Indigenous Chicago Oral History Intern

Job Description

Job Description

TO APPLY : Interested candidates should attach a cover letter and resume / CV, both as PDF documents, to their application in the Newberry Career Center. Applications sent without both a resume and cover letter will not be considered. To be considered for this role, applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship. If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable to apply for a job on this site because of your disability. You can request reasonable accommodation by contacting us through the Jobs email link listed on the Newberry Career Center page.

ABOUT THE NEWBERRY : The Newberry collection—some 1.6 million books, 600,000 maps, and 5 million manuscript pages—is a portal to more than six centuries of human history, from the Middle Ages to the present. We connect researchers and visitors with our collection in the Newberry’s reading rooms, exhibition galleries, program spaces, classrooms, and online digital resources.

Since its founding in 1887, the Newberry has remained dedicated to deepening our collective understanding of ourselves and the world around us. As individuals engage with Newberry collections and staff, they discover stories that bridge the past and present and illuminate the human condition.

The Newberry’s community of discovery is driven by a shared commitment to promoting research, inspiring learning, and using inquiry across the humanities as a tool to engage critically in a vibrant democratic society.

SUMMARY : Indigenous Chicago is a multi-faceted public humanities project in collaboration with Native communities that was initiated in 2020 and launched to the public in 2024. Through an exhibition that was at the Newberry Library in Fall 2024, a digital mapping website, curricular resources for K-12 students, new oral histories with Indigenous community members, and a series of public programs, the project explores Chicago as an Indigenous place and emphasizes the importance of centering Indigenous voices, laying bare stories of settler colonial harm, and celebrating Native resilience. The project is being directed by Rose Miron, Vice President for Research and Education of the Newberry Library; Analú Lopez (Guachichil / Xi´úi), Ayer Librarian and Assistant Curator of American Indian and Indigenous Studies at the Newberry Library; scholar Meredith McCoy (Turtle Mountain Ojibwe descent); and scholar Blaire Morseau (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi), as well as a 24-person Advisory Council that includes local Indigenous community members, representatives of tribal nations that were removed from the Chicago area, and Indigenous scholars. The intern will be instrumental in helping to continue the oral history component of the Indigenous Chicago project. They will gain experience in all aspects of the oral history process, including research, conducting interviews, transcribing interviews, and participating in outreach with the Native community in Chicago.

Reporting to the Associate Director of the D’Arcy McNickle Center, the Indigenous Chicago Oral History Intern will support the development of the Indigenous Chicago project’s ongoing oral history component. The internship will last no more than 15 weeks.

RESPONSIBILITIES :

• Transcribe oral history interviews;
• Prepare interview materials, including copies of visual aids from the Newberry’s collection and any relevant background research related to the interviewees;
• Provide support for oral history-related community events sponsored by the Indigenous Chicago project;
• Conduct in-person oral histories with local Native community members;
• Assist with outreach to interviewees for the review of their completed transcripts;
• Attend monthly Indigenous Chicago team meetings;
• Perform all other tasks or activities needed for the achievement of departmental goals.

QUALIFICATIONS :

SCHEDULE : This is a part-time, nonexempt position, working no more than ten hours per week. The internship will primarily consist of remote work with the potential for a few in-person opportunities.

BENEFITS : This position is ineligible for health benefits.

THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

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