Leeds Archive of Vernacular Culture Project Intern (CSLIB1211)

Are you a current University of Leeds student, not due to complete your studies before Spring 2021? Do you have an interest in culture, history, language and dialect, or folklife studies?  Do you want to be involved with a major research collection?

The LAVC Project is a project to enhance and make accessible the unique Leeds Archive of Vernacular Culture, based in Special Collections in the University Library.

The LAVC project focuses on dialect as living heritage. It will engage diverse public audiences through a wide range of activities and outputs. A major strand of the project is to open up the Leeds Archive of Vernacular Culture fully to the public and researchers for the first time. Housed in Special Collections in the Brotherton Library, the LAVC consists of the records of the Survey of English Dialect, and the Institute of Folklife & Dialect Studies, both of which were based at Leeds. The archive consists of recordings, fieldwork books, photographs, administrative records, word maps and much more. The archive is a major research resource whose potential has not yet fully been realised; the initial project will enhance its visibility and research potential. Funding is currently being sought for a wider project to reconnect the LAVC with the communities from which its research was drawn, through roadshows, partnerships with local museums, volunteering opportunities, education resources and present day dialect contributions. So this internship has the potential to become part of a much larger and publically visible research project.

This 60 day internship will assist the project in two main areas:
• Assisting with marketing and communications about the archive, including social media, responding to enquiries and capturing contact details for follow-up
• Research in the LAVC collection, in particular focusing on the story of the original Survey of English Dialects, the fieldworkers and the people they interviewed, bringing out personal stories, linking across the collections and identifying material for digitisation and online use.

The intern will bring creativity and drive, effective communication skills and an eye for detail, to raise the profile of the project and bring out hitherto unknown life stories.
The intern will receive initial archival training and ongoing guidance from Special Collections. Further detail on the project and guidance on marketing and information capture will be given by the wider project team including academics in the School of English.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact: 

Tim Procter, Collections & Engagement Manager, Special Collections

Tel: +44 (0)113 343 0979, emaill: T.J.Procter@leeds.ac.uk

Closing Date: 14 Oct 2019
Category: Administrative and Clerical Support