Archivist-in-Residence Program
Award Overview
Northwest Archivists, Inc. is offering a $7,000 stipend for one graduate student (or recent graduate within two years of March 31, 2024) to receive an Archivist-in-Residence opportunity. The purpose of this residency is three-fold: 1. To offer upcoming and new professionals with paid career development opportunities to apply knowledge in archives, libraries, museums, or a related field; 2. To teach new archivists how to accurately calculate the value of their education, experience, and overall value as an archivist; and 3. To provide an opportunity for archival organizations to work toward the long term goal of eliminating unpaid work within the field. The residency may last up to 12 weeks to be completed by the end of the current calendar year. The resident will receive a one-year complimentary membership to Northwest Archivists.
This is a unique experience for a new professional to develop a project based on their goals and skills and work directly with an organization to determine the project’s scope, goals, and outcomes. The Archivist-in-Residence will be managed by an engaged supervisor assigned by the host organization, though the resident may interact and work under the temporary direction of a number of other employees depending on the scope of the project.
Please note: A graduate student is a student who is enrolled and currently attending classes for a masters-level degree.
Requirements
The resident must produce a monthly report for each month of employment and submit it to the NWA Paid Internship Committee. Monthly reports should include: number of hours worked, progress on the project, and any goals or outcomes completed. The resident will prepare a blogpost for publication in Northwest Archivists Blog detailing their experience after completion of the residency. Host organization will submit an end of residency report detailing how the resident met the goals of the residency.
Eligibility
Applicants must be currently enrolled in a graduate-level program or have graduated within two years of March 31, 2024. The award does not define the type of graduate program as to encourage both traditional and interdisciplinary programs. NWA welcomes diversity in all respects, including but not limited to age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, and personal background.
The residency may be applied to any archival organization that is within the geographic region covered by Northwest Archivists membership (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington). The host organization must be an institution or agency responsible for the custody, study, teaching, control, or use of records, archives, and/or personal papers. Applicants outside the Northwest Archivists region are welcome to apply. There is no requirement for the Archivist-in-Residence to reside in the Northwest and this opportunity supports both in-person and remote work models.
Financial Management
The monetary award will be paid as a stipend directly from Northwest Archivists to the Archivist-in-Residence on a monthly basis. A budget must be submitted as part of the application process defining the appropriate hourly wage for the resident based on a documented calculation of the regional cost of living, their experience level, and the complexity of the project. The hourly wage must not be lower than the estimated regional cost of living for the host institution as defined by the MIT Living Wage Calculator (http://livingwage.mit.edu/). Please also check your locality for any minimum wage updates that may apply at the city, county, region, or state levels. This budget will also define the total number of hours to be worked based on the needs of the project. The total stipend based on the proposed wage and hours is not to exceed the total award amount listed in the call for proposals, nor the maximum 12 week timeframe of the residency. Housing, benefits, and transportation are not included within the stipend provided by Northwest Archivists.
Note: If the Resident will be living and working remotely in a geographic location separate from the Host institution, please use the higher of the two MIT Living Wage rates.
Sample Budgets
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Example 1: Project based in Twin Falls, Idaho Minimum wage: $7.25 Calculated living wage: $15.34
Total hourly wage: $20.19 Hours: 28/week for 12 weeks Requested funding total: $6,783.84 |
Example 2: Project based in Seattle, Washington Minimum wage: $17.27 Calculated living wage: $21.84
Total hourly wage: $23.36 Hours: 25/week for 12 weeks Requested funding total: $7,008.00 |
Application Process
The Archivist-in-Residency Award application will be opened February 2024. Applications will be due in April 2024. The NWA Archivist-in-Residence Committee will review applications and select the Archivist-in-Residence and host organization based upon their joint application. Final selection will be communicated to applicants at the time of the committee’s decision, followed by a public announcement via NWA communication channels. This typically occurs in conjunction with the NWA Annual Meeting, May 2024. The residency may start as soon as notification has been given and must be completed by the end of the calendar year.
This is a joint application between the resident and the organization. The resident should propose a project or experience specific to the site and work with the organization to clarify scope of project, timeline, supervisor, goals, and project outcomes. The organization and supervisor must be determined in advance of final application.
For final consideration, the applicant should complete the application form (TBD) in full and submit it along with a 2-page resume to: TBD
Informational Webinar
The NWA Paid Internship Committee hosted an informational webinar for the Archivist-in-Residence application on Wednesday, January 13, 2021 @1pm Pacific. It can be viewed via YouTube: https://youtu.be/FEJkA4nBaAU.
Contact
Questions may be directed to the NWA Archivist-in-Residence Committee at:TBD.
The NWA Paid Internship Committee would like to thank NWA membership and our Platinum-level sponsors for their support of the Archivist-in-Residence program.
A special thank you to our Gold-level sponsors for their support of the Archivist-in-Residence program.
We would also like to thank our returning Bronze-level sponsor.
Background
Problem: Unpaid internships are a problem.
First Problem: Unpaid internships is an outdated and unethical practice. Archivists cannot continue to go into debt in order to gain the field experience they need. This perpetuates an inequitable system that limits diversity within the profession and is inherently exclusive versus inclusive. Furthermore, unpaid internships devalues the work of all archivists and therefore devalues the profession.
Second Problem: Many institutions in the Pacific NW rely on internships to complete project work. While some do have resources to fund internships, many others do not.
Solution: This is a huge, societal, beyond-the-archives problem. But, the committee hopes to set an example for how we can combat unethical practices, support interns, and assist under-resourced institutions.
Logistics: There are several logistics the committee needs to explore to determine how the internship will be offered and managed.
What's the Cost?: This may fluctuate dependent upon State rates and taxes, but a full-time summer internship is estimated to cost $7,000.
How Do We Fund It?: The NWA organization matches up to 50% of the donations received on an annual basis. We've been fortunate to have a loyal slate of repeat sponsors. Each year the corporate sponsors can be viewed on this program page.
Why NWA?: NWA is a nonprofit, it's more accessible and visible to organizations and interns, and it demonstrates that organizations such as NWA can be part of the solution when it comes to unpaid internships.
What Will the Committee Do?: The committee will steward the program by facilitating fundraising efforts, perform program updates, completing application review, and offer host and resident support.
Of Note:
There is now a Society of Southwest Archivists Archivist-in-Residence program! As you can see via the link, they've modeled it off of our program and graciously gave credit to NWA in the "Application Process" section. They also link to several of the Resident blog posts and our information webinar video. https://www.southwestarchivists.org/ssa-archivist-in-residence-program/