Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT)
The Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT) is a program within UCLA Library Special Collections. It was launched in 2004 with a generous lead gift from the Ahmanson Foundation. The center seeks graduate students from a variety of academic disciplines and pairs them with archives and special collections projects that match their expertise and interests. The CFPRT’s central purpose is to equip emerging scholars with skills that will enable them to effectively utilize primary sources in their future careers.
Since its inception, the CFPRT has employed over 200 students to carry out a diverse range of projects. Scholars have processed archival collections, conducted oral histories, created original research projects, digitized and created metadata for archival resources, collaborated on digital humanities projects, and contributed to departmental outreach initiatives through student-led events, exhibits, blog posts, and public presentations. This important work has made some of UCLA Library’s most valuable resources widely discoverable and ready for use by the research community.
The CFPRT is committed to cultivating a welcoming space for students to work collaboratively and creatively, to actively and critically participate in the archival process, and to engage with primary sources in innovative ways.
Position Descriptions and Application
The Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT) seeks applications from graduate students for positions that will allow students to gain first-hand experience in working with archives and special collections. CFPRT scholars are able to work up to 19 hours per week, Monday-Friday between 9am-5pm, and are paid $19.54 per hour.
To be considered for positions, please email an application, letter of interest, and a CV or résumé to:
Courtney Dean
Head, Center for Primary Research & Trainingcdean@library.ucla.edu
Application deadline for the Fall Quarter is September 30, 2018.
Download Position Descriptions (pdf) and Application (docx):
Processing or archival experience not required for the positions below. A commitment of 2-3 quarters is preferable.
Johnathan E. Fielding Papers
Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, MA, MBA, is former Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Health and Professor-in-Residence of Health Policy and Management in the organized unit at UCLA which bears the names of him and his wife, the Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health. Dr. Fielding’s archives are broad-ranging, from his early student days at Williams College through recent publications and presentations. There are particular strengths in his administrative work in public health departments and corporations; management of or contributions to task forces, advisory committees, and foundations; leadership in community, county, state, and national programs in health reform and enhancement; teaching in public health policy and management; publications, presentations, and interviews; and awards, tributes, and memorabilia. Desirable: Familiarity with Public Health issues in the latter half of the 20th century.
The Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel Papers
The Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel (STTI) archive represents one of the most significant bodies of primary source materials on Los Angeles’ Sephardi past. The archive is comprised of the institutional papers of the Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel. Several Sephardi communal organizations merged between 1917 and 1959 to form STTI, including the Peace and Progress Society (founded in 1917), La Communidad (founded in 1920), Haim Vehesed (1959) and Sephardic Beth Shalom, which joined STTI in 1993.
The collection includes institutional records, meeting minutes, newsletters, pamphlets and flyers, and other ephemera, as well as photographs dating from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, and scrapbooks. It also includes the research files of Bob Hattem, a contributor to a variety of publications including the Western States Jewish History Quarterly Journal, are held at STTI as well; and audio-visual materials of reel-to-reel, cassette, and VHS tapes. Materials are primarily in English language, but also in Ladino. Required language skills: Hebrew. Desired language skills: Ladino.
University Archives Project Scholar
Under the guidance of the University Archives Processing Archivist, the University Archives Project Scholar will support a large-scale University Archives collection data clean-up initiative. This individual will work across in-house databases, collection management systems, and integrated library systems to standardize, refine, and consolidate collections information, in order to improve access to collections. They will participate in workflow development and evaluation to support University Archives’ transition from legacy systems into ArchivesSpace. They will also participate in the reprocessing of collections, using ArchivesSpace.
Required skills and knowledge
- Graduate-level coursework in archives.
- Demonstrated interest in collection management and archival description.
- Strong writing and oral communication skills and be highly organized and detail-oriented.
- Ability to work independently, while following established guidelines and procedures, as well as work collaboratively as a team.
- Flexibility in handling assignments and shifting priorities.
Preferred skills and knowledge
- Demonstrated interest in or experience with collection management systems, including Archivists’ Toolkit, ArchivesSpace, and/or Microsoft Access
- Knowledge of national archival and bibliographic standards, such as Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Experience with archival information management systems.
- Demonstrated interest in or experience using or processing collections
Five Short Films about the Center
The UCLA Library has released five short films documenting the history of the center and highlighting four student projects:
Treasures of the UCLA Library: Colonial Mexican Manuscripts (part two of five)
Treasures of the UCLA Library: Cuneiform Tablets (part three of five)
Treasures of the UCLA Library: African American Collections (part four of five)
Treasures of the UCLA Library: Near Eastern Manuscripts (part five of five)
Written, directed, and produced by Erin Flannery, the films have been made possible with support from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Irving and Jean Stone Endowment, and University Librarian Discretionary Fund.