Creating Ethical Temporary Positions in Archives: Best Practices and Case Studies

Creating Ethical Temporary Positions in Archives reflects on the “hidden collections” era and the impact of the resulting proliferation in grant-funded temporary positions on the employment of archivists. The authors examine why and how cultural organizations have come to rely so heavily on contingent positions to perform core operational work. Grounded in research including a literature review, survey findings, and case studies, their report offers guidelines on how to most ethically design, hire, and administer term-limited archival positions. The report builds upon the authors' previous efforts to establish the Best Practices for Archival Term Positions, which was first published in 2022 and ratified by the Society for American Archivists in 2023.