Graduate Student Research Assistant

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Position Description

This position centers on an archiving project to digitize and make accessible archival materials from Snowflake, Arizona across two digital archives.

Snowflake, Arizona is home to a unique community of people who experience multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), electrical sensitivity (EHS), and other environmental illnesses (EI). Having gathered since the late 1980s, the Snowflake community has established a safe haven around the unique accessibility needs of those with EI, MCS, EHS, and related illnesses, limiting exposure to potential triggers such as fragrances, car exhaust, and other environmental toxins. The snowflake community has not only built a hub for people with related experiences to live alongside one another but also has a long history of advocacy around environmental pollution, people’s access to medical care, and other issues that intersect with the community. Community members have documented and collected records of the rich history of Snowflake, materials that record daily life, community, and activism from this area. The collection contains a wide variety of documentation such as community organizing materials, letters, photographs, flyers, and other ephemera. In 2024, the Snowflake archival materials were relocated to Vanderbilt University’s Archives in order to physically preserve the collection and make them more accessible to researchers and those interested in histories of EI, MCS, and EHS. While many of the materials are in digital formats—they have been scanned or digitally photographed—the materials are largely inaccessible due to minimal description and metadata.

This position focuses on generating metadata for the Snowflake material both for Vanderbilt's archives and for a new community-based archive from the Disability Archives Lab. Not only does digitization make materials searchable in online databases and digital archives, but it also adds important context to archival material so that users can better understand complex histories.

Research assistant will gain experience with digitization, metadata, and working in digital archives. They will have opportunities to:

• Work on a research team with principal investigator and other students;

• Learn standardized metadata fields (MARC and DublinCore) and data crosswalk techniques;

• Generate metadata for university and community-based archives;

• Participate in community archiving workshops;

• Give feedback on the generation of a community-based digital archive;

• Present on archival processes at conferences

Eligibility

• Must be a full-time student at McGill University

• Must be authorized to work in Canada on and off campus

To apply, please submit:

• Your current CV

• A 1 page maximum statement of interest that specifically addresses what you hope to gain out of this experience and why working on a project about disability/chronic illness is meaningful to you.

Before applying, please note that to work at McGill University, you must be both authorized to work in Canada and willing to work in the province of Quebec at the campus where the position is based / located.

McGill University is an English-language university where most teaching and research activities are conducted in the English language, thereby requiring English communication both verbally and in writing.

Hourly Salary:

$30.00

Hours per Week:

10 (Part time)

Location:

Durocher 3465

Supervisor:

Assistant Professor

Position Start Date:

2026-04-01

Position End Date:

2026-06-01

Deadline to Apply:

2026-03-23

This position is covered by the Association of McGill University Research Employees (AMURE) collective agreement.

McGill University hires on the basis of merit and is strongly committed to equity and diversity within its community. We welcome applications from racialized persons/visible minorities, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as from all qualified candidates with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities. McGill implements an employment equity program and encourages members of designated groups to self-identify. Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing accommodations for any part of the application process may contact, in confidence, [email protected].