Meap Av Specialist

Department Summary

The Modern Endangered Archives Program (MEAP) at the UCLA Library is a granting program that funds projects around the world to document and digitize at risk cultural heritage materials from the 20th and 21st centuries. In the first eight rounds of grantmaking, MEAP has funded more than 200 projects from 68 different countries and published more than 60 distinct collections that provide global open access to newsletters, pamphlets, photographs, manuscripts, correspondence, videos, film, audio, and other materials.

Audiovisual materials across current MEAP projects include audio interviews, traditional music performances, radio broadcasts, instructional videos, documentary film, linguistic research materials, and more. MEAP is expanding with new lines of funding specifically for audio visual projects. The Modern Endangered Archives Program (MEAP) is an Arcadia-funded granting program that sits in the Distinctive Collections portfolio at the UCLA Library. The program solicits proposals and awards grants annually to preserve at‑risk cultural heritage content and makes these collections widely available through the UCLA digital library repository.

MEAP is committed to expanding access to archival materials through post‑custodial archiving and centering the voices of our community partners.

Reporting to the Modern Endangered Archives Program (MEAP) Program Manager, the MEAP AV Specialist adds expertise in identifying, assessing, and digitizing all formats of audio‑visual materials including audio, video, and film and supports MEAP's post‑custodial efforts to create, publish, and preserve digital collections from around the world. This work portfolio will include two different areas of focus: (1) Support for a new line of funding designated specifically for audio and moving image materials;

and (2) Support across the project lifecycle for all grant‑funded projects involving AV materials. To address this first area of focus, the MEAP AV Specialist will work with the Director of MEAP to develop a designated application and grant selection process for projects involving moving image and audio materials. This application provides a new opportunity to support and sustain access to endangered audio‑visual archival materials globally.

MEAP will rely on the incumbent's experience to solicit applications and facilitate equitable review and assessment. The MEAP team will also rely on the AV Specialist to review project proposals and to make workflow and equipment recommendations in line with industry standards and recommended best practices across multiple media types. The second, and more sustained focus area, will be to support the documentation and digitization of AV archival collections as part of funded MEAP grant projects.

The MEAP AV Specialist will work under the direction of the MEAP Program Manager to connect with grantees; address hardware, software, and workflow issues; build sustainable workflows for content review; and execute quality control for all audiovisual materials created by MEAP funded project teams. This includes regular (virtual) meetings and communication with grantees around the world to discuss project details and address challenges.

The incumbent will also serve as MEAP's representative for library‑wide conversations about audiovisual materials related to the publication and preservation of moving image and audio files, the future implementation of a media asset management system, and other related conversations. This work will include connecting with UCLA Librarians and Library staff to identify solutions related to metadata creation, digitization workflows, and digital asset management and preservation.

The MEAP AV Specialist will have the opportunity to learn from the UCLA Library AV Preservation team. The MEAP AV Specialist will not be involved in hands on digitization or conservation work. Since MEAP is a post‑custodial program, the expertise of the incumbent would be directed at supporting project teams around the world to troubleshoot at distance, provide quality control and productive feedback for submitted digital files, and enhance…