Metadata Library Jobs in Hampton, VA (NOW HIRING)

Who We Are

Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not-for-profit educational, historic, and cultural institution that owns and operates one of the largest and best-known museum complexes in the world. Our mission is “that the future may learn from the past” through preserving and restoring 18th-century Williamsburg, Virginia’s colonial capital. We engage, inform, and inspire people to learn about this historic capital, the events that occurred here, and the diverse peoples who helped shape a new nation.  

Today, Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the U.S. The Historic Area is the 301-acre restored colonial capital with 89 original buildings and 525 buildings reconstructed to how they appeared in the 18th century through extensive archaeological, architectural, and documentary research. The Historic Area is staffed by highly trained, historically dressed interpreters and expert tradespeople who bring the 18th century to life. The Foundation also owns and operates two world-class museums, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, The Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute, and a renowned research library, the John D Rockefeller Jr Library.

Additionally, Colonial Williamsburg is home to five world class accommodations at the Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge Autograph Collection, the Griffin Hotel, the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotels and Suites and the unique Colonial Houses in the Historical Area. Visitors may also indulge in food and drink at our many on site restaurants and taverns that blend a historically inspired dining experience with today’s evolved tastes. Each year over 5 million people visit Williamsburg and another 20 million engage with us digitally.

About the Position

The Digital Asset Specialist is a key member of the Media Collections team supporting the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library. This position is responsible for the organization, stewardship, and accessibility of the Foundation’s digital media assets through the Digital Asset Management (DAM) system. Working closely with the Media Collections Manager and Photographer/Digital Imaging Specialist, the role supports digitization initiatives, metadata standards, and best practices for digital preservation. The Digital Asset Specialist partners with internal and external stakeholders to ensure accurate ingestion, cataloging, and retrieval of digital assets, helping expand access to and long-term preservation of Colonial Williamsburg’s visual and documentary collections.

Main Duties:

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Maintain and preserve a wide range of digital media assets within the DAM system, ensuring accurate ingestion, metadata, permissions, and consistent cataloging, keywording, and organization. Monitor asset lifecycles to support ongoing relevance, access, and reuse.
• Collaborate with the Media Collections team to develop and maintain metadata standards, taxonomy, controlled vocabulary, and overall DAM strategy, including vision, guiding principles, prioritized use cases, and system roadmap.
• Support internal and external stakeholders in ingesting, tagging, cataloging, and retrieving digital assets within the DAM system. Provide guidance and training to promote efficient, accurate, and consistent system use.
• Plan and support digitization initiatives under the direction of the Media Collections Manager, following established priorities, standards, workflows, and policies for digital production and delivery.
• Partner with the Media Collections Photographer/Digital Imaging Specialist to produce highquality digital imagery of Colonial Williamsburg objects, including basic image correction and manipulation as needed.
• Stay current with professional standards and trends in digital asset management, metadata, copyright and fair use, digital imaging, and digital preservation, applying best practices to ensure quality assurance and long-term stewardship of digital collections.

***Must reside in or be ready to relocate to Virginia***

This is a non-exempt position, eligible to receive overtime in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This position may be subject to overtime during high peak times, etc. as directed and approved by the supervisor.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in history, photography, digital media, library science, or any related field.
• 1–3 years of experience working with Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems, including metadata entry, cataloging, and/or digital file organization.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in history, photography, digital media, library science, or a related field.
• Digital Asset Management certification.
• Ability to produce high quality photographs of programs and events desired but not required.
• Familiarity with digitization standards, file formats, and digital preservation practices.
• Photography skills are a plus.

Key Skills / Competencies:

• Demonstrated proficiency in image editing and color correction; (online portfolio required to illustrate technical and aesthetic capabilities.)
• Expertise in the use of scanning hardware and software, editing, and color correction.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including good listening skills, understanding another party's needs, and problem-solving.
• Must have outstanding time management skills, good judgment, and ability to manage multiple tasks/priorities.
Physical and Environmental Demands:
Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer (up to 8 hours/shift)

Typical Work Schedule:
Regular/FT; 40 hrs./week (Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM

This is a non-exempt position, eligible to receive overtime in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This position may be subject to overtime during high peak times, etc. as directed and approved by the supervisor.

Compensation Disclaimer: The compensation listed below for this position represents the anticipated hiring range and is provided in accordance with Virginia pay transparency requirements. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors such as the selected candidate’s skills, qualifications, experience, education, certifications, internal equity, and the specific requirements of the role.

Range: $18.13 to $27.16