Student Research Assistant - AGQ-FOCAS Community Archives Intern & Research Assistant (mcgill)
Job Description
Please refer to the How to Apply for a Job (for External Candidates) job aid for instructions on how to apply.
If you are an active McGill employee (ie: currently in an active contract or position at McGill University), do not apply through this Career Site. Login to your McGill Workday account and apply to this posting using the Find Jobs report (type Find Jobs in the search bar).JOB IS FROM: nursingjobs.siteVIEW
Archives Gaies du Québec (Quebec Gay Archives) (AGQ) has a mandate to acquire, preserve, and disseminate handwritten, printed, visual, audio, or other materials which testify to the history of LGBTQ2S+ organizations and individuals. More specifically, the AGQ aims to: promote the diversity and the inclusion of LGBTQ2S+ people; continuously update its collection on all aspects of gender and sexuality; promote research on sexual minorities and gender and recognize the contributions of the same to the history of Quebec. The AGQ currently holds 228 archival fonds, in addition to collections of printed materials (books, periodicals, posters, pamphlets, and press clippings), manuscripts (personal or institutional), photographs, videos, films, and a wide range of artworks and various objects.
About Focas: Faculty Organizing for Community Archives Support (FOCAS) is a collaborative of faculty from 9 universities in the U.S. and Canada funded by Mellon’s Public Knowledge program that formed to support paid internships at community archives. Through internship activities this program aims to preserve, make accessible, and steward the histories and stories of underrepresented communities throughout North America.
Position Summary:
The AGQ holdings comprise nearly 2,000 moving image materials (films, VHS, Beta, DVD). This includes rare items (documentaries, LGBTQ2S+ TV series, amateur videos) that are in urgent need of preservation. Due to a lack of resources, the AGQ’s moving image collections contain several gaps in terms of cataloging, description, and digitization.
The selected candidate will help improve access to the AGQ’s moving image collections (specifically VHS and DVD formats) by receiving appropriate training and carrying out a number of professional tasks under the supervision and in collaboration with the AGQ archivist.
Main tasks will include:
Researching the organization's operations and collection management processes;
Researching the AGQ moving image collections;
Researching, surveying, appraising, and identifying material that meets the criteria for digitization (rare material, material frequently requested for research purposes, and/or in an advanced state of deterioration);
Digitization training;
Digitization or transfer to sustainable and long-term digital formats;
Creation of metadata and description of digitized material
To provide a broader understanding of archival work and of the organization's operations, the student will also occasionally assist with routine archival tasks (cataloging and sorting new acquisitions) and participate in team meetings.
The student will gain valuable professional experience by carrying out a variety of archival functions. In particular, this internship will provide the student with an opportunity to become familiar with the specificities and requirements of audiovisual and digital preservation. The student will also gain other valuable professional skills, such as the ability to work independently, time management, problem-solving, flexibility, and resourcefulness.
This internship will provide the student with various cultural competency skills: navigating the unique archival practices of marginalized communities, in this case the LGBTQ2S+ community, and working respectfully with these communities; working within the constraints of an under-resourced organization; working in a non-hierarchical structure; working in close collaboration with donors and volunteers.
Student's Responsibilities:
Work 8 hours / week for both Fall and Winter semesters
Attend orientation between August 27, 2025 and September 5, 2025
Attend Community Archives Reading Group/Workshop Series (5 hours/semester) where students will learn more about community archives processes and literature, gain more hands-on experience with processes, and have the opportunity to reflect on and ask questions that are emerging during the duration of their internship
Write 1 brief research paper (500-1,000 words) on experiences with AGQ to be published on the FOCAS website
Eligibility:
Must be a Full-time Master of Information (MISt) student at McGill University
Must have taken INFS 645
Must have a valid study permit with authorization to work in Canada on and off campus. The student must check with McGill’s International Student Services and/or IRCC that they are able to work off campus for the number of hours required for the job prior to applying
Must have a valid SIN number
Qualifications and Requirements:
Basic familiarity with archival settings;
Experience or interest in digitization and digital audiovisual preservation;
Experience or interest in using archival databases & cataloging;
Interest in community work and LGBTQ2S+ history;
Good working knowledge of French (reading, writing, and speaking). Some aspects of the internship can be conducted in English. e.g. half of the AGQ’s holdings are in English; training can be conducted in English. However, the AGQ operates mainly in French: (team meetings; work tools, policies and procedures, databases, tracking files, etc. – in French only)
Curiosity and resourcefulness
Preferred qualifications:
Priority will be given to students who identify with the LGBTQ2S+ community
Please note that you may encounter historical documents containing language and visual content that could be considered inappropriate or offensive
Primary Location:
Archives Gaies du Québec
201A-1000 Atateken
Montréal (Québec) H2L 3K5
https://agq.qc.ca/
In-person: The student is expected to work at the host organization’s office location.
How to apply: Interested candidates must apply through Workday. To successfully submit your application, the following documents are required:
A cover letter (1 page maximum): The cover letter should include: 1) An explanation of why the student is interested in an internship at AGQ and what the student hopes to gain from such an internship. 2) A description of the skills that the student would bring to such an internship, including specific archival skills (description, cataloging, digital preservation, etc.), language skills, and cultural competencies.
Curriculum vitae.
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:
Hours per Week:
Location:
Supervisor:
Position Start Date:
Position End Date:
Deadline to Apply:
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, accessibilityrequest.hr@mcgill.ca.