Volunteer Opportunity, Harvard Kennedy School Library, (Cambridge, MA)
Posted August 20, 2025
Job Description
Ahead of state and local elections this November, the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Library – in collaboration with Harvard Library Information & Technical Services (ITS) and Digital Collections Discovery – is hosting a series of civically engaged, participatory events focused on the Political Buttons at HKS Collection, which features nearly 3,000 buttons representing US political history from 1904 through today.
Research-A-Thon: Friday, October 17, 10:30AM-2:30PM, In Person – identify dates associated with the buttons of candidates who have run for political office.
Copyright-A-Thon: Tuesday, October 28, 10:30AM-2:30PM, Virtual via Zoom – investigate the copyright status of candidate buttons with identified dates.
Position Duties
- Research the dates associated with the buttons of candidates who have run for all levels of political office.
- Investigate the copyright status associated with these buttons.
- Help to make it much easier for people to find specific buttons in the collection.
- Enable us to make the buttons available on many more platforms beyond Harvard, increasing the collection’s reach and research potential.
- Learn about copyright law and practice one method for checking a work’s copyright status.
- Explore the many political campaigns run in the US over the past century.
- Learn how to register to vote in your municipal election taking place on November 4.
How to Apply
Follow the links above to register for one or both events. We look forward to seeing you there!