Sourcerers: How to Choose a Job

Deciding which jobs to choose can be an exciting prospect if you enjoy spending time in archives. Here are some suggestions for key items to pay attention to when selecting a job. 

1. Location: How close or far away is the repository to where you work, live, and play? Choosing jobs that are closer to you may be convenient if you want to have Sourcery jobs that fit into your regular routine. Conversely, choosing jobs farther away can be a fun method of exploring neighborhoods and repositories you’ve been wanting to check out, but haven’t yet had a good reason to visit.  

2. Repository familiarity: how familiar are you with the repository?  One advantage of Sourcery is that it allows you to investigate local repositories you might not have had an excuse to poke around in before. This can be a great way to learn about local resources! If you are familiar with a repository, more the better! It’ll be much easier for you to complete the job because you’ll have the institutional knowledge to do it quickly. Just keep in mind the first job you complete at any repository will take the longest until you learn a workflow that makes sense! Additionally, some repositories require a research account. Once you’ve created the account, you can continue to use it after the first job is completed. 

3. Bundling: are there multiple requests at the same repository? “Bundling” requests together to complete multiple at once will likely take less time than if you made separate appointments for each. This can be an easy way to increase your payout for less work! Just make sure to confirm that the institution doesn’t have appointment time limits before doing this, as you might end up having to return if the requests end up taking too long. 

4. Interest: are you interested in the material? For some Sourcerers, this won’t matter, but others value accepting jobs they have a personal or professional interest in.! Sourcery can be a fun way to identify archival materials you wouldn’t have considered before or to learn about something new! 

Interested in more resources? Our resident beta tester and Ambassador Brandon Harrington, has some pro tips for how to prepare and what to expect as you fulfill jobs for Sourcery. You can also view our detailed Sourcerer Handbook for more tips and guidelines as you prepare to do your first job.