Job: Assistant Director

The Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH) is seeking to hire an Assistant Director to join our management team, which currently consists of Neil Fraistat, Matt Kirschenbaum, and Doug Reside.

Made possible by a major Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH) is a collaboration of the University of Maryland’s College of Arts and Humanities, Libraries, and Office of Information Technology. In the ten years since its founding, MITH has become internationally recognized as one of the leading digital humanities centers in the world. As the host of the 2009 Digital Humanities conference and the co-organizer of centerNet (an international network of similar centers), MITH is one of the centers at the heart of the now burgeoning international field of digital humanities.

MITH is generously supported by the University administration and enjoys productive collaborations with allied campus units, including the University Libraries, the College of Information Science, and the Human Computer Interaction Lab. Geographically situated within the Washington DC Beltway, MITH is perfectly positioned for its frequent collaborations with the world-class libraries, museums, and cultural institutions in the metropolitan area, but our partnerships have also extended around the world. Recent projects include a collaboration with several major libraries in the U.K. and the United States to create an online archive of all extant pre-1642 quartos of Shakespeare’s plays and participation on a national research team charged by the Library of Congress with the preservation of virtual worlds (e.g. Adventure, DOOM, and Second Life). This latter project is part of MITH’s larger focus on the preservation of born digital creative work, also represented by our hosting of the Electronic Literature Organization and the Deena Larsen Collection–one of the world’s largest publicly held collections of electronic literature.

The Assistant Director will bear primary responsibility for project management and oversight of all MITH projects, including creation of deadlines for all deliverables and project tracking; the supervision of MITH’s development team, that includes programmers, web designers, graduate assistants, and interns; and computer programming services, data, and application architecture design and modeling for MITH projects. We are therefore seeking a web programmer experienced with web scripting languages (JavaScript, PHP, Ruby) and with some knowledge of compiled languages (Java, C++). Ability to work with Unix/Linux based applications is required, and preference will be given to candidates with database and XML expertise. Strong organizational and project management skills are also mandatory, as are excellent communication skills. A humanities background is especially desirable. Bachelor’s degree required; MA, MLS, or Ph.D. preferred.

The Assistant Director is a full-time, 12-month staff position at the University. Salary is commensurate with experience, ranging from $51,304-$64,131. The University also offers a competitive benefits package. To apply, please send a letter of application, CV, and contact information for three references to Doug Reside, Search Chair, via email: dreside@umd.edu. For best consideration, apply by close of business on October 9, 2009. The University of Maryland actively subscribes to a policy of equal employment opportunity and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, age, gender, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, national origin, or political affiliation. Women and Minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.