Ignaz Pleyel Project Graduate Assistant

UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
Rita Benton Music Library Ignaz Pleyel Project (IPP) Graduate Assistant

Supervisor: Katie Buehner, Director, Rita Benton Music Library
Hrs/week: 20 hrs/week – 2025-2026, with possibility for a one-year renewal for 2026-2027.
Application deadline: March 31, 2025

The University of Iowa Libraries seeks a detail-oriented graduate student with an interest in chamber music and the digital humanities to serve in the donor-funded position of Ignaz Pleyel Project (IPP) Graduate Assistant. The IPP Graduate Student will work with scores composed and published by Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831) to update and enrich their online description and accessibility in the Répertoire International des Sources Musicales (RISM), International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)/Petrucci Music Library, and the Iowa Digital Library. 

Job Description: Reporting to the Director of the Rita Benton Music Library, the IPP Graduate Assistant will work with the approximately 250 music scores held in the Arthur and Miriam Canter Rare Book Room of Pleyel’s compositions and published by his imprint, Chez Pleyel, to update their representation in three online platforms through writing incipits, linking to digital copies, updating location data, and adding new records for recently acquired items. 

The IPP Graduate Assistant will use Plaine and Easie Code to create music incipits for all University of Iowa Pleyel holdings in RISM, and update records to include links to digital content and other relevant metadata. They will work to integrate Iowa’s Pleyel holdings with the current public domain library available in IMSLP. The GA will also inventory all Chez Pleyel holdings in the Canter Rare Book Room and prepare them for digitization. Other tasks that support the description, dissemination, and accessibility of this collection may be added to the project, as needed. 

Primary tasks will include:

• Identify RISM records for Iowa’s Pleyel holdings; update location information, create incipits, and link to digital copies held in the Iowa Digital Library
• Compare Iowa’s holdings of Pleyel scores with records in IMSLP; add scores and editions from Iowa’s holdings not yet in IMSLP.
• Inventory all publications of Chez Pleyel held in the Canter Rare Book Room; place items in digitization workflow, working with Conservation and Collections Care, and Cataloging, Metadata, and Digitization to successfully digitized and create records for digitized materials in the Iowa Digital Library.
• Document all new workflows and collaborate as needed with colleagues working in areas of libraries technology, conservation, cataloging and metadata, digitization, and communications using existing workflows.

Required Qualifications:

• Ability to fluently read music
• Demonstrated interest in music history, composition, or technology or performing arts librarianship or a related field
• Demonstrated skill at making progress towards goals in an environment with many competing priorities and projects
• Strong organization and prioritization skills
• Strong written and oral communication skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience with music engraving software
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team-based setting where consultation, flexibility, and collaboration are essential

Interested applicants should send a CV and letter of interest to Katie Buehner (katie-buehner@uiowa.edu) by March 31, 2025.

Additional Information

• Classification Title: Graduate Assistantship
• Appointment Type: 50% Fiscal Year
• Term of Appointment: On or after July 1, 2025, ends June 30, 2026; renewable for a second year, contingent upon satisfactory completion of all duties relating to the appointment and satisfactory progress toward the degree

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

The University of Iowa is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment free from discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), disability, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, service in the U.S. military, sexual orientation, gender identity, or associational preferences.

Persons with disabilities who need assistance or accommodations with the application or interview process may contact University Human Resources/Faculty and Staff Disability Services, (319) 335-2660 or fsds@uiowa.edu.   For jobs in UI Health care, please contact UI Health care Leave & Disability Administration at 319-356-7543.