Learning by Doing: Undergraduates as Employees in Archives

Staffing levels in the archives of large universities are usually inadequate. The ready availability of undergraduates provides opportunities for improving staffing levels at reasonable costs, but employing undergraduates in university archives presents problems as well as possibilities. There are aspects to the recruitment, selection, and training of student employees that are unique to the archival environment. Drawing on personnel literature applied to archival settings as well as on recent surveys of undergraduate student employees in archives, this article offers suggestions for the effective use and management of undergraduates as university archives employees.