Tag Archives: audiovisual archivists

Job Posting: Community Archivist, StoryCorps, NYC

POSITION OVERVIEW

The StoryCorps’ Community Archivist is a critical member of the Recording & Archive Department, which is responsible for overseeing the technical aspects of StoryCorps’ recording process and assuring the integrity and accessibility of StoryCorps’ archive of over 65,000 born-digital audio interviews.

The Community Archivist takes a lead role in developing, planning, and implementing training sessions for staff and regularly provides individual feedback and support. The Community Archivist is responsible for the transfer and review of interview materials and delivering interview materials to local, regional, and national archive partners.

StoryCorps records, shares, and preserves stories from a diverse range of participants of all background and beliefs, and the Community Archivist will support interdepartmental efforts to ensure StoryCorps’ archive is inclusive of diverse voices. In addition, the Community Archivist will play an essential role as StoryCorps continues to expand public access to the StoryCorps Archive. Candidates with experience developing and sustaining outreach partnerships with diverse/underserved communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Here’s what you’ll do as a part of our team:

The Community Archivist will:

  • Manage the life cycle of StoryCorps’ digital and physical assets, including born-digital audio and photos, physical paperwork, and electronic databases
  • Create archive and database-specific training curricula and assist in the training of new staff on archival processes
  • Support and evaluate over 25 field staff on archival and recording work through regular written reports that providing essential feedback on data entry and audio and photographic standards
  • Coordinate formation of Community Archives and other content-sharing partnerships with organizations across the country, including assembling and delivering materials, and overseeing the drafting and signing of content-sharing agreements
  • Support the development of the StoryCorps online archive
  • Support StoryCorps’ mission by participating in various organization-wide planning committees and interdepartmental teams
  • Promote the StoryCorps Archive through internal and external events, conference presentations, and more
  • Perform other duties to support the Recording & Archive department, as assigned

Knowledge, Skills, and Qualifications:

Required:

  • Master’s degree in Library and Information Science or related field; or Bachelor’s degree plus equivalent relevant work experience
  • Experience working in Mac OS platform, as well as proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
  • Ability to be flexible and adaptable in order to contribute to problem-solving activities
  • Demonstrated ability to function exceptionally in a rapidly growing and fast-paced work 
environment and deal effectively with numerous simultaneous requirements
  • Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively
  • Strong organizational skills and an impeccable attention to detail
  • Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
  • Belief and interest in the mission of StoryCorps
  • Cultural competence and the ability to work successfully with diverse groups of people

Preferred:

  • 2 years experience processing digital assets and related materials
  • Fluency in written and spoken Spanish (strongly preferred)
  • Experience working with audiovisual materials (strongly preferred)
  • Familiarity with digital audio recording and photography techniques
  • Experience working closely with underserved communities in an outreach capacity
  • Project management experience
  • Demonstrated training experience

If you want to help us change the world, apply today!

Please send your cover letter and resume to employment@storycorps.org and include your last name and the position title in the subject line: for example, “Jones – Community Archivist.” Include your cover letter and resume as attachments titled “YourNameLetter” and “YourNameResume.” In your cover letter, please tell us how you found out about this opportunity and whether you have applied for a position at StoryCorps in the past.

Application Deadline: August 15, 2016

Full post: http://staging.storycorps.org/jobs/community-archivist

Call for Submissions: Archiving the Arts symposium

The Association of Moving Image Archivists Student Chapter at New York University and Independent Media Arts Preservation invite submissions for…

Archiving the Arts: addressing preservation in the creative process.

This symposium will explore the relationship between media artists and audiovisual archivists. Archiving the Arts allows for a dialogue that can enhance mutual understanding between both constituencies. By exposing these communities to best practices, working methods, and the technological and industrial realities faced by members of each group, we hope to foster a discussion, improve the current conditions, and widen awareness of preventative preservation for the long term.

The combined problems of born-digital works and media obsolescence intensify the urgency of preemptive preservation practices. Film and video archivists know all too well the risks media artworks face. At the same time, artists face the same concerns—not just with completed works, with the raw materials of film, video, audio, digital objects—that are essential to their ongoing creative process. But often these two groups lack a common language and a way for their communities to interact and develop tools that serve all parties. Archivists don’t necessarily understand the creative process. Artists don’t always think about their work in terms of its preservation.

Archiving the Arts promotes dialogue between working professionals, artists, students, and other interested parties whose goal is to prevent avoidable loss of creative works by integrating preservation strategies into moving image creation and production.

The day-long symposium of panels, screenings, and workshops will tackle the practical, theoretical, and technical issues that affect the artist and the archivist. Working across disciplines will result in a dynamic conversation and create a deeper understanding of the importance of preventative preservation.

Please see the Call for Papers below and join us on October 13th, 2012 during Archives Week in New York City.

 www.imappreserve.org                         www.AMIAstudentsNYC.com

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CALL FOR PAPERS — ARCHIVING THE ARTS 

The AMIA (Association of Moving Image Archivists) Student Chapter at New York University invites presentation proposals forArchiving the Arts, to be held jointly with IMAP (Independent Media Arts Preservation) in New York City on Saturday, October 13th, 2012 as part of Archives Week organized by Archivists Roundtable of New York – www.nycarchivists.org.

Please submit a 250-word proposal to Kathryn Gronsbell at NYU.AMIA@gmail.com

Priority will be given to submissions received by Friday, May 4, 2012.

Papers, presentations, workshops, and posters are welcome on all issues concerning artists and audiovisual archivist. Possible topics include:

Preventative Preservation

How do we integrate preservation strategies into creation? What are the benefits? What are the disadvantages?

Technically Speaking – creating & ingesting born-digital objects

What are the technical issues/specs regarding metadata crawling, signal problems, and the application of preventative preservation in production?

Temporal Art

How does ephemeral art act as a counterargument to preservation? How do conservators work with artists who wish to intentionally destroy or abandon their own work?  How do artists who restrict their work to a single format exist for posterity?

From the Studio to the Archive

How do artists’ intentions affect collection development? Archive policies and practices?

Growing an “Organic” Archive

“Organic” archives are repositories that develop from the intentions and desires of the contributing artist(s). How are artists and archivists working (or not working) together to create this type of archival system? What is known about existing “Organic” archives and what methods can be used to expand their potential?

Put Your Best Fail Forward

Share your unique collection/archival challenges that were not resolved, and why. Artists – what attempts have you made to ensure the welfare of your work? What is the disconnect between theory and practice?