The purpose of the Santa Barbara Student Housing Co-op (SBSHC) is to provide low rent co-op housing for student, staff, and faculty of the University of California at Santa Barbara, regardless of gender, race, social, political, or religious affiliation, and thereby influencing the community to eliminate prejudice and discrimination in the community. We strive to engage in continuous educational programs that further the principles of cooperation through mutual, self-help living at a minimal cost.
The SBSHC Archives Intern will lead the effort to assess, organize, and preserve an abundance of historical documents and records. This will involve converting physical documents into digital formats, creating summary reports about our co-op’s history, and synthesizing historical documents into helpful resources for future members and staff.
As the SBSHC Archives Intern, your responsibilities will include:
- Familiarizing yourself with SBSHC’s wealth of paper records
- Digitizing paper documents as needed; pulling out pertinent information (e.g., alumni contact info, maintenance records, etc.)
- Developing coherent histories and analyses of SBSHC through information gleaned from old records (e.g., “House Remodel History”, “A Financial History of SBSHC: 1976-1991”, “Patterns in Co-op Member Conflict”)
- Assisting with establishing new, secure record-keeping systems
- If interested, developing educational materials for current and future members based on 40 years of past examples
- If interested, developing methods for improved information and resource sharing
As the SBSHC Archives Intern, you will receive a personal orientation from staff and officers about SBSHC, our co-op’s history, and Isla Vista. You will receive ongoing support from staff about current co-op operations and internship goals. You will have the opportunity to gain leadership experience by coordinating interested members to assist with internship projects. Over the course of the internship, you will be able to further the development of your cooperative, archival, and general professional skills.
- Advanced understanding of co-op history and operations
- Skills in time and project management, institutional knowledge preservation, resource development, and record keeping