Librarian for Bookshare.org

Benetech, Palo Alto

California

Position Summary: An incredible and unique opportunity to become the official librarian for Bookshare.org, the world's largest collection of digital electronic books for the blind and print disabled. The library currently contains over 37,000 volumes. Through a special mandate from the US Department of Education, over the next five years the collection will grow to include over 100,000 additional volumes in support of all print-disabled students nationwide. The librarian for Bookshare.org will shepherd the collection through its growth as one of the nation's foremost educational resources for disabled students in this country.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Select an appropriate classification methodology for the collection based on several key criteria including database compatibility with other accessible collections
• Reclassify the books in the collection according to the new schema
• Enable and coordinate cross-referencing with other collections of accessible books
• Create and implement a collection acquisition plan for resourcing the collection
• Maintain relationships with the managers of other collections of accessible materials (public, private, school and university-based) to represent Bookshare.org and promote non-duplication of effort
• Work effectively with all departments within Bookshare.org to maintain the quality and integrity of the collection to support the needs of its members.
• Work with representatives of the publishing industry to educate them on the methodology and advantages of providing accessible texts through Bookshare.org.

Qualifications:

Required

• A degree in library science and at least five years experience in the field
• Technical expertise with the metadata technology, such as Dublin Core, used to describe and classify the objects in an online digital collection
• Knowledge of the assistive technology field with emphasis on tools and technology for access to printed materials.
• Very strong professional interpersonal skills and the ability to represent Bookshare.org's interests to a wide variety of stakeholders

Highly Desirable

• Experience working with school libraries at the K-12 or university level
• Experience working in the publishing industry considered
• Familiarity with the DAISY digital audio information standard for accessible books.

More information is available at Bookshare.org Librarian.

If you would like to help us grow Benetech, please send your resume and a cover letter to hr@benetech.org or Human Resources at 650/475-1066 (fax). In your cover letter, please discuss why you would like to work for us and your relevant experience.