volunteer role description
Lives of the first world war researcher
Student Placement
Role Title:Lives of the First World War Volunteer Researcher Student Placement
Role Type:Student Placement
Reports To:Project Officer, Lives of the First World War
Office Location:IWM London
Role Rationale
IWM’s Lives of the First World War is an innovative digital platform which engages members of the public in researching the Life Stories of over 8 million men and women from across Britain and the Commonwealth who served in uniform and worked on the home front. It inspires people of all ages to explore, reveal and share these life stories, in order to build up a comprehensive biography of every individual.
We are seeking a student placement to provide support in creating this permanent, global, digital memorial.
Role Remit
The Lives of the First World War Volunteer Researcher will assist with updating records on the Lives of the First World War website. This will involve extracting data from a spreadsheet, and following instructions to upload information to the site.
There is also an opportunity to gain experience in writing content for social media and for the Lives of the First World War blog.
Role Tasks
- To identify selected Victoria Cross winners from the Battle of Passchendaele (31 July to 10 November 1917) from a spreadsheet of all VC winners
- To connect information about their VC award to their Life Story page
- To pick out particular case studies that could be used for social media
- To write a 500 word piece about their favourite story for the Lives blog
- To ensure that the information entered is accurate and consistent according to agreed guidelines.
- To work under the supervision of the Project Officerand highlight any issues or errors with the data
- To report at regular intervals on progress achieved
Role Exclusions
TheLives of the First World War Volunteer Researcher will not:
- act as anadministrator for Lives of the First World War;
- undertake in-depth research on all Life Stories;
- undertake in-depth cataloguing of collections, or acquisition recording;
- work with the IWM’s collection management system Adlib;
Time Frame
This is a limited opportunity as part of the IWMs Student Volunteer Programme. The placement is available from 26 June to early September 2017.
Level of Commitment Involved
IWM is looking for people willing to commit to the length of the placement period. Ideally we would like the placement student to attend the office 1 to 2 days per week.
Hours of Operation Involved
The hours of involvement are weekdays between 9.30am and 5.00pm.
Relevant Qualities / Experience
- Good general computer and keyboard skills
- Experience of entering information onto databases; specific training on how to use Lives of the First World Warwill be provided
- Fully literate in English spelling and grammar
- Good attention to detail, ability to work methodically to set standards.
- Ability to work as part of a team and comfortable working in an office environment
- Self-motivated, positive and friendly with a confident outlook
- An interest in the First World War, family and military history
For Further Information Contact:
Karen Gurney, Volunteer Programme Manager, IWM London Brancheson 0207 940 6345
Charlotte Czyzyk, Lives of the First World War Project Manager, IWM North on 0161 836 4052
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