Research Assistant Wanted for One-Off Job in Goshen, IN
October 23, 2012 8:42 PM

I'm a PhD student in England, doing work that requires the use of the Mennonite archives in Goshen, IN (at the south end of the Goshen College campus). Because of the distance, I unfortunately won't be able to make it out to Goshen myself, because it's cost-prohibitive for me as a dirt-poor graduate student. I'm looking for someone to go to the archive for me, and scan/photograph the documents that are relevant to my research.

There are three essays at the archive that I need scanned, each of which looks to be about 20-40 pages. I know which boxes these are in, so for this part, it would be a matter of showing up at the archive with the list that I will give you, finding the essays in the boxes, scanning/photographing these neatly for me, and then sending them to me via email. There are also some bits and pieces in other boxes that I would need you to find and copy for me: I know which boxes/folders these are in, but I don't know know exactly what the relevant papers look like, so this would require a bit more attention. The topic I need you to search for is very distinctive, so it would be a matter of looking through the relevant boxes with your eyes peeled for all mentions of my topic. I anticipate the entire task taking a few hours.

I am looking for a research assistant for this task who:
1. Is detail-oriented, reliable, and a very careful worker.
2. Has some experience and comfort with reading and research (undergrad level is fine, and no need for you to have been to an archival library before - it's very straightforward once you arrive).
3. Able to get to Goshen.
4. Possibly has a digital camera that he/she can use to take pictures of the relevant documents, and then email them to me (or possibly use a scanner at the library).
5. Ideally, can complete this task relatively quickly (within the next week or ten days would be really ideal, but I'm flexible [and rather desperate!]).

I anticipate compensation being around $100 (or possibly more), but it is potentially negotiable depending on the interest or lack thereof that this ad elicits. I'm still corresponding with the librarians at the archive, in order to figure out exactly how many pages they have relevant to my topic, and how scattered among different boxes they are, and that will affect compensation too. I anticipate the job taking about four hours, which would be about $25/hour. In addition, if my hypothetical future editor approves, you will potentially get a thank-you mention in my book, assuming it is published! This work is crucial to my current research, and coming out to Indiana is impossible for me: I would be extremely grateful if someone local would be willing to take on this task. If you're interested, please respond detailing your suitability for this position.

payscale: $100 for the job (negotiable!) and my eternal gratitude
job type: contract
posted by UniversityNomad to Et cetera

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