Digital Initiatives Accessibility Assistant

Digital Libraries and Publishing seeks a Digital Initiatives Accessibility Assistant to support accessibility assessments and improvements on a set of published digital collections. This assistant will create alt-text for images, transcribe handwritten digitized materials, and remediate PDFs using tools such as Equidox and Adobe Acrobat to comply with upcoming Title II federal regulations. The successful assistant will gain expertise in specialized software such as the Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, Adobe Acrobat, and Equidox, as well as digital asset management tools such as Digital Commons. This highly automated, technology rich environment introduces student assistants to a variety of processes and techniques for digital information management, and this experience can be applied to professional work in a variety of disciplines. Applicants must be eligible for Federal Work-Study. Approximately 20 hours per week between May 18-August 24.

Applicants for this job should be aware that the tasks of this unit are exacting and require great attention to detail. The successful applicant will receive training and support for specialized work. They will report to Irina Rogova, Digital Initiatives Librarian.

Responsibilities:

• Accessibility: Use software such as Equidox to correct optical character recognition (OCR) in PDFs for accessibility.
• Metadata: Create descriptive information (metadata) for new and existing digital objects using Google Sheets and Excel.
• Quality Control: Inspect scanned files and metadata and correct mistakes.
• Other Duties: Complete special projects. Perform other duties as assigned. Keeping workstations organized and sanitary.

Minimum Requirements:

• Attention to detail
• Ability to accurately perform repetitive tasks for an extended period of time
• Ability to use a computer, mouse, and scanner, accommodations available
• Strong written communication and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team

Expected Tasks:

• Sitting or standing for extended periods of time at a computer work station
• Communicating effectively with the Digital Initiatives Librarian to complete projects
• Moving archival boxes and other materials between workstations using a cart, accommodations available

Preferred Qualifications and Skills:

• Experience in using Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets and Equidox.
• Experience with descriptive writing such as journalism or communications

Hours:
The applicant will work during the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Some work can be done remotely with pre-approval from the supervisor. Work schedules may be adjusted for finals and university holidays/breaks.