1:00pm-2:30pm Pacific / 4:00-5:30pm Eastern

Fostering Meaningful Student Worker Experience

Jessica Venlet, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries Libraries, Wilson Special Collections; Clare Carlson, Lindahl Reed Inc.

Staffing for digital preservation is a known challenge and many of us who manage digital archives workflows rely on student workers to effectively process collections. In this session, we will share a few take-aways from the perspective of a graduate student worker and an archivist. This dual perspective will offer approaches to creating positive work experiences for students who are often not just learning brand new technical skills and following workflows, but who are also acting as a bridge for staffing gaps in digital archives work. Following this brief presentation, we will facilitate a group conversation about topics such as good practices for managing and supporting student workers, teaching and learning technical skills, creating sustainable student worker roles, and identifying learning opportunities that are mutually beneficial for students and supervisors.