University Libraries - Employment

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School of Library and Information Science (SLIS), University of Iowa

*Editorial Assistant for Walt Whitman Projects at Iowa*

Department: School of Library and Information Science (SLIS)

Type of Appointment: Half-Time / Graduate Research Assistant (GRA), tuition paid

Length of Appointment: Academic Year, 2022-2023

Eligibility: Incoming and Current SLIS Graduate Students

Project Description:

The Walt Whitman Archive, co-directed by Ed Folsom (University of Iowa), Matt Cohen (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), and Kenneth Price (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) is one of the oldest and most well-respected online literary archives in the United States. The Whitman Archive aims to make all of the writings by the nineteenth-century American poet Walt Whitman freely available online. The Editorial Assistant will work on Whitman Archive projects dedicated to transcribing, encoding, editing, annotating, and publishing documents on the Archive. Current Whitman Archive projects are funded by grants from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

The Walt Whitman Quarterly Review (WWQR) is a peer-reviewed literary quarterly sponsored by the Graduate College and the Department of English. For nearly 30 years, WWQR has been published by the University of Iowa. Edited by Ed Folsom (Editor-in-Chief) and Stephanie M. Blalock (Associate Editor), WWQR is the international journal of record for Whitman Studies and the official journal of the Walt Whitman Studies Association. It is also affiliated with the American Literature Association. Beginning with Volume 33, no. 1 (Summer 2015) WWQR has become an open-access, online-only publication.

General Description: The Editorial Assistant for Walt Whitman Projects at Iowa will perform a variety of research, editing, and proofreading duties for the Walt Whitman Archive, as directed by the Iowa project manager. The Editorial Assistant will use specialized software to prepare digital content for online publication on the Archive. They will help keep database and spreadsheet records for Archive projects up to date. The Editorial Assistant will perform a variety of formatting, copyediting, proofreading, and publishing duties for the Walt Whitman Quarterly Review journal as directed by both the journal’s Associate Editor and Editor-in-Chief. They will use specialized software to prepare and publish each issue of WWQR, and they will work with contributors and the journal’s Associate Editor and Editor-In-Chief to prepare manuscripts for online, open-access publication. The Editorial Assistant will also communicate with journal contributors and the journal’s Editorial Board, as needed. They will be expected to work independently and as part of collaborative, inter-institutional digital project and journal publishing teams. They should be detail-oriented and must pay particular attention to the quality, consistency, and accuracy of all online content prepared for publication, all project records, and all project metadata. The Editorial Assistant performs other duties as assigned and will receive training in procedures, standards, and software use as part of this position.

 

This position may be extended through Summer 2023 and/or for a second year, contingent upon successful performance evaluation and availability of funds.

 

Position Duties and Responsibilities:

• Adhere to all project policies–editorial and otherwise–including security protocols as set by the Walt Whitman Archive and the Walt Whitman Quarterly Review;
• Provide editorial assistance in support of all Walt Whitman Archive projects;
• Complete editorial, proofreading, and communication tasks in support of Walt Whitman Archive projects and the Walt Whitman Quarterly Review;
• Edit, check, and annotate encoded documents using Oxygen XML Editor, ensuring quality, accuracy, and consistency in content for online publication;
• Edit database records and project metadata, ensuring quality, accuracy, and consistency with project standards;
• Adhere to Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) and all other project protocols, standards, and best practices when preparing content for online publication;
• Attend all Whitman Archive training sessions, any project team meetings, and any Janeway (journal publishing platform) trainings related to the publication of WWQR in person or online;
• Collaborate with members of the Whitman Archive project teams and the journal editors to meet project performance objectives and publication deadlines;
• Format the issues of WWQR using Adobe InDesign and edit PDFs using Adobe Acrobat software;
• Work directly with the Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editor to copyedit submissions and publish issues;
• Work directly with contributors to edit and proof their submissions to WWQR;
• Keep the online Whitman Bibliography up to date with the latest entries and correct/edit existing entries as needed;
• Manage, WWQR social media account (e. Twitter);
• Answer queries that come in to the WWQR editor email inbox (wwqr@uiowa.edu);
• Collect WWQR mail from the mailbox in the English Philosophy Building (EPB) and deliver to the editors, taking any books to be reviewed to the Editor-in-Chief;
• Collect any checks that come in for WWQR and have the English Department deposit them into the WWQR account;
• Respond to requests for back issues of WWQR by collecting payment and mailing the requested issues (only if we have extra copies in stock).

Required Qualifications:

*Must be available for work in or near Iowa City during the academic year;

*Must own or have access to a laptop or desktop, which meets technical requirements for downloading and running the University of Iowa’s VPN;

*Editing and/or proofreading experience;

*Experience with archival work or research in either physical or online archives;

*Understanding of publishing and/or digital publishing processes and workflows;

*Ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines;

*Ability to work independently and in a fast-paced, collaborative, team- and project-oriented work environment;

*Excellent written and verbal communication skills and attention to detail;

 

Preferred Qualifications:

*Experience with XML (Extensible Markup Language) and Oxygen XML Editor;

*Experience with Adobe InDesign;

*Experience working on or with a digital archive or online project;

*Experience in publishing or digital publishing, including workflows and digital publishing platforms for academic journals;

*Experience working both independently and in fast-paced, collaborative team- and project-oriented work environments.

 

TO APPLY:

Please send a letter of interest, a current CV OR resume, AND ask one reference to send a brief recommendation addressing your editing skills and experience via email to:

Dr. Stephanie M. Blalock, Digital Humanities Librarian, (stephanie-blalock@uiowa.edu)   and

Dr. Micah Bateman, Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Science, (micah-bateman@uiowa.edu)

by 5pm on Thursday, August 11, 2022.