Special Collections and Archives Graduate Assistantships

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The first position is the Grenander Graduate Assistantship. Funding for the M.E. Grenander Graduate Assistantship has again been provided by the Touhey Foundation for the academic year 2026-2027. The funding will support our incoming GA to continue to arrange and describe the Dr. Alice P. Green Papers and the Center for Law & Justice Records. Work on this project began this year.  

Dr. Alice Green was a life-long activist and academic who ran the Center for Law & Justice (CLJ) in Albany, New York. Dr. Green earned a BA in Social Science Education followed by an MA in Secondary Education of Social Sciences and English from the University at Albany, SUNY in 1967. As a teacher, she found herself becoming increasingly interested in her students' home lives and problems, which led to her earning a Master of Social Work from the University at Albany, SUNY in 1973. In 1979, she received an MA in Criminal Justice, and she earned her PhD from the School of Criminal Justice at the University at Albany, SUNY in 1983.

Dr. Green founded the Center for Law & Justice in 1985 after the death of Jessie Davis, a young Black man shot and killed by police in his Albany apartment. First called the Albany Justice Center, Inc., the Center is considered one of the strongest advocacy groups in New York State for people adversely affected by the criminal justice system. The CLJ studies and responds to major issues related to criminal justice including racial profiling, community and police relations, parole issues, sentencing, and families of prisoners. 

Responsibilities:  

• Review year one project transition notes from 2025-2026 graduate assistant.  
• Continue to arrange and describe the two collections according to accepted archival practice, including both physical and born-digital materials depending upon the collection.  
• Assess preservation concerns and address routine preservation needs of each collection, including refoldering and reboxing materials in archival-quality enclosures, sleeving photographs and frail materials. Work with Coordinator of Preservation Services to treat items with larger preservation risks.  
• Transfer, process, ingest, and describe born-digital records into the department’s preservation storage. 
• Digitize materials for researchers upon request using our professional scanners.  
• If time allows, selectively digitize high value paper materials in the collections.  
• Use ArchivesSpace to describe archival materials in accordance with Describing Archives: A Content Standard, including writing historical notes, scope and content notes, and series descriptions.
• Serve on the department’s reference desk located in the Reading Room, occasionally answer the telephone, communicate directly with a diverse group of patrons, and assist with reference services for in-person and remote researchers.

The second position is a graduate assistantship to arrange and describe the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Records.  

These are the records of the oldest grassroots environmental organization in New York. The Department of Special Collections initially acquired and subsequently processed several decades’ worth of the Atlantic Chapter’s records in 2002. Since then, the collection has been used frequently for research and instruction. The Atlantic Chapter subsequently donated more than 20 additional cubic feet of paper material and digital files between 2012 and 2025.  

Responsibilities:    

• Survey newer accessions of the Sierra Club, Atlantic Chapter Records and existing Atlantic Chapter Records and develop a processing plan.  
• Arrange and describe records according to accepted archival practice, including both physical and born-digital materials. Interfile new materials within existing collection.  
• Assess preservation concerns and address routine preservation needs of collection, including refoldering and reboxing materials in archival-quality enclosures, sleeving photographs and frail materials. Work with Coordinator of Preservation Services to treat items with larger preservation risks.    
• Transfer, process, ingest, and describe born-digital records into the department’s preservation storage if needed.  
• Digitize materials for researchers upon request using our professional scanners.  
• Selectively digitize high value paper materials in the collection, such as the chapter newsletters.  
• Perform (as much as the technology allows) disk imaging on floppy disks from early 1990s within the 2017 accession. 
• Use ArchivesSpace to describe archival materials in accordance with DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), and update the existing finding aid, including writing historical note, scope and content note, and series descriptions.  
• Serve on the department’s reference desk located in the Reading Room, occasionally answer the telephone, communicate directly with a diverse group of patrons, and assist with reference services for in-person and remote researchers.    

Minimum Qualifications for both positions:

• Must be enrolled in a University at Albany graduate degree program on a full-time basis during each semester of work.
• Must have experience working with spreadsheets and web forms.
• Must be self-motivated and able to complete tasks in a timely manner and make progress with minimal supervision.
• Must be able to frequently lift or shift boxes that weigh 25 pounds or more, occasionally ascend/descend and work atop a step ladder to shelve and store the boxes and frequently move/push a book truck with boxes from one location to another within the department.
• The ideal candidate must be able to complete all physical requirements of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications for both positions: 

• Expected enrollment in the Masters of Science in Information Science program in the Archives and Records Management or Library and Information Services concentrations.
• Interest in working within the library and information sciences field, specifically in special collections, archives, or digital libraries.
• Understanding of Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) and the DACS Statement of Principles.

Hours/Compensation for both positions:   

• 20 hours per week. Schedule is flexible, but all hours will be performed during the traditional workweek (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm).
• The work for both positions is intended to be performed in person and on-site at the Science Library on the Uptown Campus.
• Stipend of $18,000 for the academic year and a tuition scholarship for up to 9 graduate credits per semester at the in-state rate.