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LIS 512 Archival Field Experience: Processing the Berklee Archives Oral History Collection, MA

Posted March 14, 2022

Description:

Berklee Archives documents the history, activities, and contributions of the Berklee College of Music and the Boston Conservatory, with additional special collections in jazz and popular music. 

Berklee Archives seeks a part-time unpaid LIS512 student for the Summer 2022 semester (June-August) to assist with description and digital collections management activities to expand and improve access to Berklee Archives’ collection of Berklee Oral History Project (BOHP) interviews. The BOHP is an ongoing endeavor to capture the diverse experiences and perceptions of Berklee faculty, staff, and alumni through video interviews, in order to document Berklee’s pedagogical contributions to music education, as well as the events and issues that have impacted the direction and identity of the institution. More than 120 interviews have been conducted to date, with roughly 75% of the recordings currently available online. 

Duties and responsibilities:

  • Draft topical summaries of interviews based on transcriptions
  • Research interviewees in Berklee Archives collections to draft biographical notes
  • Update and expand finding aid description in ArchivesSpace
  • Revise existing and apply new administrative and descriptive metadata to digital assets using MODS
  • Opportunity to participate in production and digital preservation workflows (pending staff availability and scheduling)
  • Optional: draft social media posts about the collection and project activities
  • Other project-related activities as assigned

Skill/Experience Outcomes: 

  • Finding aid description (CMS: ArchivesSpace; content standard: DACS)
  • Metadata implementation (MODS)
  • Digital collections management (platform: Islandora) 

This is an unpaid/volunteer internship (10-15 hrs/wk) which meets the requirements of LIS 512. If you are unsure of your eligibility for LIS 512, please reach out to Prof. Sarah Pratt Martin ([email protected]). 

Qualifications: 

  • Music education/experience required, familiarity with jazz/contemporary music preferred
  • Coursework in Metadata (LIS 445) strongly preferred, or comparable experience
  • Strong research, critical thinking, and writing skills preferred
  • Knowledge of content management systems a plus but not required
  • Coursework in oral history or digital preservation a plus but not required

Location and Work Hours: Berklee Archives is conveniently located one block from the Hynes Convention Center station on the Green Line. On-campus shifts must be scheduled between 10:00am – 4:00pm Monday through Thursday; some activities may be performed remotely. 

Covid-19 Note: Berklee takes the health and safety of its employees and students seriously. All on-campus community members are vaccinated and tested weekly. Applicants must be vaccinated against Covid-19 and comply with Berklee’s mitigation protocols. Up to date information can be found here: https://www.berklee.edu/healthy  

How to Apply

How to apply: Please send a resumé, cover letter, and a list of courses completed to date to Processing Archivist Ashley Gray ([email protected])

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