SAADA Archivists' Collective

SAADA is currently seeking applicants to join its inaugural Archivists’ Collective!

We are looking for archival professionals and graduate students who are interested in joining a national network of archivists committed to furthering the documentation and preservation of South Asian American history. This initiative is made possible with support from the SAA Foundation.

If interested, please complete the application form below by June 30, 2018 at 11:59 PT.

Since its founding in 2008, SAADA has enabled academics, artists, journalists, students, and community members to write books, create new content, and shape public understanding about the South Asian American community. To recognize the important contributions that professional archivists make to the organization's growth, SAADA is pleased to announce the creation of its inaugural Archivists’ Collective. This group will connect archivists from across the country to complete monthly collaborative projects that will further SAADA’s mission.

As a member of the Archivists’ Collective you will:
• Gain professional experience working with South Asian American archival materials and learn the workflows of maintaining a vibrant digital community archive.
• Be recognized on the SAADA website.
• Be connected (through a private online forum) with a community of archivists interested in preserving the stories of South Asians in the United States. 
• Participate in peer-to-peer mentoring and a mutual exchange of archival knowledge and skills.

As a member of the Archivists’ Collective you will be asked to:
• Contribute 5-10 volunteer hours per month to support SAADA's archival collections. This work will be facilitated as monthly archival projects (see the list of projects below) that will be completed collectively by the group.
• Leverage your networks to promote the organization's mission and highlight its collections.
• Encourage others to contribute materials, ideas, and resources to help build the archive.
• Act as an ambassador for SAADA to help raise awareness about our work.

Application Timeline
June 30, 2018 at 11:59pm PT: Application deadline
Late-July 2018: Phone interviews with finalists
July 31, 2018: Announcement of inaugural SAADA Archivists' Collective

Project Timeline
Project #1: Survey of local community and archival holdings (Aug & Sep 2018)
Project #2: Digitize and describe at least 20 new items for the archive (Oct 2018)
Project #3: Organize a small fundraising event for SAADA (Nov & Dec 2018)
Project #4: Create new item- and collection-level metadata for archival materials (Jan 2019)
Project #5: Collect at least 3 new stories for the First Days Project (Feb 2019)
Project #6: Work in a group on a grant proposal (Mar 2019)
Project #7: Conduct at least one oral history interview (Apr 2019)
Project #8: Final project determined by interests of group members (May 2019)
Note: Each project will be preceded by a group conference call to provide background information and answer questions.