Mesoamerican Languages Portal Geospatial Referencing Fellow

General Description:

The Mesoamerican Languages Portal Geospatial Referencing Fellow will enhance the geospatial information for the Mesoamerican Indigenous language audio recordings in the Digital Media Archive. In order to enhance geospatial information, the fellow will collaborate closely with the MLP Project Manager and Principal Investigators to analyze metadata records derived from the Digital Media Archive and add geospatial information using international standards such as the Getty Thesaurus of Geographical Names and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s GeoNames.

By adding granularity to the geographic information, the Fellow will be providing a robust linked data infrastructure to increase discoverability of this collection. Additionally, the enhanced geographical data will provide the foundation for computational analysis and visualization of linguistic practices and variation over space and time. This project seeks to facilitate heritage speaker communities discovering and accessing materials, both those interested in historical materials for language preservation and revitalization and those interested in contemporary materials relevant to their own recording and publishing traditions.

The Mesoamerican Languages Portal project (MLP) based at the University of Chicago Library offers a professional and educational experience through placement as a team member on the MLP project. MLP is an NSF grant-funded initiative (see NSF Award # 1953104) that seeks to refigure and improve digital infrastructure for the University of Chicago’s collections of materials documenting the Indigenous languages of Mesoamerica to ensure their availability in accordance with best practices and accessibility standards. The University of Chicago’s Indigenous language collections include audio recordings in the Digital Media Archive, language texts in the Chicago Archive of Indigenous Literatures of Latin America, unpublished linguistic and ethnographic manuscripts in the Microfilm Collection of Manuscripts on Cultural Anthropology, and Indigenous language instructional materials. These collections are being consolidated in a single digital language archive at the University Library to provide improved access, enhancement and preservation of Mesoamerican language materials.

Qualifications:

  • Currently enrolled in a UChicago graduate program in good standing during the period of the fellowship
  • Academic disciplinary background in a humanities or social science field relevant to Mesoamerican Indigenous languages and cultures such as anthropology, linguistics, history, Latin American studies, art history
  • Interest in learning about Mesoamerican Indigenous Languages, digital language archives, endangered language preservation, and human rights
  • Spanish language competency
  • Experience with GPS/GIS practices preferred/helpful
  • Strong written and oral communication skills
  • Ability to multi-task and work independently
  • Desire to work in a collaborative setting
  • Demonstrated creativity and intellectual curiosity
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools