nwa Archivist-In-Residence committee

Description of why the NWA Archivist-In-Residence Committee formed and what the group hopes to accomplish:

Problem: Unpaid internships are a problem. 

First Problem: Unpaid internships is an outdated and unethical practice. Archivists cannot continue to go into debt in order to gain the field experience they need. This perpetuates an inequitable system that limits diversity within the profession and is inherently exclusive versus inclusive. Furthermore, unpaid internships devalues the work of all archivists and therefore devalues the profession.

Second Problem: Many institutions in the Pacific NW rely on internships to complete project work. While some do have resources to fund internships, many others do not.

Solution: This is a huge, societal, beyond-the-archives problem. But, the committee hopes to set an example for how we can combat unethical practices, support interns, and assist under-resourced institutions.

Logistics: There are several logistics the committee needs to explore to determine how the internship will be offered and managed.

What's the Cost?: This may fluctuate dependent upon State rates and taxes, but a full-time summer internship is estimated to cost $7,000. 

How Do We Fund It?: The NWA organization matches up to 50% of the donations received on an annual basis. We've been fortunate to have a loyal slate of repeat sponsors. Each year the corporate sponsors can be viewed on the program page.

Why NWA?: NWA is a nonprofit, it's more accessible and visible to organizations and interns, and it demonstrates that organizations such as NWA can be part of the solution when it comes to unpaid internships. 

What Will the Committee Do?: The committee will steward the program by facilitating fundraising efforts, perform program updates, completing application review, and offer host and resident support. 

Members of the Committee:

Committee Updates (blog posts)

• NWA 2023 Archivist-in-Residence End of Residency Report
• Introducing NWA's Fourth Resident for the Archivist-in-Residence Program: KT Turner

• NWA 2022 Archivist-in-Residence End of Residency Report

• Introducing NWA’s Third Resident for the Archivist-in-Residence Program: Sara Pettinger
• NWA 2020-2021 Archivist-in-Residence End of Residency Report

• Introducing NWA’s Second Resident for the Archivist-in-Residence Program: Valeria Dávila Gronros!
• NWA 2019-2020 Archivist-in-Residence End of Residency Report

• Developing a Remote Processing Plan for the RIDGE Records

• Introducing NWA’s First Resident for the Archivist-in-Residence Program: Abbey Maynard!

• Q&A: Archivist-in-Residence Program

Of Note: There is now a Society of Southwest Archivists Archivist-in-Residence program! As you can see via the link, they've modeled it off of our program and graciously gave credit to NWA in the "Application Process" section. They also link to several of the Resident blog posts and our information webinar video. https://www.southwestarchivists.org/ssa-archivist-in-residence-program/