Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services

MARC Content Designation Utilization: Inquiry & Analysis

Be part of a dynamic research team!

Research Assistantships are available to graduate students to participate in a major funded research and demonstration project, Examining Present Practices to Inform Future Metadata Use : An Empirical Analysis of MARC Content Designation Utilization. Learn about this research project by reviewing the project abstract and the full project proposal.

Applicants must: Submit your application no later than December 1, 2004. Be admitted by the UNT Graduate School and the School of Library & Information Sciences (if not currently a UNT graduate student). Awards of the MCDU Project Research Assistantships will be made no later than December 10, 2004.

The U.S. Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services has awarded a National Leadership grant to the University of North Texas, Texas Center for Digital Knowledge (TxCDK) at the School of Library and Information Sciences (SLIS) for this project. The MCDU Research Assistants begin work on the project in January 2005 with project completion scheduled for August 2006 (21 months).

The project will:

	Provide empirical evidence to document MARC 21 content designation use
	Explore the evolution of MARC content designation for patterns of availability and effects on its use
	Investigate a methodological approach to understand the factors contributing to current levels of MARC content designation use and relationships with the cataloging enterprise.

To achieve these project goals, we are looking for MCDU Research Assistants who are:

	Self-motivated
	Able to work collaboratively while being self-directed and self-managed
	Excellent communicators
	Willing to learn, discover, and teach others
	Critical thinkers and problem solvers
	Competent and comfortable with information systems and metadata.

If this describes you, apply for one of the MCDU Research Assistantships!

The Research Assistantship The Research Assistants will work as part of a project team under the direction of the Principal Investigators, Dr. William E. Moen <http://www.unt.edu/wmoen> and Dr. Shawne D. Miksa, Fellows in the Texas Center for Digital Knowledge and faculty members in the School of Library and Information Sciences.                     RA's will also have opportunities to work with the technical and research staff of OCLC.    Each Graduate Assistantship provides financial support totaling approximately $23,000 that includes: A Tuition Scholarship for up to 36 credit hours of graduate studies (qualifies for in-state tuition rates!) A research assistant position with a salary for working 20 hours/week at $15/hr and that is benefits eligible. Applicants must be admitted to or enrolled in a graduate program at the University of North Texas.  Preference will be given to students enrolled or admitted in the Interdisciplinary Information Science Ph.D. program, the SLIS Masters program, or the Certificate of Advanced Studies degree program. The Research Team's Knowledge and Skill Set The Research Team will need the collection of knowledge, skills, and aptitudes listed in the table below.  Successful applicants are expected to contribute one or more of these knowledge, skills, and aptitudes. Information Organization and Retrieval Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods MARC 21 Bibliographic Standards Database Design and Maintenance Library Cataloging Processes, including Authority Control, Integrated Library Systems, etc. Website Design, Development, and Maintenance Specific Bibliographic IR Systems (e.g., OCLC's Connexion, Innovative, DRA) Communication Skills: Writing, Speaking Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR2r) Presentation Skills and Tools Independence, Self-Motivation, Collaboration Project Management Skills The Application You should review the project proposal before developing your application. To be considered for a MCDU Project Research Assistantship, submit an application that consists of: A letter that addresses: Your interest in this project and why you would like to work on this project Describe which of the knowledge and skill set listed above you will bring to the project team Describe any other technical knowledge and skills you will bring to the project team Address any experiences, personal characteristics, or other information about yourself that would be contributions to the project team Address your ability and willingness to commit to the entire 21 month project Resume or CV The names and contact information for two references Successful applicants should be comfortable working in a team-based environment and able to collaborate effectively with all members of the project group.  Applicants must also be self-starters and committed to high-quality work and products.   Applicants will be selected based on the information submitted in their application.   We look forward to receiving your application!

If you have questions about the MCDU Research Assistantships, contact:

Dr. William E. Moen
Email: wemoen@unt.edu
Voice: 940-565-3563
Fax: 940-565-3101
School of Library and Information Sciences
University of North Texas
PO Box 311068
Denton, TX  76203-1068