Increasing African American Diversity in Archives: The
HistoryMakers Fellowship, Mentoring, Training and
Placement Institute 2011 – 2012 Fellowship Application
FELLOWSHIP
OVERVIEW
The
HistoryMakers
is pleased to offer a year-long fellowship (June 6, 2011 through June 1,
2012) working in African American archives. This fellowship is made
possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The
purpose of this fellowship program is to provide training for African American
archivists and other archivists interested in working with African American
archival collections. The year will include a 3-month immersion training
program at The HistoryMakers Chicago location (June 6 - August 26, 2011)
and an on-site residency (September 6, 2011 – June 1, 2012) at one of the
following host institutions:
§ Alabama Department of Archives and History,
Montgomery, AL
[http://www.archives.state.al.us/]
§
Amistad Research
Center at Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
[http://www.amistadresearchcenter.org/]
§
Avery Research
Center for African American History and Culture at College of Charleston,
Charleston, SC
[http://avery.cofc.edu/]
§
Franklin Library
at Fisk University, Nashville, TN
[http://www.fisk.edu/Academics/Library/SpecialCollections.aspx]
§
The
HistoryMakers, Chicago, IL
[http://www.thehistorymakers.com/]
§
Maryland State
Archives, Annapolis, MD
[http://www.msa.md.gov/]
§
Mayme A. Clayton
Library and Museum, Culver City, CA
[http://www.claytonmuseum.org/]
§
Seeley G. Mudd
Manuscript Library at Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
[http://www.princeton.edu/~mudd/]
FELLOWSHIP ELIGIBILITY
All applicants must:
§ Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United
States.
§
Hold
a recent graduate degree in library science (MLS, MLIS, MIS, MS) from an ALA
accredited school OR a graduate degree in other relevant fields, such as
history or African American studies (current graduate students are encouraged
to apply if their degrees will be completed prior to beginning the fellowship).
§
Have
a demonstrated interest in archives administration and management. Applicants must
have taken at least two courses related to archival information and practice or
have demonstrated work/volunteer experience in archival repositories.
§ Have a demonstrated interest in African American
history. This interest can be demonstrated through academic coursework,
volunteer or work experience, and/or through a personal statement in
application essay.
FELLOWSHIP
DESCRIPTION
During the immersion training program,
fellows will receive training in arrangement, description, preservation,
reference, and outreach for collections of African American archival
materials. Fellows will process collections and create EAD and EAC-CPF finding
aids and will learn to appropriately utilize Library of Congress Subject
Headings to provide access points to African American materials in print, video,
and electronic resources. Fellows will attend lectures presented by African
American scholars and representatives from other African American archival
repositories. The purpose of these lectures is for fellows to gain a deeper
understanding of African American history. Fellows will also take field trips
to Chicago-area African American collections.
During the on-site residency period,
fellows will utilize knowledge and skills gained during their immersion
training to process African American collections. Fellows will be required to
organize a public program/community outreach event (lecture, exhibit, etc.), and implement
social media or other online resources while in residency at their host
institution.
They will also be expected to give presentations on their education and career
choice to other students at the high school and undergraduate levels. Fellows
will also be required to keep a journal of their experiences and progress
throughout the fellowship. Fellows will prepare a poster presentation for the
2012 SAA Annual Conference and will also be strongly encouraged to submit
papers for presentation at professional conferences such as ALA, SAA, MAC, New England
Archivists, MARAC, Society of Southwest Archivists, etc.
STIPEND
$37,000.00
LODGING
Lodging arrangements during the training
institute and during residency at host institution are the responsibility of
the fellow. Applicants will be provided with information on local housing
options upon acceptance to the program.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
All applicants should submit the following:
§ Cover letter stating their interest in the internship
and future career goals (please include an email address and a daytime
telephone number). They should also rank their choice of host institution
placement from 1 through 8 (one being the first choice). They must also
explain their top three choices, and how their
experience will best serve these repositories
§
Essay or written
statement (2,000 words or less) addressing all of the following:
§ their interest in African American history and
archival collections;
§ what they can contribute to the host repositories;
§ their experience with electronic media and social
networking tools;
§ their view on the importance of increasing diversity
in the archival profession;
§ what they hope to learn from the experience; and
§ the importance of this fellowship to their future
career.
§
Resume or CV
indicating their academic background, work experience, and volunteer service.
§
Undergraduate and
graduate transcript, including a printout of classes in which they are
currently enrolled, if applicable.
§ Three letters of recommendation.
Daniel
Johnson
Digital
Archivist
The
HistoryMakers
1900
S. Michigan Ave
Chicago,
IL 60616
No
phone calls please.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Tuesday February 15, 2011