Since its founding in 1978, Human Rights Watch ("HRW") has produced and
acquired hundreds of thousands of hours of multimedia content, including
interviews, witness testimonials, and field footage shot by researchers,
professional photographers and videographers all over the world. Our archive
contains digital photographs, video, audio, microfilm, maps and graphics.
HRW's media collection is active and growing, and is accessed on a daily basis
by the multimedia production team and researchers to promote human rights
worldwide.
The Multimedia department is seeking undergraduate and graduate students in
library science, information science, audiovisual archiving and related fields
to be Multimedia Archives interns for the summer 2013 semester. This program
is designed for students interested in human rights work who hope to acquire
training and hands-on experience in the field of audiovisual archiving,
preservation, and digital asset management. Interns will inventory media
assets and choose a collection of audiovisual media associated with one of
Human Rights Watch's divisions or themes to research and archive. Interns will
research, process, digitize and catalog this collection, taking ownership over
the archiving process from beginning to end. Under the direct supervision of
the Multimedia Manager, interns will build skills including video
digitization, collection assessment, sorting, arrangement, rehousing and
storage of assets, as well as cataloging of digital and physical collection
items.
Ideally, the candidate will be available for a minimum of 15 - 20 hours per
week, three days per week for a minimum of three months - timing can be
flexible.
Internships are generally unpaid, although work-study funds are available.
Students are often able to arrange academic credit, as HRW internships often
offer direct exposure to the workings of an international human rights
organization, close supervision by the HRW staff, interaction with other
international organizations and foreign and domestic government officials, and
opportunities to attend lectures, trainings, and special events relating to
human rights. Students should check with their individual academic
institutions for requirements.
Qualifications: The intern must be an enrolled student during the internship
term. Applicants should be well-organized, self-motivated and reliable. Ideal
candidates have an interest in human rights work, current events, archives,
and preservation. Strong written and verbal communication skills are required,
and some knowledge or experience using video production tools and/or working
in a library or archive environment is a plus.
Applicants who are offered an internship, but who are not US permanent
residents, US citizens, or in possession of a valid student visa, must apply
for a J-1 visa through a sponsoring organization. This process can take
several weeks and applicants will have to incur their own costs.
How to Apply: Please apply immediately by sending a letter of interest,
resume, two names or letters of reference, and a brief, unedited writing
sample (no calls or email inquiries, please) to
[log in to unmask] Please use "Archives Intern" as
the subject of your email. Only complete applications will
be reviewed. Due to the large number of applications, only short-listed
candidates will be contacted further.
Human Rights Watch is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate
in its hiring practices and, in order to build the strongest possible
workforce, actively seeks a diverse applicant pool.
Human Rights Watch is an international human rights monitoring and advocacy
organization known for its in-depth investigations, its incisive and timely
reporting, its innovative and high-profile advocacy campaigns, and its success
in changing the human rights-related policies and practices of influential
governments and international institutions.
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