HBCU Radio Preservation Project Radio Preservation Graduate Internship
About the Internship:
The HBCU Radio Preservation Project, a multi-year effort to foster an ethos of preservation atHBCU radio stations, is pleased to announce the establishment of an Internship in RadioPreservation.
The HBCU Radio Preservation Project seeks to provide learning opportunities and mentorshipfor graduate students who aspire to be archivists from diverse backgrounds andunderrepresented populations. We believe that varied representation of experiences,perspectives, and cultures is critical to our project and to the archival/preservationprofession.
The project has established a summer semester position for a graduate student to workalongside the project field archivist and other staff from the NEDCC, assisting in preservation ofmaterials at the radio stations located on HBCU campuses. The intern will gain real-world,practical skills in audio preservation and oral history by participating in a broad range ofactivities supporting collaboration between the radio stations and the institutional archives ontheir campuses, with a focus on project-based learning with clear outcomes.
Responsibilities:
• working with the project field archivist, archival fellow, and team members from the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC), the Margaret Walker Center, and others to assist HBCU radio stations and their institutional archives with preservation of materials
• research, transcription, and preparation of metadata for a small but growing collection of oral history recordings housed at the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University in Mississippi accurately transcribing oral history interviews using a voice-to-text application (Trint or other app);
• creating database records;
• researching and helping identify and assess the archival value of materials; • processing of collections, including physical arrangement (sorting, boxing, labeling); • inventorying and describing of materials;
• creating collection guides and other basic finding aids;
• communicating with project team members.
Qualifications/Requirements
• Current graduate student in a public history|archives program or
equivalent
• Coursework/experience in archival work
• Interest in digital/audio preservation
• Knowledge of oral history as a preservation tool
• Strong organizational skills and attention to details
• Excellent communication and time management skills
• Ability to work independently; ability to take direction; willingness to ask questions • Ability to work in a digital environment; proficiency with Microsoft Office applications
About the Project:
Through a grant from the National Recording Preservation Foundation, in the summer of 2019project director Jocelyn Robinson began administering a survey to the 29 existing radio stationslocated on Historically Black College/University (HBCU) campuses to begin ascertaining if thesestations had historical materials and what preservation needs they might have, with the WYSO Archives, a division of Miami Valley Public Media in Ohio, serving as the administrative hub for the project.
Through 2021-22, the initial survey blossomed into the HBCU Radio Preservation Pilot Project funded by the Mellon Foundation to work with a small number of the radio stations and their institutional archives/libraries to plan and design a larger implementation project. With technical expertise provided by the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC), this pilot project provided audio and digital preservation training, disaster planning, reformatting, collection assessment, and other support to the participants. The overarching goal of the ongoing project is to foster an ethos of preservation at HBCU radio stations in concert with the institutional archives on their campuses.
Not only is the HBCU Radio Preservation project an example for the HBCU community, it is amodel of practice to be shared with college and community radio stations throughout thecountry. Radio preservation has been long neglected, and such projects are vital to the
development and continuation of this important work. As we move toward implementation in2023 and beyond, subsequent phases will include: (1) education and training, in which post grad fellows and graduate interns are afforded early career work experiences supervised by the project’s roving archivist; (2) multi-platform learning experiences including NEDCC-led courses/workshops in audio preservation, digital preservation, disaster preparedness and WYSO-led training in oral history and using historical media in content creation; (3) preservation, which includes collections assessments performed by the roving field archivist and also reformatting historical media, with access made possible through the American Archive of Public Broadcast (AAPB); and (4) public history praxis, including an oral history project, an annual symposium held on a different HBCU campus each year, and multiple seasons of a 6-episode podcast featuring interviews, oral histories, and reformatted media.
Time Commitment and Compensation: PT to FT hours, $20/hr during summer semester (up to 16 weeks at 40 hours per week depending on successful candidate’s academic calendar). This may be a hybrid|remote position.
Computer/software and professional development and travel funds will be provided, as willmembership in SAA, OHA, and other appropriate organizations.
To Apply:
Submit the following topjefferscoly@wyso.org:
1. Cover letter explaining how an internship fits the applicant’s educational program and career goals;
2. Current resume; and
3. Letter of recommendation from the head of the educational program in which the applicant is enrolled. The letter should clearly state the program’s internship requirements, if any, including the number of hours required to successfully complete the internship.
Application deadline is March 22, 2024 for May start date.
The HBCU Radio Preservation Project and Miami Valley Public Media value people of all races,colors, national origins, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, ages, abilities,and religions. BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged toapply.
