Archives Assistant - Vancouver, Canada - Alma Mater Society of UBC Vancouver

Alma Mater Society of UBC Vancouver

Verified Company

Vancouver, Canada

3 weeks ago

Posted by:

Sophia Lee

beBee Recruiter

Description

The Alma Mater Society (AMS) is the University of British Columbia's (UBC) student society, and works to improve the academic, social and personal lives of the 56,000 UBC students at its Vancouver campus.

The AMS also runs nine food and beverage outlets, a catering and conference operation, and the AMS Student Nest, providing on-campus employment opportunities and generating revenue that goes directly back into supporting the students at UBC.

Position Title:
Archives Assistant (WorkLearn)

Department:
Archives/Research

Employee Status:
Term, Appointed

Anticipated Start Date:
September 1, 2023

Hours per week: 10

Compensation:
$21.79 per hour

Position Summary

The AMS Archives is the repository of records for the Alma Mater Society of UBC Vancouver (the student society, usually called the AMS).

We house paper and electronic documents as well as photographs, websites, and student newspapers.

The main function of the Archives is to provide information and documents to the executives and managers of the AMS as well as to UBC students, University departments, and the general public.

As such we function as the institutional memory of the AMS.
The Archives Assistants help preserve and share that memory in a number of ways. First by sorting and filing the documents we have received from our executives and managers. Secondly, by scanning and uploading our historical photographs and our old paper documents. Thirdly, by making copies of our website. And fourthly, by assisting in the retrieval of requested information and materials.

Besides these regular tasks, the assistants will assist in more complex duties, for instance helping establish criteria by which we determine which of our historical photographs should go online and which should not (based on considerations of privacy and duplication).

Other duties of this sort include helping draft grant proposals for archives funding, developing outreach strategies, attending meetings with outside professionals on such matters as introducing new software, and doing research and writing reports on such matters as the Archives space requirements and the technical specifications for digitizing our historical photographs.

The assistants are also responsible for preparing powerpoint presentations on various historical topics. These are prepared under the supervision of the Archivist, who does the actual presenting.

In general, then, besides the regular filing, the assistants are responsible for working on various projects under the supervision of the Archivist, from grant proposals to powerpoints to surveys of the Archives needs.

They also contact suppliers to make sure we have the software and other equipment we need, and they contact records creators to make sure they are sending us the documents we are supposed to preserve.

Qualifications:

Some past Archives assistants have been students in the Archival Studies program or Arts undergraduates planning to go on to do Archival Studies.

A background or interest in Archival Studies is useful but not essential for the position. We are looking for students who have good organizational and problem-solving skills, as well as research ability. They must also be comfortable creating powerpoints and be able to use other software (e.g., Adobe Pro, Outlook).

Other requirements:
Ability to lift boxes weighing 15 kg (30 pounds). Enthusiasm for arranging and retrieving records and information. Ability to work on one's own and as part of a team. Communication skills. A pleasant demeanour.

To Apply
Please submit your resume and cover letter directly to UBC CareersOnline

Application Deadline:
August 14, 2023.