Center for Primary Research and Training Up and Running: Graduate Students Work with Special Collections
The recently launched Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT) welcomed its first nine graduate-level scholars over the summer and anticipates an active academic year. Located in Charles E. Young Research Library Department of Special Collections, it employs graduate students in the social sciences and humanities to arrange, organize, and describe uncataloged collections of archives, manuscripts, and books. Current projects include organizing papers about school desegregation, describing medieval manuscripts, and cataloging rare editions of Emerson.
The center integrates special collections materials more fully into the teaching and research mission of the university by providing a substantive educational experience for graduate students while improving access to collections. Participants learn archival methods and descriptive standards while simultaneously producing finding aids, or guides, to collections in their areas of interest. They also gain experience with primary sources, have the opportunity to discover possible thesis or dissertation topics, and receive compensation at a rate competitive with similar on-campus employment options. The center has been launched with a generous lead gift from the Ahmanson Foundation.
Information about the program is available on the Web site. Applications for positions starting in the winter quarter will be due on November 19, and an open house will be held in the late fall for interested students and faculty. If you have questions, contact Laurel McPhee, CFPRT coordinator, by phone at extension 67633 or by email.
