Job Opening Title:
Digitization Specialist (Contract)
Name of Employer:
Longwood Gardens
Job Site Location (City AND State) :
Kennett Square, PA
Application Deadline:
June 27, 2025
Minimum Degree Requirement:
Bachelors
Years of experience required:
1-2
Salary Range:
$50,000
Job Opening URL:
Job Description (if URL to posting not available). Include instructions for how to apply.:
Longwood Gardens is seeking an individual (contractor) to digitize, number, and create metadata for a collection of roughly 20,000 photographic slides using national standards and best practices guided by the Digital Resources Manager.
Background
In 2024, Longwood Gardens Archive obtained a collection of approximately 20,000 photographic slides from former Longwood Gardens Employee. The collection consists of images taken at Longwood Gardens as well as of numerous gardens around the world mostly from 1969-1989. These slides have been arranged by subject and location and tend to include some indication of their context.
Scope of work
Using equipment and space provided by Longwood Gardens, scan both the image and the mount for each of the slides in the collection. Identify duplicate items, review quality of outputs, and create archival and content metadata for each image. This may include transcribing notes from the slide mount and identifying places, people, and other visual elements.
Slides will be scanned to 2400 DPI. Mounts will be scanned at 1200dpi
Deliverables will include approximately 40,000 organized digital images and accompanying metadata spreadsheet, with numbers relating physical and digital objects.
Required Experience
Undergraduate Degree and one or more years working in archives, libraries, or similar.
Required skills
• Understanding of common practices in archives and Digital Asset Management
• Experience with paper and film-based materials condition issues
• Experience with scanning technologies
• Ability to learn new technologies
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to work independently with some direction
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Basic knowledge of horticulture and/or Longwood Gardens’ history is a plus
• Ability to work for prolonged periods at a computer
• Ability to judge image quality and content
• Ability to manipulate small and fragile materials
Compensation
This role is project based and compensation is capped at $50,000 for this project. Compensation schedule can be negotiated. We estimate this will take approximately 1,500 hours of work to be accomplished within 12-18 months of the commencement of the project. Monthly check ins will be scheduled.
As an independent contractor, you will be responsible for executing your own work schedule and managing your own tax obligations. Longwood Gardens will provide equipment. Work must be done onsite between the hours of 8am and 5pm, Monday-Friday.
Interested individuals should send a resume and cover letter to Cheryl Cordingley at ccordingley@longwoodgardens.org.
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