Position Title: Project Assistant, Community Digital Repository
Status: Part-time, 20 hours per week
Reports to: Project Manager, Community Digital Repository
Salary and Benefits: $24,000, Benefits-eligible (health, dental, and vision coverage)
About the East Side Freedom Library
East Side Freedom Library is a builder and connector in a community which has suffered from silos of interests, capital disinvestment, and political neglect over the years. Founded in 2013, ESFL uses our collections and our programs to bridge the common histories of the people of the East Side (immigrants, working class, people of color, people living in poverty, and much more) to a shared understanding of moving forward together. Our special collection of over 35,000 books and materials provides a basis for all our work. We use these as a framework to support our neighbors as they create new knowledge and action in our communities. Our mission is to mobilize community knowledge for solidarity, justice, and equity for all. Our work is designed to be intersectional, with each program area connecting to multiple resources and communities.
To Learn More About Us
Visit the ESFL website to get to know our community and programming.
Position Summary
The digital repository team at East Side Freedom Library works to identify and digitally preserve at-risk collections that broaden an often homogenized historical landscape. We collaborate with the communities represented in the materials throughout the digitization process to ensure materials are culturally respected, accurately described, and made accessible to all–using emerging radical archival practices. The collections that will become part of the repository offer valuable community knowledge in alignment with the ESFL mission to mobilize community knowledge for solidarity, justice, and equity for all.
The Community Digital Repository Project Assistant is a part-time (20 hours/week, benefits-eligible [health, dental, vision coverage]) position that serves on the digital repository team. This position is grant-funded through May 2026.
Key Responsibilities:
- Community Engagement: Enlist communities represented in collections to contribute knowledge and enhance the contextualization of materials.
- Project Support: Provide general assistance to the Project Manager, including digitization of community archival collections.
- Training and Onboarding: Support the onboarding and training of community partners in ESFL’s community archive practices, including using CONTENTdm to enter descriptive metadata and create contextual summaries.
- Feedback and Improvement: Collect and analyze feedback from community partners on the stewardship of their collections and suggest improvements.
Preferred Knowledge, Wisdom, and Experiences:
- Demonstrated commitment to social justice and community building
- Demonstrated experience collaborating within diverse communities
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Ability to employ flexibility and creativity in the face of challenges
Essential Qualifications:
- Familiarity with and passion for community-driven archival practices
- Strong research skills and attention to detail
- An understanding of the importance of describing archival objects using contextual and descriptive language that is accurate and respectful of the communities represented in the collections
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for engaging with community partners and relationship building
- Familiarity with community engagement
- Familiarity with spreadsheets and plain text
- Ability to operate scanning equipment
Preferred Qualifications:
- Some experience with digital archiving, such as CONTENTdm (or other content / digital asset management systems)
- Graduate or undergraduate degree (preferably in one of the following fields); Information Science, Public History, Ethnic Studies, Humanities
- A background or interest in history with a focus on marginalized histories
- A track record of learning and implementing new software programs and technologies
- Familiarity with collecting and interpreting qualitative data
- Flexibility; ability to work within a small team, ability to work within a small nonprofit organization
- Ability to assist the Project Manager through May 2026
Don’t meet all of the Qualifications?
We encourage applicants with a passion for public history and learning new skills to apply.
Applications Instructions:
Send an email to jobs@eastsidefreedomlibrary.org and tell us more about you!
Preferred Application Deadline is Monday, February 17, 2025. Position is open until filled.
Please include Project Assistant in the subject line of your email. Please include the following materials in your application:
- Cover letter that conveys your experience and qualifications. Please include a brief description of a time you recently learned something new or taught yourself something that was new to you.
- Resume, CV, or list of your experiences. Include your contact information: name, email, and phone number.
East Side Freedom Library is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ESFL does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of age, racialization, religion, gender identity, disability, or other marginalized identities.
This project was made possible in part by the people of Minnesota through a grant funded by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.