Gain Archival Experience
A key part of the Center’s mission is supporting academic achievement through education. Being part of a thriving university allows us to train not only future researchers and Arkansas historians but also the next generation of archival professionals. In pursuit of that mission, we offer graduate assistantships and internships for students interested in gaining practical experience in an archive.
Graduate Assistantships
CAHC partners with the UA Little Rock History Department to provide graduate assistantships that offer financial assistance and hands-on experience for students in the Master of Arts in Public History program. The Public History program at UA Little Rock trains students to work in museums, archives, historical preservation programs, and a variety of other public and private organizations. The program’s graduates have an excellent job placement record at cultural heritage institutions both locally and nationally.
Graduate assistants work directly with archivists to experience all facets of archival work from routine duties to more complex projects. Upon completion of the assistantship, each student has received hands-on training in a variety of archival practices, software, and workflows, and has a portfolio of finished work, including reports, publications, and exhibits, that demonstrates their archival skills and experiences. Download the syllabus to see the types of projects that most graduate assistants will complete over the course of four semesters.
Download the GA SyllabusRequirements
- Work 20 hours a week, totaling 300 hours a semester
- Be enrolled in at least 9 credit hours
Financial Benefits
- Receive full tuition waiver and a stipend each semester
- Paid downtown parking
Hands-On Training
- Processing collections
- Digitizing documents, photographs, and audiovisual materials
- Writing metadata and uploading to the online catalog
- Designing online and physical exhibits
- Assisting patrons with research
- Participating in reading discussions on archival theory
Professional Development
- Writing articles for publication
- Guidance on job searching
- Writing a resume and CV
- Participating in a mock interview
- Networking with cultural heritage professionals
Our Graduates Get Jobs!
Graduates from CAHC’s graduate assistantship program have continued their careers at institutions such as:
• UA Little Rock Downtown
• Central Arkansas Library System
• Historic Arkansas Museum
• Arkansas State Archives
• HumanitiesAR
• Flat Earth Archeology
• Offutt Air Force Base Wing Historian
• Jewish Museum of Maryland
Internships
CAHC also offers internships for graduate and undergraduate students enrolled at UA Little Rock or other universities. The learning objectives and projects for internships varies based on the student’s prior experiences and interests, as well as the needs of CAHC.
Interns generally assist CAHC archivists and staff with specific projects, which may include digitizing archival materials, inventorying archival collections, writing metadata, performing conservation or preservation work, or creating online content.
Requirements
- Work 12 hours a week, totaling 180 hours a semester
- Be enrolled as a full-time student
Financial Benefits
- Receive a stipend at the end of the internship
- Paid downtown parking
Interested in becoming a Graduate Assistant or Intern at CAHC?
Contact CAHC Executive Director, Jess Porter, at [email protected] or 501-916-5780
