Web Exhibits Fellow
Title: Web Exhibits Fellow
Division/Department: The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
Reports to: Head of Archives Processing and Digital Access, Special Collections
General Summary:
The Library Digital Repository preserves hundreds of thousands of digitized images of documents and photographs from the holdings of the The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center. Most of these are presented online via the University of Chicago Photographic Archive, collection-level finding aids, or other digital project websites.
The fellow will use these existing digital resources to develop web exhibits, highlighting significant items from large digitized collections, and providing contextual information about the items, and their collections and creators. This project will make these materials accessible to new research audiences and increase visibility of the Library’s digital collections.
The fellow will develop skills in conducting original archival research, and in presenting the results of their research to a broad audience in clear, concise, visually-engaging ways.
Collections selected for this project include: the papers of journalist, teacher, and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells; Mildred Mead’s photographs documenting events, communities, and urban renewal projects on the South Side of Chicago; and publications from the Century of Progress World’s Fair. The fellow will also have the opportunity to survey existing digitized images and collections and propose additional exhibits.
While initial appointment is for a single academic quarter, reappointment for additional quarters and/or summer term is anticipated for the successful fellow.
Specific activities will vary according to fellow’s skills and interests, but may include:
- Conduct research in SCRC collections and in Library collections and e-resources
- Write descriptive and contextual text for exhibits
- Select digital images for presentation in web exhibits
- Enhance descriptions of individual digitized items, as necessary
- Design exhibits using the Library’s web exhibit template
Qualifications:
- Enrolled in a UChicago graduate program and in good academic standing during the period of the fellowship
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools
- Familiarity with use of original research materials
- Experience with digital images, image editing software, and web design software helpful, but not required
- Ability to prioritize project activities in accordance with established standards, processes, and criteria
- Strong written and oral communication skills