Clarification from the agency

Current Students

Work Schedule and Flexibilities:

Student volunteers will serve 8-20 hours per week on a part-time basis for a minimum of 90 days, aligned with academic term calendars. Anticipated summer term participation is May through August, with flexibility based on institutional schedules.

Positions will be offered in a hybrid format. In-person participation at AIRR (Lenexa, Kansas) is required for digitization activities and indexing and while research components may be performed remotely where appropriate.

Project Description:

• The Bureau of Trust Funds Administration (BTFA) proposes a structured, project-based student volunteer initiative within the Digital Center of Excellence (DCE) located at the American Indian Records Repository (AIRR). This initiative directly supports agency priorities related to historical preservation and records modernization by advancing digitization, indexing, and research efforts associated with Indian Affairs records. Student volunteers will contribute to clearly defined, outcome-driven projects, including the digitization of archival materials, enhancement of indexing accuracy and metadata quality, and targeted research to improve contextual understanding and accessibility of historical records. These efforts address a legitimate agency need to increase the usability, discoverability, and long-term preservation of records while supporting broader federal data and records management objectives.
• The project is designed to align with student learning objectives by providing hands-on experience in archival science, digital records management, data stewardship, and historical research, while strengthening technical, analytical, and critical thinking skills. Work will be scoped for completion within a single academic term and will include structured milestones such as onboarding and training, midpoint progress reviews, and final deliverables. Deliverables may include digitized record sets meeting quality standards, enhanced indexing and metadata outputs, research summaries, and process documentation that can be operationalized by BTFA staff. Participation may be performed in-person, remotely, or in a hybrid format depending on project needs and access requirements.
• All work is designed to ensure compliance with the Semester of Service Program framework by avoiding clerical-only assignments, excluding inherently governmental functions, and ensuring that student contributions supplement-rather than replicate or replace-the work of Federal employees.

Conditions of employment

To participate in this Program, you must:

• Be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National studying in the U.S. or abroad. International students on valid visas may participate if they meet applicable immigration, visa, and agency authorities.

• Be enrolled not less than half-time in an accredited trade school, technical or vocational institute, junior college, college, university, or other accredited educational institution.

• Be in good academic standing as defined by your institution.

• Commit to volunteering 8 - 20 hours per week for a minimum of 90 days.

• Complete all required onboarding documentation assigned by the Department of the Interior and your academic institution.

• Agree to volunteer. This position is unpaid. No compensation, stipends, or hiring preference will be granted from this work. You may use this volunteer experience to qualify for future jobs you choose to apply for.

• Agree to understanding volunteers are not Federal employees.

Qualifications

Applicants will be considered based on their knowledge, skills or abilities related to project needs. Specifically, applicants should: Students pursuing degrees in history, business, library and information science, archival studies, data analytics, public administration, or related fields are preferred. Candidates should demonstrate strong attention to detail, research capabilities, and an interest in historical preservation and digital records management. Familiarity with scanning technologies, metadata concepts, or Microsoft 365 tools (e.g., Excel, SharePoint) is beneficial but not required.

The government-wide "Semester of Service" Student Volunteer Program, as authorized under 5 U.S.C §31114 and 5 CFR Part 3085, enables Federal agencies to engage students in unpaid, project-based assignments of limited duration. These assignments are designed to align with each agency's strategic priorities, offering participants practical experience within Federal operations while supporting the advancement of targeted initiatives.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application will be evaluated by DOI personnel to determine your eligibility for the position and your application will be forwarded to the opportunity manager for review.