Center for Primary Research and Training Research Opportunities
The Charles E. Young Research Library Department of Special Collections created the Center for Primary Research and Training to integrate special collections materials more fully into the teaching and research mission of the university. The center provides a substantive educational experience for graduate students by training them in archival methods, while simultaneously making accessible lesser-known collections through the creation of finding aids, or guides. It was launched with a generous lead gift from the Ahmanson Foundation.
Recognizing that many faculty in the social sciences, humanities, and visual arts want to give their students experience with primary sources and that many graduate students are looking for original subjects for theses and dissertations, the center pairs students with unprocessed or under-processed collections in their areas of interest. Students have access to materials that others have not yet fully investigated, and their training in archival organization and description results in making those collections more accessible to other researchers. They are compensated at a rate competitive with similar on-campus employment options such as teaching and research assistantships.
What the Center Does
- enables students to conduct research here at their home institution, using the immensely rich holdings of its special collections, and perhaps relieving them of the financial burden of conducting research elsewhere
- encourages broader and more innovative uses of original sources at UCLA
- encourages feedback from doctoral candidates and their faculty committees that will help the UCLA Library understand how scholarly resources can be developed for optimal use in the future
- promotes special collections as fundamental to the mission of the university by emphasizing that scholarly research ultimately depends on the availability of primary sources
- enhances access to collections and backlogs, thus surfacing "hidden collections," which is particularly important in an era of reduced staffing and makes holdings more visible online, following established standards for what constitutes adequate access
- utilizes the energy, ambition, and subject knowledge of students to fill gaps in expertise on the part of full-time staff
- better informs university administrators, faculty, and members of the wider community about special collections holdings and about the obligations and responsibilities an institution assumes when it undertakes stewardship of special collections materials
Apply for Fall Quarter 2009
The CFPRT is currently hiring four graduate students to complete archival processing projects within one or more of the collections in UCLA Library Special Collections. Please indicate in your cover letter and application which collection or collections from the information sheet interest you and why. Application deadline for processing archival project positions is September 10, 2009.
The CFPRT, in collaboration with the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research, is also hiring a graduate student to conduct a series of oral history interviews in some aspect of Los Angeles history. Applicants are invited to submit proposals for a specific oral history project that they have the subject expertise to carry out. Prior interviewing experience is an asset but is not required, since the Center for Oral History Research will train the successful applicant in oral history technique. The position is paid $17.37 an hour, and the student is expected to work between 12 and 19 hours per week. The application deadline for this position is September 17, 2009. Applicants are encouraged to contact the CFPRT Coordinator for assistance in developing proposals.
Application Deadlines
- Fall Quarter Archival Processing Appointments: September 10, 2009
- Fall Quarter Los Angeles Oral History Project Appointment: September 17, 2009
- Winter Quarter Appointments: December 4, 2009
- Spring Quarter Appointments: February 26, 2010
- Summer Session Appointments: May 7, 2010
