Media Historian and Curator, Great Blue Hill (GBH), Boston, MA

Posted February 13, 2023

Position Summary

Under the direction of the Associate Director/AAPB Project Manager, the Media Historian, and Curator will be responsible for conducting a nationwide survey to identify and prioritize significant public media programs and original materials for potential digital preservation. Gathered via communications with public media stations and producers, research using databases, journals, newspapers, program files, etc., the Media Historian and Curator will compile an inventory of at-risk, historically significant materials, including those created by or documenting communities, people, places and perspectives that have been historically marginalized or underrepresented, that are in need of digitization and preservation via the AAPB. As materials are digitized, the Media Historian and Curator will also curate Special Collections and potentially online exhibits in collaboration with AAPB staff at GBH and the Library of Congress and potentially coordinate presentations and present at appropriate conferences targeting scholars, educators, and archivists.

Responsibilities

Conduct a nationwide survey of historically significant public television and radio programs that have not yet been digitally preserved.
Review existing inventory data gathered as part of the American Archive Content Inventory Project to prioritize certain materials for preservation.
Review inventories prepared for previous grant submissions.
Gather additional titles via databases, journals, newspapers, award listings, program guides, CPB annual reports, and presentations to identify materials and information about their provenance and location
Communicate with stations, producers, and organizations such as CPB, ITVS, NETA, POV, APT, Black Public Media, Pacific Islanders in Communication, the Center for Asian American Media, Vision Maker Media, Latino Public Broadcasting, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, Public Radio Program Directors, and others, to gather documentation about significant programming they created
Outreach to scholars studying public broadcasting history to gather their input on significant programs to preserve.
Organize inventory data via spreadsheets or databases for consumption and review by project staff
Curate special collections and potentially online exhibits featuring digitized material
Collaborate internally with AAPB staff and externally on potential scholarly uses of the Archive
Potentially coordinate and/or present at appropriate conferences targeting scholars, educators, and archivists

Skill Set

Excellent organizational skills
Excellent research, writing, communication, and interpersonal skills
Ability to work independently and collaboratively
Understanding of the public media landscape and its history
Demonstrated interest/investment in audiovisual archives or media history scholarship
Experience with Microsoft Office and database systems
Spanish language literacy a plus

Education

Graduate degree in history, media studies, or a related field

To Apply

To view the full job description and apply, please visit: https://publicmedia.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/WGBH_Careers/details/Media-Historian-and-Curator_R002288