Deadline: January 20, 2024
This position exists to support the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) Oral History Program throughout the lifespan of each interview from transcription to archiving and public dissemination. In collaboration with the staff and narrators of the MNHS Oral History Program, the Oral Program Assistant ensures and upholds the highest standards, ethics, and representation.
The program assistant works in partnership with Minnesotans of all backgrounds to ensure each person’s recorded story is authentically and responsibly reflected in all formats and discovery platforms. The Oral History Program Assistant initiates and completes the transcription process from audit-editing newly created transcripts, to corresponding with narrators and interviewers, to finalizing transcripts for the archival process. They will be passionate about the work and mission of the MNHS Oral History Program and assist the Program Manager with developing, maintaining, and sharing new MNHS Oral History guides and resources, including style and fieldwork toolkit guides, which will be updated and revised as necessary in accordance with field-wide best practices. They create a growing collection of highlights and excerpts from finalized oral history interviews (from both text and recordings) for future use by MNHS, including broadcast, exhibition, and other forms of public accessibility and engagement. They will collaborate with the Oral History Program Manager to provide general administrative support for the program.
SUMMARY OF WORK: 1) Audit-edit oral history transcripts to catch and correct errors, grammar, stylistic inconsistencies, and other standard formatting prior to sending to narrators for full review; 2) Expedite and coordinate access and discovery of Oral History Collection; 3) Assist with research, compilation, editing, and updating MNHS Oral History Program guides, literature, and training resources in collaboration with Oral History Program Manager; and 4) Provide general administration support to the Oral History Program.
