Perspectives on Precarity: A Study of Project Archivists' Employment Status

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A comprehensive study on the status of project archivists, examining factors affecting their perspectives compared to managers in term-limited positions. The research delves into demographics, hiring practices, morale, benefits, and sustainability, aiming to identify advocacy points. Methodology includes surveys and thematic analysis, revealing insights on age, gender, and contract length among project archivists. Results highlight challenges and trends within the archival profession.

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Perspectives on Precarity: A Multifaceted Look at the Status of Project Archivists L. Rebecca Johnson Melvin Manuscripts Librarian, University of Delaware Sheridan L. Sayles Technical Services Archivist, Seton Hall University Amy C. Vo Cold War Collections Project Archivist, New York University

Introduction / Background Perspectives Amy: Project archivist, diversity Sheridan: Early career advocacy, labor equity Rebecca: Past manager, sustainability ArchivesGig (2014-2020): 24.2% of jobs posted are project positions Count (2014) Percentage (2014) Count (2019) Percentage (2019) Temporary 243 25.7% 296 25.2% Permanent 701 74.2% 876 74.7%

Research Question What factors cause a gap in perspectives between project archivists and managers related to the experience of term-limited positions? - - - Demographics Hiring details Output - - - Morale Benefits Experience - - - Transition Sustainability Personal reflections Will a study of practices and issues related to employment of term-limited project positions help us identify advocacy points for the benefit of both employees and employers in the archival profession?

Methodology Extensive study Grounded theory approach Two online Qualtrics surveys (employer/project archivist) designed with corresponding questions Non-probability, self-selection sampling Listservs Quantitative and qualitative data Descriptive statistics Thematic analysis (coding in progress)

Sample Number of complete responses: 284 project archivists, 83 employers Number of total responses: 373 project archivists, 129 employers Limitations: Incomplete surveys Shared through SAA, regional, and local archives, lib, and DH listservs Responses from in-field members only

Results: Demographics Age of project archivists skewed younger, between 25-32 years Length of contract Overall average is approx. 18 months Reported PA range (in months): 0.5-48, with 60, 102, 120 as outliers Reported E range (in months): 0.5-36, with 48, 60 as outliers

Results: Demographics Gender identity comparisons between our two surveys Project Archivists Employers Count Percentage Count Percentage Gender Identity Male 54 15.08% 30 24% Female 294 82.12% 91 72.80% Non-binary 8 2.23% 1 0.08% Prefer not to answer 2 0.56% 3 2.40% Total 358 100% 125 100%

Results: Demographics Race/ethnicity comparisons between our two surveys Project Archivists Count 3 16 11 18 Employers Count 1 2 2 1 Percentage 0.79% 4.22% 2.90% 4.75% Percentage 0.79% 1.59% 1.59% 0.79% Race/Ethnicity American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Asian American Black or African American Hispanic / Latinx / Spanish origin Native Hawaiian or other Pacific 0 0.00% 0 0.00% Islander White or Caucasian Prefer not to answer 325 6 379 85.75% 1.58% 100% 117 3 126 92.86% 2.38% 100% Total

Results: Demographics Gender identity comparison to previous demographic studies Survey Comparisons (Gender Identity): A*CENSUS (2004), WArS/SAA Salary Survey (2017), Term-Limited Positions Survey (2019) 2004 Female 64.50% Male 34.10% Nonbinary (2017 and 2019 only) 2017 82.10% 13.70% 0.80% 2019 (PA) 82.12% 15.08% 2.23% 2019 (E) 72.80% 24.00% 0.08% -- Prefer not to answer (2019); I choose not to specify a gender or skipped question (2017); Rather not say, no answer (2004) 1.40% 1.1 % 0.56% 2.40%

Results: Demographics Race/ethnicity comparison to previous demographic studies Survey Comparisons (Race/Ethnicity): A*CENSUS (2004), WArS/SAA Salary Survey (2017), Term-Limited Positions Survey (2019) 2004 Latinx/Hispanic 2.10% African American 2.80% Alaskan Native 0.10% Asian/Asian American 1.00% White/Caucasian 87.70% Native American/American Indian 0.019% Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 0.004% Other 0.029% Total non-Latino and Non-White 7.60% 2017 3.60% 3.10% 0.00% 1.90% 87.70% 0.60% 0.10% -- -- 2019 (PA) 4.75% 2.90% (combined with Native American) 4.22% 85.75% 0.79% 0.00% -- -- 2019 (E) 0.79% 1.59% 1.59% 92.86% 0.79% 0.00% -- --

Results: Layers of Undervaluing Work Types of Projects Funded Processing 63.95% 11.16% Cataloging/Description 13.66% 25.79% Digitization 9.88% 10.56% Primary Secondary "I was hired to process the backlog collections and only given one year for over ten years worth of backlog. I only made a dent in one year." "As a small organization with no permanent archivist on staff my work helped them fulfill the requirements of the grant they had received, putting them in a good position to apply for future funding."

Results: Layers of Undervaluing Work Project Archivists with Separate Work Spaces Workplace physically separated Workplace not physically separate 38.92% 61.08% Opportunities for Continuing Appointment at Current Institution Yes, permanent Yes, temporary Still employed Not after term ends 14.53% 33.43% 13.95% 38.08% 48% have project lead to other work, 71% will need to keep looking for work

Results: Layers of Undervaluing Work Post-Contract Precarity Yes No N/A Did you find employment before leaving position? 55.45% 17.88% 26.67% Did you complete project before leaving? 53.03% 20.61% 26.36% Post-project, did you continue with archival work? 68.58% 6.65% 24.77% Choice Necessity Was your next job primarily a position of choice or necessity? 59.67% 40.33%

PA Satisfaction with Project Experience Scale Rating 1-4 5-7 8-10 Mode (7) PA's Perceived Employer Satisfaction Scale Rating 1-4 5-7 8-10 Mode (10) Results: Satisfaction Ratings Percentage 7.44% 41.43% 48.13% 22.98% Percentage 3.20% 16.34% 80.45% 35% Employer's Perceived PA Satisfaction Scale Rating 1-4 5-7 8-10 Mode (10) Employer Satisfaction with PA Performance Scale Rating 1-4 5-7 8-10 Mode (8) Percentage 5.94% 42.57% 51.48% 25.51% Percentage 11.22% 29.59% 59.19% 29.70%

Results: What Do We Lose with Project Positions? What are the disadvantages of employing project archivists? Employer: That it is terminal! Employee: I crave community and the feeling of all working towards a common goal.

Suggestions Further research on scope and impact of employment trend Dobetterlabor.com / SAA guidelines on ethical project positions Increased advocacy on managerial level to address career precarity Cultural shift in profession to increase value of technical services work