Archives Assistant (Student)

American University•Spring Valley, DC

11d•Onsite

About The Position

Work Where You Learn: Build Experience, Grow Skills, and Contribute to Your University Community. This position is available only to enrolled American University students. Most student positions at American University are eligible to use Federal Work Study (FWS) awards, with a few exceptions. FWS funds cannot be applied to janitorial, construction, partisan or sectarian positions. For information or questions regarding FWS funds, please contact American University's Office of Financial Aid. Important guidance for current American University employees: American University current employees, including those employed in student positions, must apply through their employee Workday account. If you are a current employee at American University, please log into your employee Workday account and select the Find Jobs report which will take you to our internal career listings. Applying outside of your employee Workday account may cause delays in a hire process. AU Archives & Special Collections is seeking applicants for an Archives Student Assistant who will work on assigned collections projects and tasks. Working under the supervision of the Associate Archivist for Collections Management, Access, and Discovery, the Student Assistant will be responsible for collections processing tasks including arranging and describing archival collections, drafting finding aids, rehousing and labeling collections, completion of basic preservation measures, inventorying and data entry, and researching using archival collections. In addition, the student assistant may welcome visitors when entering archives and help the office team maintain staff presence in the Reading Room as needed. This position is ideally suited for a student with a strong attention to detail and an interest in working with archival collections.

Requirements

High school diploma or its equivalent.
Excellent organization, analytical and problem-solving skills.
Strong attention to detail.
Excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to work collegially with others and independently, and the ability to communicate verbally and in writing.
The ability to write clearly and legibly using provided formatting guidelines.
Ability to learn and adapt to new workflows, tools, and technologies.
Desire to contribute to departmental projects through independent and collaborative work.
Reliable and responsive to communication and feedback in a timely manner.
Ability to lift items up to 40 pounds and retrieve materials from shelves that are seven feet high.
Applicants must be able to work 10 hours per week Tuesday-Friday 9am-5 pm in-person in shifts of 4 hours or longer at the Spring Valley Building.
The Student Assistant will be expected to maintain a regular schedule set with their supervisor.
This position requires both legible handwriting and proficiency in using computer applications and web-based databases.
The Student Assistant will be expected to use Microsoft 365 applications for work-related tasks and communication.
The Student Assistant may need to bring and use their own laptop computer for work. If a personal laptop is not available, alternative arrangements will be provided.
The office workspace temperature is regularly set at 63 degrees Fahrenheit.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with archives and special collections and experience researching with primary sources.
Hands-on experience with Microsoft Office 365 Suite applications, including Excel, Word, and Teams.
An interest in learning about archival work.

Responsibilities

Organize, arrange, and describe new and legacy collections using provided tools, systems, and workflows.
Handle all archival collections materials with care and perform basic preservation measures as instructed.
Adhere to provided archival arrangement, description, and preservation standards.
Track and document project progress using provided tools and project plans such as MS Excel, Word, and Teams, etc. in order to meet deadlines.
Assist office staff with routine administrative functions such as welcoming visitors to Archives.
Assist with reference requests by retrieving collections materials and staffing the reading room, as needed.