Metadata Specialist

Description

LAC Federal is seeking an experienced Metadata Specialist to provide metadata quality and remediation services in support of a federal research library in Beltsville, Maryland. The position will support the quality, consistency, completeness, and machine readability of metadata used in a major scientific and agricultural research discovery environment. The Metadata Specialist will perform controlled metadata cleanup and remediation in Alma; validate bibliographic, administrative, and research metadata;

support metadata quality assurance; and execute approved metadata changes within an established governance and change-control framework. The position combines professional library metadata expertise with data-quality analysis, structured documentation, and basic scripting and automation skills. The work supports reliable discovery, data integration, public access, geospatial applications, analytical tools, and AI-ready metadata infrastructure.

• Perform systematic metadata cleanup, correction, standardization, and remediation in Ex Libris Alma in accordance with approved task instructions and established metadata standards.
• Execute approved metadata change requests within established change-control procedures, including applicable sandbox testing, freeze periods, change classifications, verification, and review requirements.
• Review and improve the accuracy, consistency, completeness, and machine readability of bibliographic, research, and administrative metadata supporting public discovery and downstream data services.
• Validate metadata fields including author and affiliation information, abstracts, subjects and keywords, funding information, publication information, geographic descriptors, datasets, availability information, and other required elements.
• Verify identifiers such as DOIs, ISSNs, ISBNs, Handles, and ORCID identifiers against appropriate authoritative sources and ensure consistency with source bibliographic information.
• Apply professional knowledge of MARC, RDA, Dublin Core, controlled vocabularies, authority control, and metadata quality-assurance practices when reviewing and remediating records.
• Use Python and other appropriate scripting or automation techniques to support metadata review, analysis, validation, reporting, and quality-control activities while adhering to established change-management controls.
• Conduct required pre- and post-update validation and maintain accurate documentation demonstrating what was changed, tested, verified, and completed.
• Identify metadata anomalies, ambiguities, dependencies, and potential quality issues and appropriately escalate them through established Government review and change-control channels rather than making unauthorized production changes.
• Maintain detailed, auditable records of metadata remediation activities and prepare task-completion logs, workflow notes procedural updates, implementation documentation, and QA/validation results.
• Prepare monthly progress reports summarizing completed tasks, records updated, and issues requiring follow-up, as well as required annual summaries.
• Collaborate effectively with librarians, metadata specialists, technical personnel, project stakeholders, and Government representatives while complying with applicable privacy, security, accessibility, and information-governance requirements.

• Demonstrated professional experience working with library metadata standards and schemas, including MARC, RDA, and Dublin Core.
• Experience or demonstrated familiarity with metadata remediation workflows in Ex Libris Alma.
• Knowledge of controlled vocabularies, authority control practices, and metadata quality-assurance methods.
• Demonstrated ability to work within structured governance and change-control procedures, including executing approved changes, following defined workflows, and maintaining required documentation.
• Experience with basic scripting or automation tools, including Python, to support data review, reporting, validation, or quality-control activities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and demonstrated ability to create accurate technical, procedural, and audit-supporting documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to accurately review, normalize, validate, and correct complex bibliographic or research metadata.
• Ability to obtain and maintain the Government suitability, PIV/Linc Pass, system-access, and facility-access credentials required for performance.
• Ability to work effectively in a highly…