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Job Posting: HBCU Radio Preservation Project (Oral Historian)

The HBCU Radio Preservation Project Oral Historian will focus their efforts on documenting the history of HBCU radio and its impact on the campuses and communities served through the voices of former students, faculty, programmers, supporters, and others at the radio stations.

Time Commitment and Compensation

  • Full time, pending grant-funding through December 31, 2027.
  • Compensation is $55,000 annually and offers health and wellness benefits.
  • This may be a remote position.
  • Field recording equipment, computer/software, and travel funds will be provided.

Essential functions

  • The successful candidate will work to expand the project’s existing oral history collection held at the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University in Mississippi by working closely with HBCUs in identifying possible interviewees, conducting oral histories, and assisting with the processing of interviews. They will also conduct workshops (remotely and in-person) on using oral history to tell the stories of the radio stations, and mentor fellows and interns in best practices for doing so.
  • The position will report to the Project Director, and as a member of the team will work with colleagues at the Margaret Walker Center and at the project’s technical partner, the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC), as well as others.

Qualifications/Requirements

  • Candidates must have the ability to travel as needed during the full duration of the project.
  • Master's degree in an appropriate discipline (History, African American Studies, etc.)Professional oral history expertise (both interviewing and managing projects)
  • Understanding of oral history best practices and ethics
  • A portfolio of past projects or research on the African American experience
  • Demonstrated experience with community-engaged or community-driven initiatives
  • The successful candidate will possess strong technical, organizational, and leadership skills; excellent communication ability; collegiality and excellent interpersonal skills; and an appreciation for diverse constituencies
  • Knowledge of and experience with the HBCU community a plus

About the Project

Through a grant from the National Recording Preservation Foundation, in the summer of 2019 project director Jocelyn Robinson began administering a survey to the 29 existing radio stations located on Historically Black College/University (HBCU) campuses to begin ascertaining if these stations had historical materials and what preservation needs they might have, with the WYSO Archives, a division of Miami Valley Public Media in Ohio, serving as the administrative hub for the project.

Through 2021-22, the initial survey blossomed into the HBCU Radio Preservation Pilot Project funded by the Mellon Foundation to work with a small number of the radio stations and their institutional archives/libraries to plan and design a larger implementation project. With technical expertise provided by the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC), this pilot project provided audio and digital preservation training, disaster planning, reformatting, collection assessment, and other support to the participants. The overarching goal of the ongoing project is to foster an ethos of preservation at HBCU radio stations in concert with the institutional archives on their campuses.

Not only is the HBCU Radio Preservation project an example for the HBCU community, it is a model of practice to be shared with college and community radio stations throughout the country. Radio preservation has been long neglected, and such projects are vital to the development and continuation of this important work. As we move toward implementation in 2023 and beyond, subsequent phases will include: (1) education and training, in which post-grad fellows and graduate interns are afforded early career work experiences supervised by the project’s roving archivist; (2) multi-platform learning experiences including NEDCC-led courses/workshops in audio preservation, digital preservation, disaster preparedness and WYSO-led training in oral history and using historical media in content creation; (3) preservation, which includes collections assessments performed by the roving field archivist and also reformatting historical media, with access made possible through the American Archive of Public Broadcast (AAPB); and (4) public history praxis, including an oral history project, an annual symposium held on a different HBCU campus each year, and multiple seasons of a 6-episode podcast featuring interviews, oral histories, and reformatted media.

To Apply:

Submit the following to Project Director Jocelyn Robinson at jrobinson@wyso.org

1. Cover letter explaining how this position fits the applicant’s career goals;

2. Current resume; and

3. Three letters of recommendation from individuals knowledgeable about the applicant’s experience, skills, and suitability for the position

Application deadline is August 25, 2023 for an October 2 start date.

The HBCU Radio Preservation Project and Miami Valley Public Media value people of all races, colors, national origins, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, ages, abilities, and religions. BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.