Personal Archivist (Cambridge, MA)

Posted July 15, 2026

Job Description

I am a faculty member at Harvard University (in the Government Department), and I have recently inherited some family documents.  I am looking for an advanced student in modern archiving to help me sort and organize them. Their dates
range from the early 1930s through the late 1990s, with a large set of materials during World War II. The documents include hand-written diaries, letters to and from family members, newspapers and reports during WWII, a partial memoir by my father, family
and war-time photos, and especially a large collection of letters sent by my father to his then-fiancee (later my mother) during and after the war. My father was a Jewish émigré from Germany to the US, and served in the OSS behind German lines, so there may be interesting material. There are also documents, photos, and letters to and from my mother and her side of the family; her ancestors came from England to Massachusetts in the early 1600s, so the marriage was understood in the 1940s to be interracial.

Responsibilities

The initial phase of the project will be to inventory the collection (now in files, cartons, and binders), to sort it chronologically, and to do what is needed to preserve the pieces of paper. Further steps will involve helping me to distill what seems worth focusing on if I am to write anything out of this material, and scanning and otherwise digitizing essential documents. I will also appreciate
advice on whether and how to eventually deposit the material in an appropriate permanent, public collection.

Qualifications

 The archivist working with me should have done formal course work in Archives, and be initiated in the work of organizing, cataloging, archive appraising, and digital stewardship. A taste for recent history, interest in World War II, and curiosity about family dynamics would be a big plus.

Compensation and Hours

This is a part time position of 6 to 8 hours per week. The compensation is up to $30 per hour. This is a fall 2026 position, with potential to extend into the winter, 2027. The archivist will mostly work in my home in Cambridge.

How to Apply

Please send a cover letter, resume, and names and contact information for two references – along with any other material that might be helpful.  Send this material electronically to:  Jennifer Hochschild, at [email protected].

Deadline, August 30, 2026.