Archivist II, Digital Resources

Follow us on LinkedIn

Posting Reason:

Replacement of a temporary position

Job Type:

Employee

Anticipated Duration in Months (for contracts and temporary assignments):

5

Job Family:

Library and Archives

# of Open Positions:

1

Faculty/Service - Department:

Archives and Special Collections

Campus:

Main Campus

Union Affiliation:

SSUO

Date Posted (YYYY/MM/DD):

2026/06/04

Applications must be received BEFORE (YYYY/MM/DD):

2026/06/15

Hours per week:

35

Salary Grade:

SSUO Grade 10

Salary Range:

$80,942.00 - $102,245.00

The University of Ottawa - A crossroads of cultures and ideas

The University of Ottawa is home to a dynamic community of over 50,000 students, faculty and staff who live, work and study in English and French. Our campus is a crossroads of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We believe in the power of representation, and increasing the diversity of our faculty and staff is a step in that direction. Our goal is to offer students the best possible learning experience, in an environment that reflects the diversity of its members, their ideas and their identities. 

We are one of Canada's top ten research universities - our professors and researchers are exploring new approaches to today's challenges. As one of only a handful of Canadian universities ranked in the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from around the globe. Our employees rally around a common goal: continuous improvement, personal development, service excellence, teamwork and a passion for learning, with the desire to make the University of Ottawa and the world a better place. Everyone's contributions are valued, and we all contribute to making the University of Ottawa a world-class institution. But most of all, we make sure you can reach your full potential. Because at uOttawa, you belong!

About the library 
In keeping with the ambitious vision and core aspirations of Transformation 2030, the University of Ottawa Library advances leading-edge research and supports transformative learning by connecting the uOttawa community to expertise, services, collections and technology in a welcoming and supportive environment.

The University of Ottawa Library consists of three main libraries - the Morisset Library (arts and sciences), the Brian Dickson Law Library and the Health Sciences Library - in addition to a number of specialized research collections. It employs some 150 staff, including 55 librarians, serving students, faculty and staff of the University.

Purpose of the position

The Archivist II – Digital Resources is responsible for ensuring the integrated management of the born-digital archival material held and acquired by the Archives and Special Collections in keeping with archival principles, rules and standards. The incumbent provides direct support and advice to the Head, Archives and Special Collections for the development of workflows and practices and oversees the management of born-digital and digitized content. The Archivist II – Digital Resources serves as the local expert and user of digital preservation, disk-imaging, and asset management software. They are also responsible for the migration of archival material on legacy media to digital formats and develops digitization initiatives to enhance access to the collections.

In this role, your responsibilities will include the following:

• Management of Born Digital Archives: Develops and documents practices for the arrangement, description, preservation, and management of born-digital archives in accordance with international standards and best practices.
• Processing of Born Digital Archives: Plans, prioritizes and reviews the processing of born digital material and creates/edits related archival descriptions.
• Software management: Manages daily use of the digital preservation systems and manages scripts and software utilities used in appraisal, arrangement, description, and information package creation.
• Acquisition: Help to develop the capacity to responsibly acquire electronic records and papers.
• Reference and Research Services: Provides expert reference and research services to users, which includes responding to requests about the Archives and Special Collections digital holdings; interpreting reference questions; helping to locate relevant sources; retrieving information to answer research questions; making on-demand digital reproductions while respecting relevant legislation; and responding to general information requests related to digital material.
• Donor Relations: Establishes professional and cordial relationships with archival donors of born-digital content and coordinates transfers of digital files from them.

What you will bring:

• Graduate degree in Archival Studies, Library and Information Studies or a related field.
• Minimum of three years working in an archival setting, including experience working with born-digital archival material.
• Theoretical and practical knowledge and experience of the activities and services offered in an archival setting, including appraisal techniques, preservation, arrangement and description, and reference services.
• Knowledge and experience in archival descriptive and metadata standards, including RAD, ISAD-G, Dublin Core, METS, etc.
• Demonstrated familiarity with data structure standards relevant to the archival control of digital collection materials (EAD, Dublin Core, MODS, METS, PREMIS).
• Demonstrated knowledge of digital preservation standards such as OAIS and Trustworthy Digital Repositories.
• Knowledge of a wide range of computer storage media, file systems, software and file formats.
• Experience applying tools such as Bitcurator, Exactly, EPADD, and Archivematica to process born-digital archives.
• Ability to analyze documents to apply appropriate rules and procedures for acquisition, selection and access, as well as good knowledge of the laws surrounding access and use of archives.
• Knowledge in working in Linux and with command-line interfaces or willingness to learn.
• Familiarity with programming/scripting languages such as Python
• Ability to plan, work under pressure and organize work with minimal supervision.
• Ability to develop and implement new working methods; analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work and collaborate effectively within a team setting.
• Ability to seek relevant information, identify and evaluate options and choose the best solution.
• Bilingualism (French-English), oral and written expression, including the ability to give training and presentations in both languages.

Key Competencies at uOttawa:
Here are the required competencies for all or our employees at uOttawa: 

Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.
Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self-starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.
Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.
Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact hrtalentmanagement@uottawa.ca to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Note: if this is a union position: The hiring process will be governed by the current collective agreement related to the union affiliation noted above; you can click here to find out more.

If this is a front-line position with responsibilities to interact with students, selected candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.