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Job Posting_ Archivist _ History Researcher.pdf
Job Posting: Archivist / History Researcher
Type of contract: Part time, temporary
Term of Contract: May 1 - August 31, 2023 (exact start date and end date are negotiable)
Schedule: Flexible, total of approximately 40-60 hours spread throughout the contract duration
Remuneration: $33.03 per hour
Language(s) of work: The successful candidate will be fluent in English and have, at minimum, a working knowledge of French
Location: AGSEM’s office is located at 3641 rue University, Montréal. The successful candidate will work primarily in person at the office, where the archival documents are located. Conducting interviews, searching through online databases, performing data analysis, and written reporting based on the archival research can also take place remotely.
Please note that our office is unfortunately not wheelchair accessible.
About AGSEM: The Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM) is the oldest Teaching Assistant Union in the province of Quebec. As a labour union, AGSEM represents TAs and Invigilators at McGill. AGSEM has bargained with the McGill administration to produce TA and Invigilator Collective Agreements, which are legal documents that protect student workers.
Job Description:
The successful candidate will work closely with the members of the AGSEM Executive Committee on a project focused on celebrating AGSEM’s 30th anniversary.
The successful candidate will be responsible for carrying out the research phase of the project. Depending on the candidate’s availability and the development of the project, the Researcher might also be involved in the production phase.
The final products of the project will include:
- A curated display of archival materials (press articles, documents, photos, interviews) presenting the history of AGSEM to the general audience and locating the union’s past victories within the larger history of the labor movement in Quebec.
- Printed booklet
- Educational website presenting the history of AGSEM, informed by the archival research
Activities to be completed by the Researcher include:
- Performing a preliminary review of the archival materials located at the AGSEM office
- Processing the most relevant parts of the archive (arranging the collection by determining the best order for documents, and assessing the historical significance of individual materials)
- Searching for AGSEM-related materials in available online archives of on- and off-campus newspapers
- Conducting and transcribing interviews with past AGSEM activists
- Selecting archival materials that will be part of the display, in cooperation with AGSEM’s Executive Committee
- Analyzing collected data and proposing a narrative arch for the exhibition, booklet, and website, in cooperation with AGSEM’s Executive Committee
- Creating curator’s notes for the displayed materials
- Creating a longer, narrative text presenting the history of the union
Necessary Qualifications:
- Experience in archival work
- MA or PhD degree in History, Archival Studies, or a related field. Candidates currently enrolled in an MA or PhD program are also welcome to apply.
- Understanding of issues related to labor organizing and workers’ rights
- Excellent oral and written English
- Intermediate oral and written French
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Strong organizational and time management skills, ability to prioritize and follow through on a variety of tasks
- Resourceful, with creative problem-solving skills and the capacity to work autonomously
- Ability to gather and synthesize information from multiple sources and perspectives
- Experience in conducting interviews
- Expertise in social history and/or the history of the labor movement is an asset
How to Apply:
Deadline: Saturday, April 8, 2023. Interviews will be held in the following week.
Please email the following materials to Marta Beszterda at communications.officer@agsem-aeedem.ca
- CV/Resume in Word or PDF format
- Cover letter in Word or PDF format
In your cover letter, please detail your interest in the position, and highlight your qualifications for this position and any relevant experience.
We thank all applicants for their interest; however only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.
Any questions about the position can be directed to Marta at communications.officer@agsem-aeedem.ca.
AGSEM values diversity in its workforce, encouraging applications from all qualified individuals. We strongly encourage applications from early-career researchers and archivists, as well as from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color), newcomers and people from other forms of diversity (body, gender, etc.). To this end, AGSEM will adapt its selection criteria in accordance with the principle of equity.