rooted & relational archives fellowship

The Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO)’s Rooted & Relational Archives Fellowship will expose early career archivists to the work and projects of CENTRO’s Archives. The fellowship will present a pathway into Ethnic Studies Libraries and Archives in order to provide students and recent graduates with practical work experience in areas commonly discussed in archival scholarship such as reparatory and bilingual description, community-oriented practices and spaces, and enrichment and diversification of the archival record.

The CENTRO Rooted & Relational Archives Fellow will develop and implement a Fellowship Project in collaboration with CENTRO’s Digital Collections Manager based on the needs of the Archives as well as the Fellow’s experience and interests. In addition to the Fellowship Project, fellows will have the opportunity to engage in a variety of projects and participate in the day-to-day activities of the Archives, which may include assisting patrons and participating in events and workshops. Through these experiences, fellows will learn collection and project management skills, immerse themselves in CENTRO’s archival collections and communities, and become familiar with digital archiving skills. Fellows will be in residence for the 2025-2026 academic year and they will receive a $20,000 stipend paid in four installments.

The ideal candidate will be an advanced graduate student or recent graduate with experience in archives or special collections, experience conducting the type of work expected for the project, or experience managing small-scale projects. Some programming knowledge and project management experience will be considered valuable. The fellow will be expected to work 20 hours a week in person as part of the fellowship.

The fellow will receive support and mentorship from CENTRO Archives and Library staff and will be responsible for the tracking, implementation, reporting, and dissemination of their designated project. They will also be provided with professional development support and opportunities to develop skills in various areas of interest to information professionals, independent of the fellowship project. Fellows will be encouraged to participate in professional organizations and present their work at conferences and symposia.

Potential Fellowship projects and areas of interest include

• Collection assessment of digital materials
• Digital preservation strategies
• Development of usage and access metrics
• Development of access and outreach tools, including LibGuides, instruction plans, and events
• Development of quality control and quality assurance processes
• Development of policies and strategies for A/V archiving
• Reparatory and bilingual description
• Community-oriented practices and spaces