Project Manager, Digital Library Collections

Type: Full Time, Exempt

Location: This is a remote-first role. Internet Archive's headquarters are based in San Francisco, California.

About Internet Archive, the Open Staffing Foundation & Democracy’s Library

Internet Archive is a non-profit library, headquartered in San Francisco, with an ambitious mission: to provide “Universal Access to All Knowledge” — the books, web pages, audio, television and software of our shared human culture. Our 150 team members have built one of the top 300 websites in the world, https://archive.org. The Internet Archive digitizes thousands of books a day and collects a hundred million web pages a week. In our thirty (30) years, we have built one of the largest digital libraries in the world by working with hundreds of national and international libraries, archives, museums, universities, and non-profits.

Open Staffing Foundation (OSF) is a nonprofit that provides staffing services for the Internet Archive and other mission aligned organizations.

The Internet Archive’s Democracy's Library is built on a straightforward but urgent premise: governments have created an abundance of information and put it in the public domain, but the public can't easily access it.

Job Summary

Reports to the Director of Democracy’s Library and will work as a member of the Democracy's Library U.S. team. Responsibilities include: acquiring and selecting new government document collections; cataloging and organizing existing materials; building, describing, organizing, and promoting collections and public records; ensuring materials are accurately described, discoverable, and aligned with the organization’s mission; translating and maintaining metadata across library standards and Internet Archive schemas; coordinating occasional outreach to partners and communities; and collaborating with technical staff to support effective digital collection workflows.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Collections Development, Research & Outreach

• Identify existing collections in the Internet Archive that fit within the scope of Democracy’s Library; ensure that these collections are discoverable within the context of Democracy’s Library.

• Identify gaps in the library collection through ongoing research into government document repositories, depository programs, and public records sources; recommend and prioritize acquisitions accordingly.

• Evaluate government documents and public records, applying criteria aligned with collection scope and user needs.

• Catalog and organize materials, ensuring records are accurately described and accessible to researchers, partners, and the public.

• Conduct quality control on digitized collections, both auditing image quality and metadata for collections.

• Support collection visibility efforts by contributing to blog posts, preparing presentations, and engaging with partners to drive discovery and use of library resources.

• Prepare detailed reports on collection growth, resource availability, usage statistics, and the sourcing of historical materials.

Metadata

• Evaluate and renovate descriptions of existing Internet Archive collections to align with the scope of Democracy’s Library.

• Work with the metadata team; ensure that metadata for new and existing digital collections is accurate, consistent, and optimized for search and discovery.

• Engage with traditional sources of bibliographic metadata — including government records, library catalogs, and depository library systems — to source, evaluate, and enrich collection records.

• Ensure all collection metadata meets Internet Archive's quality standards and is consistently applied across collection types and formats.

• Apply AI-assisted tools to optimize workflows in metadata generation, automated description, and image captioning.

• Develop, document, and maintain collection policies, descriptive standards, and workflow guides for government publications and public records.

General Duties

• Contributes to culture by proactively participating in the Internet Archive's events and programs.

• Seeks and integrates constructive feedback to drive continuous improvement to work practice.

• Works collaboratively with peers and staff; builds relationships through effective and thoughtful communication.

• Other duties may be assigned as needed.

Competencies to Succeed in the Role

Basic Abilities

• A commitment to the mission: To provide, “Universal Access to All Knowledge.”

• Possesses a learning mindset and a flexible approach to work, and adaptability to a non-traditional and unique work culture.

Communication Skills

• Impeccable communication and writing skills, able to deliver information and ideas clearly.

• Adept at authoring and contributing to blog posts, as well as developing and delivering presentations.

Interpersonal Skills

• Knows how to work as a collaborative team member in a complex and highly matrixed organization with an ability to influence and drive desired outcomes.

Organizational Skills

• Possesses exceptional organizational and administrative skills with the ability to stay focused and meet deadlines.

Computer Knowledge

• Proficient in Google Suite, Slack, and Jira.

Able to Reason & Think Critically

• Solution oriented; capable of solving problems with sound judgment and practical approaches.

• Knows how to perform data analysis to assess collection quality, usage, and growth.

Required Education and Experience

• Required: Bachelor's Degree in Library Science, Information Science, History, Political Science, Public Administration, or a related field. Required: Two (2) or more years of experience working with digital collections, government documents, archival materials, or a related cataloging or metadata role.

• Required: Experience working in a digital library, archive, or open-access institution.

• Required: Experience applying metadata standards — such as Dublin Core, MARC, or similar schemas — to describe and organize digital or physical collections.

• Required: Experience working with AI tools to build efficient and effective workflows, preferably in metadata generation, automated cataloging, or image description in a professional or project setting.

• Required: Experience working with Google Workspace, Slack, and Jira.

• Required: Familiarity with U.S. government document programs, federal depository library systems, or state and local public records.

• Preferred: Experience with Internet Archive metadata schemas.

• Preferred: Experience using or interacting with Internet Archive's existing collections and tools.

IMPORTANT: We like cover letters. It helps us see how you communicate and express yourself in writing. Candidates who provide a cover letter will be prioritized.

Benefits & Perks

Internet Archive works with Open Staffing Foundation to recruit, hire and retain staff. Open Staffing Foundation offers a comprehensive benefits package, including PTO, paid holidays, medical, dental, and vision benefits, health savings and flexible spending accounts, commuter benefits, short-term and long-term disability coverage, and retirement programs.

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At the Open Staffing Foundation, we believe our best work happens when diverse perspectives come together. We strongly encourage applications from individuals in groups underrepresented in the tech and library industries. We are proud to be an equal-opportunity employer, committed to fair employment practices regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

We also aspire to make the online job application process accessible to any and all users. If you have a disability that impacts your ability to complete the application process, and would like to request assistance or accommodation, please contact us: info at archive dot com

Lastly, pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.