Encoder Hiring and Management

Hiring Policies

We hire both work-study (undergrad or master’s) and WWP-funded graduate students (master’s or doctoral), chiefly to work as encoders but also to work as proofreaders, researchers, and in other ad hoc capacities as needed.

Students hired as encoders and proofreaders must typically meet the following basic criteria:

They must be able to read, understand, and accurately transcribe early modern texts; if they do not come from a literary discipline, they need to demonstrate that they can understand the structures and rhetoric of our texts.
They must be available to work for at least one full academic year,.
They must show some aptitude for and interest in text encoding, or at least willingness to learn.
They must be willing to work at least five hours per week, regularly, during the school year.

Administrative Stuff

Checklist for hiring process

Review job posting for graduate & undergraduate students
Ask Melissa Daigle to circulate in English & History grad lists
Post to SEO site (see below for more detailed instructions)
Schedule interviews and select candidates
Hire students using the Student Employment site, with Amanda Rust and Julia Flanders as supervisors
Follow general DSG hiring procedures where applicable.

To Post Jobs or Review Applications

Log in to the Student Employment Site and add the job you need to create under the University Libraries account

Documentation for the SEO site is here

Job description and posting template for work-study jobs

Job Title: Research Assistant, Women Writers Project

Job ID: 20366

Employer: University Libraries

Employer Type: On Campus

Category: Research Assistant

Job Type: On-Campus Jobs

Job Description: WWP Research Assistants work on a variety of tasks in the preparation and publication of Women Writers Online and the work of the Women Writers Project including TEI text encoding, proofreading, background research, and documentation. The ideal candidate for this job is highly organized and extremely attentive to detail (particularly to the details of written texts), works well independently, absorbs new information quickly, and is excited about working on a scholarly project that involves multiple aspects of women's writing, early modern literature, the history of the book, and digital humanities.

Job Requirements: Ability to master and use detailed technical guidelines, work independently and as part of a team. Prior experience with XML and TEI is desirable but not required. Encoders must be comfortable working in complex technical environments and learning new software tools and systems. Experience reading or researching early printed texts (c.1500 - 1850) and a basic reading knowledge of European languages other than English (e.g. French, German, Latin, Greek) is helpful, but not required.

Number of Openings: 2

Hours: 5.0 to 20.0 hours per week

Base Pay Rate: Part Time Assistant V

Compensation: $10.00/hour to $10.50/hour

Time Frame: Academic Year

Work Location: Snell Library

Phone Number: 617-373-3219

Fax Number: 617-375-5409

Campus Id: Boston

Job Description for Graduate Jobs

WWP Textbase Developer (Women Writers Online)

Job Announcement

The Women Writers Project is hiring students to join a team that will transcribe, encode, proofread, and contextualize texts for Women Writers Online. WWO is a growing digital collection of literary and historical documents used by libraries and scholars around the world, and the Women Writers Project is a long-standing research and publication project with an international reputation for leadership and expertise in the digital humanities. This is an ideal position for individuals with interests in literary scholarship, historical research, women’s writing, digital archives, and the growing field of digital humanities. Members of the team will gain practical, hands-on experience with many aspects of modern digital publishing including a deep knowledge of the TEI, and will also have the opportunity to work closely with WWP staff on a variety of special projects that provide advanced digital humanities skills.

The textbase developers can specialize in one area or can work on several different aspects of the project’s work, depending on time and interests. Areas of special emphasis include TEI encoding, biographical and historical research, proofreading and error correction, development of supporting materials such as syllabi and user guides, documentation, and outreach.

The ideal candidate for this job is highly organized and extremely attentive to detail (particularly to the details of written texts), works well independently, absorbs new information quickly, and is excited about working on a scholarly project that involves multiple aspects of women's writing, early modern literature, the history of the book, and digital humanities.

Prior experience with XML and TEI is helpful but not required. Familiarity with early women’s writing is helpful but not required, depending on specific job emphasis.

Job Description

WWP Research Assistants work on a variety of tasks in the preparation and publication of Women Writers Online and the work of the Women Writers Project including TEI text encoding, proofreading, background research, and documentation.

Job Requirements

Ability to master and use detailed technical guidelines, work independently and as part of a team. Prior experience with XML and TEI is desirable but not required. Encoders must be comfortable working complex technical environment and learning new software tools and systems. Experience reading or researching early printed texts (c.1500 - 1850) and a basic reading knowledge of European languages other than English (e.g. French, German, Latin, Greek) is helpful, but not required.

Dates of employment Academic year [job continues year round]

Training Checklist

Schedule training (4 or 5 sessions depending on availability and need)
Book the media lounge for the training dates using NUSSO
Survey current encoders to see if any want to be involved with training, and arrange scheduling as needed
Update training wiki as needed and publish to the training materials page
Generate keys for new encoders and add them to WWP_Names
Add new encoders to Trello
Ask Syd to add new encoders to listserv
Make sure that new encoders have access to DSC: Email Steven Peters (or, if he is not available, Rhiannon McCarthy) with the encoders' names and (if common names) NUIDs
Make sure that there are clean copies of the training templates on the encoding computers
Choose an Exercise 0 and make copies
Make sure there are a few appropriate unencoded texts (and create tadpoles, if needed)
A month or so after encoders are trained, review their encoding and cover any problem areas

WWPnewEncoder

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