Undergraduate Hourly positions are open to enrolled University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Undergraduate Students only.
Unit: Illinois History and Lincoln Collections (IHLC)
Location: Main Library, Room 324
Supervisor: Krista Gray, Archives Program Officer
Number of Openings: 1
Hourly Rate: $15
Anticipated Start Date: January 2026
Academic Term(s) of Employment anticipated: Spring 2026, with possibility of extension to future semesters
Hours per week anticipated: 6-12
Schedule: Based on candidate’s availability within IHLC’s open hours (Monday-Friday, 9am-12pm and 1-5pm)
Summary: The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections (IHLC), a unit of the Special Collections Division in the Main Library, is hiring for undergraduate assistants to start in spring 2026. This opening provides general support to the IHLC. Undergraduate student assistants will work 6-12 hours a week under the direction of unit staff. Hours can only be worked when the unit is open, 9am-12pm and 1-5pm, Monday-Friday
The IHLC is a small unit in the library, and undergraduate assistants play a vital role in supporting unit operations and making collection materials available for research. Those conducting research with our library and archives materials include students looking for primary sources, genealogists investigating family history, scholars in various fields, and community members and professionals researching people, the land, architecture, and more. Our collections include a wide range of materials documenting the history of Illinois and the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. The IHLC’s holdings include books, periodicals, atlases, and other published materials as well as over 1,000 archival and manuscript collections dating from the early 1700s to the present. The position will provide hands-on experience both working with our collection materials and researchers.
Major Duties and Responsibilities:
- Monitoring the reading room and assisting researchers
- Retrieving and reshelving materials
- Rehousing print and manuscript materials for better preservation
- Helping to organize and describe archival materials · Creating descriptions of items to be digitized and made available online in the Library Digital Collections site
- Assisting with scanning orders and email reference requests
- Contributing to other projects and tasks as assigned (past projects have varied by the needs of the unit and skills of the person hired)
Required:
- Currently enrolled as an Undergraduate Student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Ability to work independently and with sustained attention to detail
- Ability to assess and communicate problems or abnormalities clearly
- Strong communication skills
- Sensitivity to and awareness of handling concerns for rare and fragile materials
Preferred:
- Interest in history
- Archives or library experience and/or interest
- Strong academics
To Apply:
If interested, please submit an application and upload your resume at the following link: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/1973635979
Please email Krista Gray, Archives Program Officer, at graykr@illinois.edu if you have any questions. Application review will begin on December 11; however, we will accept applications through December 17.