Digital Scholarship Fellow (Digital Archival Collections)
Title: Digital Scholarship Fellow
Division/Department: Center for Digital Scholarship, University of Chicago Library
Reports to: Director of the Center for Digital Scholarship
General Summary:
The Digital Scholarship Fellow will use digital scholarship methodologies and tools to support innovative digital scholarship projects in the Library and in support of faculty and student research. Day-to-day activities may include gathering requirements, contributing to the development of software projects and Web resources, researching and reporting on platforms and tools, documenting tools and techniques, advising faculty and students on technical matters, and serving as a liaison between principal investigators, library staff, and other project stakeholders. Anyone with interest in the theory and practice of digital scholarship, familiarity or competence with digital tools and methods is welcome to apply. Prior experience with digital project development is a plus.
This fellowship is a site for exploration of diverse interests and backgrounds in a digital space, and we encourage and welcome applications from all academic backgrounds.
Fellows will have the opportunity to interact with a small group of peers, librarians, archivists, and IT specialists to develop skills such as:
- Assessing and choosing digital scholarship methods and approaches
- Digitization, analysis, curation, information visualization, project management, and other specific areas of digital scholarship
- Evaluating tools for digital scholarship
- Collaboratively designing and developing a digital scholarship project built around one of the Library’s collections
- Developing resources and guides
- Teaching workshops
While initial appointment is for a single academic quarter, reappointment for additional quarters and/or summer term is anticipated for the successful fellow.
Library Digital Archival Collection Focus
In 2019 we are seeking a fellow who can focus on existing digital archival collections. The fellow will conduct background and biographical research, evaluating and selecting specific items for scholarly importance, writing descriptions and contextual material for items in the collections, and creating a digital scholarship project around one or more of the existing digital archival collections. The fellow will have the opportunity to interact with Library staff to understand any copyright or technical requirements, to identify and explore information resources to support background and biographical research, to understand and apply standards and best practices in digital scholarship, and to select the appropriate tools and platforms for creation of the project. If appropriate, the focus of the digital archival collection will be guided by the disciplinary interests of the successful candidate.
Qualifications:
- Enrolled in a UChicago graduate program and in good academic standing during the period of the fellowship
- These positions require frequent one-on-one consultation and team collaboration, so excellent written, interpersonal, and oral communication skills are a must.
- Preferred qualifications include previous experience using digital, or an awareness of current digital scholarship trends and projects.