Research Assistant for digital data acquisition and data management in the digitization project Prize Papers: Indexing - Digitization - Presentation

About us

The project, funded by the Academies Program of the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities under the umbrella of the Niedersächsische Akademie zu Göttingen, aims to index and catalogue the extraordinary historical source of the so-called "Prize Papers" of the British High Court of Admiralty, to digitize the documents and artefacts, and to make them available online for research and the interested public. The collection consists of extremely heterogeneous, mostly handwritten documents in several languages, including administrative documents as well as letters or diaries from the early modern period. The project partners are The National Archives UK (TNA). The project also cooperates with the German Historical Institute London and the IT services of the Joint Library Network (VZG of GBV) based in Göttingen. The advertised position is based at the project headquarters at Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Germany. The position will work closely with colleagues from all project areas, especially Computer Science and the IT service providers. 

Your tasks

• Indexing and digital input of metadata of multilingual heterogeneous and handwritten historical documents, ca. 1650-1817 (50%).
• Maintenance and further development of controlled vocabularies and metadata standards
• Data management, including data controlling and data monitoring, suggestions for optimizing data entry, data export to the portal, use/development of APIs for data exchange, error management database
• Connection and networking with cooperation partners in data management
• Collaboration with teams at all project sites

Your profile

Your profile

Required qualifications

• Completed academic university studies (MA/Master of Education/Diplom Uni) in history or a related field ideally with very good knowledge of data management/digital humanities; or completed academic university studies (MA/Master of Education/Diplom Uni) in digital humanities/data management ideally with a focus on history or a related field.
• Very good knowledge, ideally with training, in the field of data management/research data management and ideally with experience in humanities digitization projects
• Knowledge of working with different data formats, data infrastructures, metadata standards, and creating interoperability of data (banks)
• Knowledge of paleography for the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries or willingness to acquire this independently within six months
• Very good knowledge of English, good knowledge of German, or willingness to acquire these within one year
• Evidence of work experience/degrees/training in the above areas of responsibility
• Ability to work in a team in an interdisciplinary and international environment

Preferred qualifications

• Knowledge of early modern history with a focus on global history / willingness to acquire.
• Knowledge of digital humanities, datamining or HTR/OTR text recognition.
• Palaeographic competences
• Very good time management skills and initiative

We Offer

You will have the opportunity to develop your skills in digital data acquisition and data management of a large-scale historical digitization project in an international and outstanding project at the intersection of humanities, digitization and database technologies. 

Our standards

The University of Oldenburg is dedicated to increase the percentage of female employees in the field of science. Therefore, female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. In accordance to § 21 Section 3 NHG, female candidates with equal qualifications will be preferentially considered. Applicants with disabilities will be given preference in case of equal qualification.

Further information

You will work in a team of young scholars working in a broad international network in the field of digital humanities and historical research. The position is based at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. It includes travel to our project partners in London and in Göttingen as well as to workshops and conferences relevant to the position. The position is suitable for part-time work. After successful project evaluation, there is the possibility of extension.

Contact

For further information, please contact Prof. Dr. Dagmar Freist, dagmar.freist@uni-oldenburg.de