ANNOUNCEMENT: ARCHIVIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM APPROVED 

Dear Northwest Archivist Members,

It is with profound excitement that we announce the NWA Archivist in Residence program is officially approved for a 1-year pilot program! Now that the NWA Paid Internship Committee has received program approval we turn our attention to fundraising. 

Please consider donating to the Archivist in Residence program via NWA’s new donation page. And don’t forget to check if your institution or partner’s company provides matching donations! As NWA is a nonprofit, all donations are tax deductible.

The Archivist in Residence program will be administered by the NWA Paid Internship Committee under the auspices of the Northwest Archivists, Inc. nonprofit corporation. As with the other NWA scholarship and continuing education award committees, this program follows their precedent and will similarly solicit applications for project proposals submitted jointly by the intern and a host institution. As part of the program criteria, the awardee will be responsible for submitting a description of the project with lessons-learned for publication on NWA’s blog.

Value to NWA and Membership: This program is intended to support a paid internship in an effort to establish more ethical labor practices and advocate for the value of archives professionals. As NWA’s core mission is to support archives and archives professionals in the region, this program demonstrably helps NWA fulfill this role by stating the unequivocal value of archival work.

Additionally:

• The award will be allotted to a person to carry out work at an institution within the NWA region; potentially improving the health of that institution and, therefore, the health of NWA membership.


• The program will attract competitive professional candidates to the region. 

• The program will assist in setting a standard that professional internships should be paid, and through the course of the program resources and models will be made available for membership to emulate -- leading to the establishment of their own paid internships.

• Housing the program within NWA will add to the benefits this group provides its membership, and will raise NWA’s visibility; potentially increasing membership.

• Through this program, NWA will contribute to the national conversation with a specific example of how regional groups can advocate for the value of archives and archives professionals.

• NWA’s support of this program will set an example and encourage other member institutions, regional groups, and national groups to also engage in this work; leading to increased financial health in the profession, benefiting all NWA members.

Look for additional program details in the coming weeks as we finalize the application process. But, right now we need your support! Please consider making a donation to NWA’s Archivist in Residence program via the new NWA Donation page. Membership and corporate donations will determine to what level we can fund a professional internship for summer 2020.

In addition to the Archivist in Residence program, you may also donate to At-Large Student Scholarship, the Native American Collections Roundtable Scholarship, the Professional Development Scholarship, or the General Fund via the new NWA Donations page.

Thank you for your help to support NWA’s Archivist in Residence program and your commitment to the fair and ethical practice of paid internships.

Thank you,

The NWA Paid Internship Exploratory Committee

Rachael Cristine Woody, Rachael Cristine Consulting LLC (Chair, Oregon)

Laura Cray, Oregon Historical Society (Oregon)

Sara Piasecki, Anchorage Museum (Alaska)

Rachel Thomas, George Fox University (Oregon)

Kathryn Kramer, C.M. Russell Museum (Montana)

Erin Stoddart, University of Oregon (Oregon)

Veronica Denison, University of Alaska (Alaska)