Jennifer Kniesch
Carlisle,PA
Summary
Focused Librarian effective at maintaining digital and analog collections and locating hard-to-find materials. High-level organizational and communication skills. Excellent knowledge of visual literacy resources and research processes.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
6
6
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Visual Resources Librarian
Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA
08.2009 - Current
- Develop Mission, Vision, Strategic Plan and Disaster Plan for Visual Resources Center
- Initiate, plan and oversee the slide collection migration project from analog to digital using CONTENTdm and JSTOR FORUM
- Manage over 250,000 slide collection, sketchbooks, brochures, paper, newspapers, prints, photographs, ephemera, monographs, DVDs and CDs, besides digitally born and derivative digital assets
- Create workflow model and process for digitizing images for Art and Art History Department’s usage; including Faculty teaching and research, and student usage for image presentations, exams, and quizzes
- One-on-One and group/class reference instruction with Art and Art History Faculty and students
- Oversee three student employees for large-scale digital scanning project throughout the academic year: August-May
- Liaise between Library and IT Dickinson College Departments and Visual Resources Center regarding visual literacy development
- Research and liaise to purchase equipment for VRC: hardware and software
- Initiate and spearhead renovations for Visual Resources Center, and Art and Art History and Department Study Hallway. Collaborate with Facilities and Maintenance regarding furniture, signage, and flooring.
- Attend and present updated resources and technological issues at Department meetings
- Produce Visual Resources Center Committee. Serve as VRC Committee Chair.
- Liaise with Faculty regarding instructional presentation systems and best practices: bridging gaps with blogs, wikis, web 2.0 platforms, and mobile hardware and software
- Liaise with Donors and General Counsel on donations (monograph and special collection related)
- Create OPAC for Visual Resources Center’s donations: monographs, DVDs, CDs for checkout in TinyCat (LibraryThing)
- Implement and develop web pages for Dickinson’s Art and Art History Site: Visual Resources Center, Facilities and Resources, Goodyear Gallery, Previous Events (Jadu)
- Update Art and Art History Department website pages and Visual Resources Center resource guides and site
- Keep current and acquire for Waidner-Spahr Library or Visual Resources Center; monographs, film, journals, databases, e-journals, e-databases
- Co-curated exhibition, Reanimation Library: Carlisle Borough Branch, with Department Chair and Director of Goodyear Gallery: hosted artist, poster and postcard production, obtained equipment and furniture (2010)
- Check in, check out, add patrons and renew library materials using TinyCat.
- Organize library catalog, supplies, equipment and records.
- Maintain continuous knowledge of current and newly developed industry technology, making proactive suggestions to improve AV offerings and strategies.
- Oversee media, catalog and instructional areas.
- Keep up-to-date records of materials, maintained inventory and corrected cataloging errors.
- Respond to numerous reference calls, helping patrons with specific information needs.
- Collaborate with team members to provide timely resolution of AV issues or obstacles and achieve smooth presentations.
- Research and process approximately 300 born-digital or digital derivative acquisitions for Digital Collection weekly.
- Direct total budgeting, purchasing and scheduling operations and wrote successful grants to fund innovative library and media projects.
- Manage collections of print and electronic data for public and private access via reference and borrowing.
Professional Experience
Rare Books And Special Collections, UBC
01.2009 - 03.2009
- Digitized poster collection regarding anti-war movements between 1968-1973 that were from University of California Berkeley Campus and other Universities located in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Reviewed, researched and edited current digitizing processes
- Reviewed, researched, added and correlated metadata and descriptive metadata into CONTENTdm on https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/berkpost
- Provided context for Berkeley Poster collection splash page
Graduate Academic Assistant
Walter C. Koerner Library – UBC
09.2008 - 04.2009
- Researched multiple projects including off-site storage facilities, performance review materials, professional development, administrative manuals, Second International m-Libraries 2009
- Conference, and consortia organizations, members and associations of UBC libraries
- Retrieved and provided statistical data for circulation and professional development
- Responded to faculty and patron questions and comments regarding Borrower Services and Circulation information
- Assisted in planning and developing the Second International m-Libraries 2009 Conference web project, including research on past websites and retrieving images, text, and graphics accordingly to copyright standards, and work with Second International m-Libraries 2009 Conference committee members
- Provided one-on-one tutorials regarding administrative manual production
Practicum
SUNY Purchase College
12.2008 - 12.2008
- Assisted Art Librarian in decision making processes for acquiring and weeding donated items
- Assisted Art Librarian in decision making processes for student art exhibition space
- Assisted Reference Librarian with future goals and processes for special collection and archival materials
- Assisted grant writing team by researching items and writing a section of the IMLS Bookshelf Collection grant application
- Reviewed and updated web sites for Visual Resources/Slide Collection site at https://www.purchase.edu/departments/Library/collections/slidecollection.aspx
- Worked at Reference desk and assisted students with catalogue and reference questions
- Assisted faculty and librarians by digitizing images for tutorials
- Researched and retrieved artists biographical images for EmbARK database system
Research Assistant
SUNY Purchase College
09.2007 - 12.2007
- Performed extensive research at NYPL, Purchase College Library, Neuberger Museum, and
- Ronald Feldman Gallery regarding future exhibitions and publications for Professors
- Compiled and catalogued research documentation for Art History faculty and Neuberger Museum staff
- Digitized and burned images for future lectures and conferences for Professors
- Catalogued images and created PowerPoint presentations using Photoshop Elements
Librarian
Library – Private Art
09.2007 - 12.2007
- Catalogued large collection of art monographs, serials, objects, DVDs on shelves and into Readerware bibliographic software
- Categorized shelves and weeded appropriately to make more space and shelving room
- Organized office documents into vertical files
- Liaised with vendors
- Responsible for maintenance and organization of office
Teaching Assistant
SUNY Purchase College
01.2007 - 05.2007
- Prepared, organized and ran discussion courses for students in Art History Survey II and History of Modern Art I
- Attended Art History Survey II and History of Modern Art I courses taught by Professor Jane Kromm
- Graded and edited student papers and exams
- Provided guidance to students
- Assisted teachers with classroom management and document coordination to maintain positive learning environment.
- Partnered with teacher to plan and implement lessons following school's curriculum, goals and objectives.
- Set up visual aids, equipment and classroom displays to support teacher's lesson delivery.
Student Assistant
Library – SUNY Purchase College
10.2006 - 05.2007
- Reviewed, edited and catalogued large collection of art image slides and assigned correct metadata where needed
- Researched current authentic descriptive metadata for visual resources information
- Scanned slides and provided correct descriptive metadata for EmbARK database
- Provided, catalogued and organized images for student exams, quizzes and lessons in Artstor
- Liaison between slide library and Art History department
Research Assistant
SUNY Purchase College
01.2006 - 06.2006
- Researched images and correlating text for publication
- Obtained and organized copies of bibliographical and exhibition related information
- Liaised between Tracy Fitzpatrick and Feldman Gallery
- A History of Visual Culture: Western Civilisation from the 18th to the 21st Century
- Image Content Management Liaison
- Provided content management of images and permissions documents for editors, contributors and Berg Publications
- Liaised with editors and contributors to obtain permissions documents and images for publication deadline
- Digitized and Photoshopped images accordingly to Berg Publications policies and procedures
- Provided guidance to contributors regarding current image copyright information
Senior Administrative Assistant
Yale University, Beinecke Library
10.2002 - 08.2005
- Handled all administrative duties for Director, and other staff; answered phones, handled e- mail and letter correspondence; held daily schedule for Director, organized and distributed mail and shipments
- Supervised student workers and supported all staff and outside visitors with travel services and reimbursements, including keeping track of maximum dollar amount usage
- Organized and filed Director’s and American Curator’s documentation
- Greeted incoming visitors for the Director
Education
Master of Library And Information Studies - Library And Information Studies
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia 01.2008 - 04.2009
Master of Arts - Art History
State University of New York At Purchase College
Purchase, NY 01.2006 - 01.2008
Bachelor of Arts - Art History
SUNY Purchase
Purchase, NY 09.1999 - 01.2002
Skills
Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums, (GLAM related collections) descriptive cataloging (Non-MARC data), copy cataloging, digitization workflows
Reference, research, website building, and digitization software applications
Investigate and acquire hardware and software for database management, content management and digital assets
DAMS systems, CMS systems, JSTOR, Artstor, JSTOR Forum, Jadu, Omeka Classic, Neatline, iPower, SiteGround, Reclaim Hosting, Zoterobib and Zotero, Dreamweaver, Dreamweaver MX, Facebook, Wordpresscom and Wordpressorg, Twitter, Skype, DropBox, Box, KompoZer, Ektron, HTML, CSS, Python, delicious, Google—Search Console, Calendar, Drive, Earth, Scholar, Sites, Forms, Images/Lens and Maps, Weebly and Wiki's
- Other skills include scanning, LibraryThing, TinyCat, FTP, Apple software, Microsoft Office Suite, FileMaker Pro, Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, Lightroom, Final Cut Pro, Flickr, ExLibris Voyager, Cataloger’s Desktop, including DDC22, Dublin Core, MARC, ULAN, TGM, TGN, AAT, LCC, LCSH, and OCLC, VRA Core 40, Artstor’s OIV, Readerware, EmbARK, MDID2, ImageViewer and CONTENTdm
- Complex Problem-Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Time Management
- Library Instruction Individual and Group reference instruction
- Materials Management
- Database Software
- AV Issue Resolution
- Library Databases and Programming
- Special Projects
- Reference Materials Expertise
Affiliations
Member of American Libraries Association (ALA), January 2008 – current
Member of Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), January 2008-current
Member of Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA), January 2008-current
- Peer Reviewer for Art Documentation | Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America, Volume 36, Issue 2 Fall 2017, Volume 37 Issue 1 Spring 2018, Volume 38 Issue 2 Spring 2019, Volume 39, Volume 41 Issue 1 Spring 2022
Member of Art Libraries Society of North America’s Mid-Atlantic Chapter
Member of Visual Resources Association (VRA), January 2009-current
- Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) Board of Directors for Communication and Publicity, Project Grants and Professional Development Grants; March 2018 – March 2021 (three-year appointment)
Member of Mid-Atlantic Chapter, August 2010-current
- Mid-Atlantic Travel Award Task Force
Visual Resources Association Mid-Atlantic Chapter Chair; January 2017 – March 2019 (two-year appointment)
VRA Conference Planning Committee for VRA National Conference 2018; Philadelphia, PA Conference, Summer 2017 – April 2018; Philadelphia Museum Library & Archives Tour and Studio Artist Tours-Grays Ferry Area
Website Technology Coordinator Appointee, February 2012-February 2015
Visual Resources Association Solo Special Interest Group
Visual Resources Association Equitable Action Committee
Visual Resources Association Education Committee, May 2011-current
- Moderator; Engaging New Technologies, Philadelphia, PA 2018, Workshop: How Do I?...Let’s Geek Out and Play!!, Philadelphia, PA 2018, Back to Basics Session, Milwaukee, WI, March 2014
- Speaker; Session: DIY: Crafting your Space, Mission, and Situation, Philadelphia, PA 2018; Workshop: Best Foot Forward: How to Prepare and Give a Great Presentation Workshop, Providence, RI, April 2013; Workshop: style=“made easy”, Albuquerque, NM, 2012
Recipient of Davis Art Images Award on behalf of the VRA Travel Awards Committee, Minneapolis, MN, 2011
Recipient of Kress Scholarship on behalf of the VRA Foundation, Albuquerque, NM, 2011
Languages
Spanish
Limited Working
Italian
Elementary
WEB PROJECTS
- Dickinson College JSTOR Digital Collection Landing Page | https://www.jstor.org/site/dickinsoncollege/
- Dickinson College JSTOR Studio Faculty Collection | https://www.jstor.org/site/dickinsoncollege/sfc/
- Dickinson College JSTOR Barbara A. Diduk Sketchbook Collection | https://www.jstor.org/site/dickinsoncollege/barbaradiduksketchbook/
- Dickinson College JSTOR Post-Baccalaureate Collection | https://www.jstor.org/site/dickinsoncollege/postbac/
- UBC's Rare Books Special Collections digitized Berkeley Poster Collection | https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/berkpost
- Dickinson College's Visual Resources Center's Guide | https://www.dickinson.edu/info/20095/art_and_art_history/1004/visual_resources_center
- Dickinson's Art and Art History Department website | https://www.dickinson.edu/homepage/124/art_and_art_history
- Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) Website (merged with VRA) | https://web.archive.org/web/20210421114938/https://vrafoundation.org/
- Ward Davenny Omeka Collection | https://davenny.com/
- Built and managed Dickinson College Arts Facebook
- Built and managed Dickinson College's Arts Twitter Feed
- Built and managed @dickinsonarts Instagram Feed
- VRAF Facebook (merged with VRA)
- VRAF Twitter (merged with VRA)
- VRAF Instagram (merged with VRA)
- Visual Resources Association Website
- Assisted in Faculty member's DH project, Poems of Michael Fields
- Built website for Faculty member's Publication, Galileo's Moon: Galileo's Moon: Drawing as Rationalized Observation and its Failure as Forgery
- WorldCatImage: a new authoritative image location database aggregator (2010): http://www.ntnu.no/ub/emtacl10/media/jennifer_kniesch.pdf
- Second International m-Libraries 2009 Conference website
Timeline
Visual Resources Librarian
Dickinson College
08.2009 - Current
Professional Experience
Rare Books And Special Collections, UBC
01.2009 - 03.2009
Practicum
SUNY Purchase College
12.2008 - 12.2008
Graduate Academic Assistant
Walter C. Koerner Library – UBC
09.2008 - 04.2009
Master of Library And Information Studies - Library And Information Studies
University of British Columbia
01.2008 - 04.2009
Research Assistant
SUNY Purchase College
09.2007 - 12.2007
Librarian
Library – Private Art
09.2007 - 12.2007
Teaching Assistant
SUNY Purchase College
01.2007 - 05.2007
Student Assistant
Library – SUNY Purchase College
10.2006 - 05.2007
Master of Arts - Art History
State University of New York At Purchase College
01.2006 - 01.2008
Research Assistant
SUNY Purchase College
01.2006 - 06.2006
Senior Administrative Assistant
Yale University, Beinecke Library
10.2002 - 08.2005
Bachelor of Arts - Art History
SUNY Purchase
09.1999 - 01.2002
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