We Are Hiring a Curating Indigenous Digital Collections (CIDC) Fellow
WiLS is offering a post-graduate fellowship to work closely with the Cultural Affairs Department of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community in Bowler, Wisconsin. This one-year, full-time position will support the development of a collaborative curation plan to connect the Stockbridge-Munsee Community with state and federal repositories holding collections important to their community.
This fellowship offers a hands-on opportunity to develop experience in digital preservation and curation, Indigenous information issues, and the library/archives/museum field. Candidates may be recent graduates of programs in library or information science, museum studies, Indigenous studies, public history, or related fields, or may have equivalent experience working in tribal cultural institutions. This opportunity is made possible by a Preservation Education and Training grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Fellow will work with the Curating Indigenous Digital Collections Project Director at WiLS and the Stockbridge-Munsee Director of Cultural Affairs to set learning goals in three areas: 1) digital preservation and curation; 2) Indigenous information issues; and 3) professional development in the library/archives/museum/preservation field. The Project Director and Partner staff will identify an appropriate mentor for the Fellow and develop a learning and training plan to support the Fellow’s career goals and research interests while advancing the work of the Partner projects.
Position duties may include:
- Work with Cultural Affairs staff and the instructor for the Tribal Libraries, Archives, and Museums (TLAM) course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison iSchool to design and manage service learning projects for TLAM students.
- Support the Project Director and Cultural Affairs staff in planning a POWRR Institute, which will bring together tribal cultural workers to learn about digital preservation.
- Develop story maps, using StoryMapJS, of institutions with collections, documents, audio, and video pertaining to the Stockbridge-Munsee.
- Design a collaborative curation plan that will connect the Stockbridge-Munsee with state and federal repositories holding collections important to their community.
- Plan for a digital collections website using Mukurtu CMS.
- Regular meetings with project staff and stakeholders, as appropriate.
SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES
Strong candidates will have a demonstrated commitment to supporting Indigenous communities and show an interest in continuing support for these communities beyond the end of their fellowship. Fellows may be recent graduates of programs in library or information science, museum studies, Indigenous studies, public history or related fields, or may have equivalent experience working in tribal cultural institutions.
Key qualifications include:
- Knowledge of Indigenous information issues, especially regarding digital libraries and digital cultural heritage.
- Understanding of tribal sovereignty and tribal history in the Great Lakes region.
- Experience with cross-cultural partnerships and collaboration with staff and volunteers in diverse communities, representing a broad range of experience, resources, and skills.
- Foundational knowledge of digital stewardship work including key terminology and best practices for creating, managing, and preserving digital content.
- Ability to self-motivate and work independently.
- Ability to communicate effectively in writing, by phone, and using distance technologies.
- Comfortable working remotely using a variety of virtual project management and communication tools including Google Suite, Zoom, Slack, and Dropbox.
REQUIREMENTS
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in linguistics, public history, museum studies, library and information science, or digital humanities — or equivalent experience working in tribal cultural institutions — is preferred.
- Access to reliable high-speed Internet to facilitate remote work.
- If pandemic conditions and Department of Health Services recommendations permit, the Fellow will be encouraged to travel periodically to the Arvid E. Miller Historical Library in Bowler, Wisconsin, and possible additional locations. All travel expenses reimbursed.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
WiLS is an entirely virtual office and can offer a somewhat flexible schedule. WiLS team members are creative, hardworking, and extremely passionate about our work. This is an opportunity to work in an organization focused on innovation and improvement, both internally and in the work we do with our communities. Read more about WiLS’ mission and values.
Start date: May 9, 2022 (negotiable)
Annual salary: $39,000. Compensation also includes a monthly phone and internet stipend and generous paid time off. This is a full time, grant-funded, 12-month limited term position.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply, send a cover letter, a resume, and contact information for two professional references to . Applications will be reviewed by WiLS staff in close consultation with Stockbridge-Munsee Cultural Affairs Department staff.
If you have specific questions, please contact Emily Pfotenhauer, WiLS Digital Strategist and Grants Manager, at or 608-616-9756.
We’ll be accepting applications until the position is filled. We’ll start our first review of applications on April 4, 2022.
This fellowship has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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