking an experienced Metadata Specialist to provide metadata quality and remediation services in support of a federal research library in Beltsville, Maryland. The position will support the quality, consistency, completeness, and machine readability of metadata used in a major scientific and agricultural research discovery environment. The Metadata Specialist will perform controlled metadata cleanup and remediation in Alma; validate bibliographic, administrative, and research metadata; support metadata quality assurance; and execute approved metadata changes within an established governance and change-control framework. The position combines professional library metadata expertise with data-quality analysis, structured documentation, and basic scripting and automation skills. The work supports reliable discovery, data integration, public access, geospatial applications, analytical tools, and AI-ready metadata infrastructure.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Perform systematic metadata cleanup, correction, standardization, and remediation in Ex Libris Alma in accordance with approved task instructions and established metadata standards.
• Execute approved metadata change requests within established change-control procedures, including applicable sandbox testing, freeze periods, change classifications, verification, and review requirements.
• Review and improve the accuracy, consistency, completeness, and machine readability of bibliographic, research, and administrative metadata supporting public discovery and downstream data services.
• Validate metadata fields including author and affiliation information, abstracts, subjects and keywords, funding information, publication information, geographic descriptors, datasets, availability information, and other required elements.
• Verify identifiers such as DOIs, ISSNs, ISBNs, Handles, and ORCID identifiers against appropriate authoritative sources and ensure consistency with source bibliographic information.
• Apply professional knowledge of MARC, RDA, Dublin Core, controlled vocabularies, authority control, and metadata quality‑assurance practices when reviewing and remediating records.
• Use Python and other appropriate scripting or automation techniques to support metadata review, analysis, validation, reporting, and quality-control activities while adhering to established change-management controls.
• Conduct required pre- and post-update validation and maintain accurate documentation demonstrating what was changed, tested, verified, and completed.
• Identify metadata anomalies, ambiguities, dependencies, and potential quality issues and appropriately elevate them through established Government review and change-control channels rather than making unauthorized production changes.
• Maintain detailed, auditable records of metadata remediation activities and prepare task-completion logs, workflow notes procedural updates, implementation documentation, and QA/validation results.
• Prepare monthly progress reports summarizing completed tasks, records updated, and issues requiring follow‑up, as well as required annual summaries.
• Collaborate effectively with librarians, metadata specialists, technical personnel, project stakeholders, and Government representatives while complying with applicable privacy, security, accessibility, and information‑governance requirements.

Requirements

• Demonstrated professional experience working with library metadata standards and schemas, including MARC, RDA, and Dublin Core.
• Experience or demonstrated familiarity with metadata remediation workflows in Ex Libris Alma.
• Knowledge of controlled vocabularies, authority control practices, and metadata quality‑assurance methods.
• Demonstrated ability to work within structured governance and change‑control procedures, including executing approved changes, following defined workflows, and maintaining required documentation.
• Experience with basic scripting or automation tools, including Python, to support data review, reporting, validation, or quality‑control activities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and demonstrated ability to create accurate technical, procedural, and audit‑supporting documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to accurately review, normalize, validate, and correct complex bibliographic or research metadata.
• Ability to obtain and maintain the Government suitability, PIV/LincPass, system‑access, and facility‑access credentials required for performance.
• Ability to work effectively in a highly controlled federal information environment and comply with applicable Government security, privacy, and records‑handling requirements.
• Ability to perform full‑time work supporting the federal customer during the required period of performance.

Preferred Qualifications

• ALA‑accredited MLS or MLIS.
• Two or more years of professional experience in cataloging, metadata management, metadata remediation, or metadata quality assurance.
• Advanced hands‑on experience with Ex Libris Alma, particularly bibliographic record maintenance, batch remediation, normalization, or metadata‑management workflows.
• Experience with Python, OpenRefine, MARCEdit, APIs, SQL, regular expressions, or comparable tools for metadata analysis, transformation, validation, or QA.
• Experience with scientific, agricultural, technical, scholarly, or research‑publication metadata.
• Experience validating and reconciling DOI, ORCID, ISSN, ISBN, funder, affiliation, dataset, and other scholarly communications metadata.
• Knowledge of Library of Congress authority practices, subject vocabularies, name authority control, and entity reconciliation.
• Experience working with metadata exposed through APIs, repositories, discovery platforms, or data pipelines.
• Experience supporting metadata governance, change‑control boards, controlled release processes, sandbox/testing environments, or formal configuration‑management procedures.
• Previous experience supporting a Federal Government library, national library, research institution, scientific information center, or comparable large‑scale metadata environment.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to remain in a stationary position for extended periods while performing computer‑based metadata review, data analysis, and documentation tasks.
• Ability to frequently operate a computer and other standard office equipment throughout the workday.
• Ability to occasionally move throughout the office or library environment and lift or carry materials and supplies weighing up to 20 pounds.

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long‑Term Disability
• Training & Development

EEO Statement

The company and its subsidiaries are an equal opportunity employer and celebrate the population of differences and does not discriminate in its hiring/hiring practices, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Nothing in this job specification restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Critical features of this job are described under various headings above. They may be subject to change at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons. The above statements are strictly intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as a complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of employees in this position.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently.

Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” relationship.