Appendix E: Professional Resources for Archaeobytologists

Introduction

This appendix provides pathways, organizations, and resources for building a career in Archaeobytology. Whether you're a student exploring the field, a practitioner seeking employment, or an established scholar looking to pivot, these resources will help you navigate professional opportunities.

Career Pathways in Archaeobytology

1. Academic Track

Entry Points:

• PhD in adjacent field (History, Media Studies, Library Science, Computer Science, STS) with Archaeobytology dissertation

• Postdoctoral fellowships in digital preservation or digital humanities centers

• Visiting scholar positions at institutions with archival collections

Job Titles to Search For:

• Assistant Professor of Digital Culture/Media Studies

• Digital Preservation Specialist (tenure-track at iSchools)

• Digital Humanities Faculty

• Archivist (academic libraries with digital collections)

• Media Archaeology Scholar

Institutions Known for This Work:

• Stanford University (CESTA - Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis)

• University of Virginia (Scholars' Lab)

• UCLA (Digital Humanities, Film & Media)

• MIT (Comparative Media Studies, Media Lab)

• UC Berkeley (School of Information)

• University of Toronto (iSchool)

• King's College London (Digital Humanities)

• Amsterdam (Media Studies)

Professional Development:

• Publish in Digital Humanities Quarterly, First Monday, Internet Histories

• Present at ADHO (Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations), 4S, ACM conferences

• Apply for NEH Digital Humanities grants, Mellon Foundation funding

• Build teaching portfolio with Archaeobytology syllabi

Salary Range (US, 2025):

• Assistant Professor: $65k-90k

• Associate Professor: $80k-110k

• Full Professor: $100k-150k+

2. Museum/Library/Archive Track

Entry Points:

• MLS/MLIS (Master of Library and Information Science) with digital preservation focus

• MA in Museum Studies with technology concentration

• Certificate in Digital Curation

Job Titles to Search For:

• Digital Archivist

• Digital Preservation Librarian

• Digital Collections Manager

• Web Archivist

• Born-Digital Materials Curator

• Metadata Librarian (digital collections)

Institutions Hiring:

• Internet Archive (San Francisco)

• Library of Congress (Washington DC)

• National Archives (US, UK, various countries)

• Major university libraries (Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Michigan)

• Museum digital collections (MoMA, Smithsonian, V&A)

• State historical societies

Professional Organizations:

• Society of American Archivists (SAA) - Digital Archives Section

• Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T)

• American Library Association (ALA) - Digital Content & Libraries

• International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA)

Certifications:

• Certified Archivist (Academy of Certified Archivists)

• Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) Certificate

Salary Range (US, 2025):

• Entry-level archivist: $45k-55k

• Mid-career: $55k-75k

• Senior/management: $75k-95k

3. Non-Profit Sector

Organizations Actively Hiring:

Digital Rights & Advocacy:

• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)

• Creative Commons

• Internet Archive

• Wikimedia Foundation

• Mozilla Foundation

• Free Software Foundation

Cultural Heritage:

• Archive Team (volunteer, but can lead to paid roles)

• Software Preservation Network

• Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)

• Europeana

Research & Policy:

• Data & Society Research Institute

• Center for Democracy & Technology

• Open Knowledge Foundation

Job Titles:

• Digital Rights Advocate

• Preservation Program Manager

• Open Access Coordinator

• Digital Policy Analyst

• Community Engagement Manager

Skills Needed:

• Policy analysis and advocacy

• Grant writing and fundraising

• Community organizing

• Technical literacy (though not always coding)

• Communication (writing reports, op-eds, briefs)

Salary Range (US, 2025):

• Program Coordinator: $50k-65k

• Senior Staff: $70k-90k

• Director level: $95k-130k

4. Tech Industry

Companies/Roles:

Platform Companies (ironic but real):

• Meta, Twitter/X, Reddit: Data Preservation Specialists

• YouTube/Google: Digital Archive Managers

• LinkedIn: Content Preservation Engineers

Archival Tech Startups:

• Webrecorder.io

• Archive-It (Internet Archive's subscription service)

• Preservica

• ArchivesSpace

Consulting Firms:

• Digital preservation consultancies (small firms, often 5-20 people)

• Advise corporations, universities, governments on archival strategy

Job Titles:

• Digital Preservation Engineer

• Data Longevity Specialist

• Platform Archival Architect

• Digital Stewardship Consultant

Skills Valued:

• Programming (Python, JavaScript, database management)

• Systems architecture

• Metadata standards

• Legal/compliance knowledge (GDPR, copyright)

Salary Range (US, 2025):

• Engineer: $90k-140k

• Senior Engineer: $130k-180k

• Consultant: $80k-120k (or higher if independent)

5. Government

Agencies Hiring:

• Library of Congress (Digital Preservation section)

• National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

• Smithsonian Institution (digital collections)

• State archives and libraries

• International: British Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France, etc.

Job Titles:

• Digital Preservation Specialist (GS-11 to GS-13 typically)

• Records Management Analyst

• Web Archiving Coordinator

Pros:

• Job security

• Good benefits

• Work on nationally significant collections

Cons:

• Bureaucracy

• Lower salaries than tech industry

• Slow hiring process

Salary Range (US federal, 2025):

• GS-11: $60k-78k

• GS-12: $72k-94k

• GS-13: $86k-112k

6. Freelance/Independent

Viable Freelance Roles:

• Digital preservation consultant (advising organizations on archival strategy)

• Metadata specialist (contract work for institutions)

• Web archiving contractor

• Digital forensics expert

• Workshop facilitator (teaching preservation skills)

How to Build Freelance Career:

1. Build portfolio (showcase 5-10 preservation projects)

2. Create online presence (website, LinkedIn, Twitter showcasing expertise)

3. Network (conferences, professional organizations)

4. Start with part-time contracts while maintaining day job

5. Develop niche (e.g., "specialist in archiving indie game platforms")

Income Potential:

• Highly variable: $40k-150k+ depending on client base and niche

• Hourly rates: $75-200/hour for specialized expertise

Job Boards and Listings

General Archaeobytology-Adjacent Jobs

Digital Humanities:

• • H-Net Job Guide: https://www.h-net.org/jobs/

Archives & Libraries:

• SAA Career Center: https://careers.archivists.org/jobs/

• ALA JobLIST: https://joblist.ala.org/

• Code4Lib Jobs: https://jobs.code4lib.org/ (technical library work)

Tech & Non-Profit:

• Idealist.org (non-profit jobs)

• Tech Jobs for Good: https://techjobsforgood.com/

• We Work Remotely: https://weworkremotely.com/ (remote tech roles)

Academic:

• Chronicle of Higher Education: https://chroniclevitae.com/

• InsideHigherEd Careers: https://careers.insidehighered.com/

• H-Net (humanities network): https://www.h-net.org/jobs/

Specialized Listservs & Newsletters

• PAMNET (Preservation Administrators Discussion): https://cool.culturalheritage.org/bytopic/pamnet/

• Digital Curation Google Group: https://groups.google.com/g/digital-curation

• Code4Lib (library tech community): https://code4lib.org/

• Archives & Archivists Listserv: https://www2.archivists.org/listservs

Professional Societies & Organizations

Join These for Networking, Conferences, and Job Listings:

1. Society of American Archivists (SAA)

• Website: https://www2.archivists.org/

• Annual conference (August)

• Special sections: Electronic Records, Web Archiving

• Student membership: $85/year; Professional: $225/year

2. Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO)

• Website: https://adho.org/

• Annual DH conference (rotating international locations)

• Member organizations include ACH (US), EADH (Europe), JADH (Japan)

3. Society for Social Studies of Science (4S)

• Website: https://www.4sonline.org/

• Annual conference (Science & Technology Studies)

• Special interest groups in platform studies, digital infrastructure

4. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

• Website: https://www.acm.org/

• Special Interest Groups: SIGWEB, SIGCHI (Human-Computer Interaction)

5. Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T)

• Website: https://www.asist.org/

• Digital preservation and curation focus

6. International Internet Preservation Consortium (IIPC)

• Website: https://netpreserve.org/

• Global collaboration on web archiving

• Annual Web Archiving Conference

7. Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC)

• Website: https://www.dpconline.org/

• UK-based but international membership

• Resources, training, advocacy

Conferences to Attend

Essential Annual Conferences:

1. Digital Humanities Conference (ADHO)

• When: Summer (June-August)

• Where: Rotates internationally

• Why: Largest DH gathering, job networking, latest research

2. Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting

• When: August

• Where: US cities (rotates)

• Why: Digital preservation sessions, archivist community

3. iPRES (International Conference on Digital Preservation)

• When: Fall (September-October)

• Where: Rotates internationally

• Why: Technical deep-dives, preservation research

4. 4S Annual Meeting (Society for Social Studies of Science)

• When: Fall (October-November)

• Where: Rotates internationally

• Why: Platform studies, STS theory, critical tech research

5. Personal Digital Archiving (PDA) Conference

• When: Spring

• Where: Various (often virtual)

• Why: Community archiving, grassroots preservation

6. Code4Lib Conference

• When: Winter/Spring (February-March)

• Where: US/Canada

• Why: Library technology, open source tools

7. Web Archiving Conference (IIPC)

• When: Spring

• Where: Rotates internationally

• Why: Web preservation specific, technical methods

Funding Opportunities

Grants for Archaeobytology Projects:

1. National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)

• Digital Humanities Advancement Grants: $50k-325k

• Preservation Assistance Grants: $10k

• Website: https://www.neh.gov/grants

2. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

• National Leadership Grants for Libraries: $50k-1M

• Focus on digital collections, preservation innovation

• Website: https://www.imls.gov/grants

3. Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

• Scholarly Communications: grants vary widely

• Strong focus on digital humanities, open access

• Website: https://mellon.org/

4. Mozilla Foundation

• Mozilla Technology Fund: $10k-250k

• Internet health, open web, decentralization projects

• Website: https://foundation.mozilla.org/

5. Knight Foundation

• Knight Prototype Fund: $5k-50k

• Journalism, information access innovations

• Website: https://knightfoundation.org/

6. John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

• Arts & Technology: innovation in cultural preservation

7. Social Science Research Council (SSRC)

• Fellowships for dissertation research on digital culture

8. Wenner-Gren Foundation

• For anthropological approaches to digital culture

Crowdfunding Platforms:

• Kickstarter: For prototype tools, community archives

• Patreon: Ongoing support for preservation projects

• GoFundMe: Emergency rescue projects (dying platforms)

Professional Development & Training

Certificate Programs:

1. DigCCurr Professional Institute (UNC)

• Digital Curation curriculum

• Online and in-person options

2. SAA Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) Certificate

• 6 courses, can be completed online

• Topics: metadata, preservation systems, digital forensics

3. Library Juice Academy

• Online courses: "Web Archiving," "Digital Preservation"

• Self-paced, affordable ($175-200/course)

4. LYRASIS (library consortium)

• Webinars and workshops on digital preservation

• Many free options

Online Courses (MOOCs):

1. Coursera: Digital Curation

• University of North Carolina

2. FutureLearn: Digital Preservation Essentials

• University of London

3. edX: Data Science & Digital Humanities

• Harvard, MIT courses

Summer Institutes:

1. Digital Humanities Summer Institute (DHSI)

• University of Victoria (Canada)

• Week-long intensive courses (June)

• Courses on digital archives, tool-building

2. HILT (Humanities Intensive Learning & Teaching)

• Varies by year

• Advanced DH methods

3. LEADING Fellows Program

• UCLA-led, for early-career DH scholars

Building Your Professional Profile

Essential Online Presence:

1. Personal Website

• Domain: yourname.com (embody the Three Pillars!)

• Portfolio: showcase 3-5 major projects

• CV/Resume downloadable

• Blog (optional but valuable for visibility)

2. GitHub/GitLab

• Host code for preservation tools you've built

• Contribute to open-source projects (Archive-It, Webrecorder, etc.)

• Shows technical skills to employers

3. ORCID

• Get an ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/

• Links all your publications in one persistent identifier

4. LinkedIn

• Complete profile with "Archaeobytologist" or related title

• Join groups: Digital Preservation, Digital Humanities, Archives

• Share articles, projects, conference attendance

5. Twitter/Mastodon

• Follow key figures (see below)

• Share your work, engage with community

• Use hashtags: #DigitalPreservation #DH #Archaeobytology

Key People to Follow:

Archivists & Practitioners:

• @textfiles (Jason Scott, Archive Team)

• @brewster_kahle (Brewster Kahle, Internet Archive)

• Kate Zwaard (Library of Congress)

• Archives community (various hashtags)

Scholars:

• @mkirschenbaum (Matthew Kirschenbaum, digital materiality)

• @miriamkp (Miriam Posner, DH critical perspectives)

• @tcarmody (Tim Carmody, platform studies)

Platform Critics:

• @doctorow (Cory Doctorow, digital rights)

• @hypervisible (Sarah T. Roberts, content moderation)

• @mathbabedotorg (Cathy O'Neil, algorithmic accountability)

Organizations:

• @internetarchive

• @EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation)

• @wikimedia

Mentorship & Community

Finding Mentors:

1. Conference Networking

• Approach presenters whose work resonates

• Ask for informational interviews (15-20 min)

• Follow up with occasional updates

2. Professional Organizations

• SAA Mentoring Program: https://www2.archivists.org/prof-education/mentoring

• ADHO has informal mentorship through local groups

3. Academic Advisors

• If in PhD program, seek committee members who understand Archaeobytology's interdisciplinarity

• Look for "hidden" Archaeobytologists in History, CS, iSchools

Online Communities:

1. Archive Team IRC/Discord

• Real-time chat with preservation activists

• #archiveteam on IRC (EFNet)

2. Digital Preservation Slack

• Invite-only but easy to get in (ask on Twitter)

3. Code4Lib Slack

• Library tech community

4. DH Slack

• Digital humanities practitioners

5. Reddit:

• r/DataHoarder (preservation enthusiasts)

• r/Archiveteam

• r/DigitalHumanities

Starting Your Own Organization

If You Want to Found an Archaeobytology Organization:

Models to Consider:

1. Non-Profit (501(c)(3))

• Pros: Tax-exempt, grants eligible, donation-friendly

• Cons: Paperwork, governance requirements

• Examples: Internet Archive, EFF

2. Fiscal Sponsorship

• Partner with existing non-profit (they handle money, you do work)

• Pros: Faster start, less admin

• Cons: Fee (5-15%), less control

• Examples: Software Freedom Conservancy, Code for America

3. Cooperative

• Member-owned, democratic governance

• Pros: Aligned with sovereignty values, community-driven

• Cons: Complex governance, member buy-in needed

4. For-Profit Social Enterprise

• B-Corp or Public Benefit Corporation

• Pros: Can earn revenue, mission-driven but sustainable

• Cons: Mission drift risk, requires business skills

Resources for Starting Organizations:

• Nolo.com: Legal guides for starting non-profits

• Foundation Center: Grant-seeking for new orgs

• TechSoup: Discounted software for non-profits

• SCORE: Free mentoring for small businesses/non-profits

Legal & Ethical Resources

Understanding Copyright & Fair Use:

Organizations:

• Authors Alliance: https://www.authorsalliance.org/

• Public Knowledge: https://www.publicknowledge.org/

• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): Legal resources for digital rights

Key Legal Concepts:

• Section 108 (US Copyright): Library exception for preservation

• Fair Use Doctrine: Four-factor test for using copyrighted work

• DMCA Section 1201: Anti-circumvention (exemptions for archiving)

Consult:

• Lawyers for Good Government (pro bono tech law)

• Creative Commons legal resources

Recommended Reading (Beyond Textbook)

Essential Books for Career Development:

On Building a Scholarly Career:

• Wendy Laura Belcher: Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks

• Helen Sword: Stylish Academic Writing

• Miriam Posner: Essays on alt-ac careers (on her blog)

On Public Scholarship:

• Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn: Tightrope (models of engaged writing)

• Michael Burawoy: "For Public Sociology" (essay, free online)

On Navigating Academia:

• Karen Kelsky: The Professor Is In (job market, tenure process)

• Maggie Berg & Barbara Seeber: The Slow Professor

Conclusion: Your Path Forward

Archaeobytology is a young field, which means you have agency to shape it. The career paths above are emergent—10 years ago, "Digital Preservation Specialist" barely existed as a job title. 10 years from now, there may be hundreds of such roles.

Your Next Steps:

1. Identify your track: Academic, practitioner, tech, non-profit, government, or hybrid?

2. Build skills: Take courses, earn certifications, contribute to projects

3. Network: Join professional organizations, attend conferences, find mentors

4. Create visibility: Website, portfolio, publications, social media presence

5. Apply broadly: Don't wait for "perfect" job—Archaeobytology jobs often have misleading titles

Remember: Every established Archaeobytologist today started somewhere uncertain. The field exists because people like you decide to practice it, teach it, fund it, and legitimize it.

You are building the profession as you enter it.

End of Appendix E