Pathways logo and list of host institutions.

Apply for a Pathways Fellowship

The AMIA Pathways Fellowship supports pathways into the audiovisual preservation field for people from groups historically underrepresented in the profession at any level of their career.

The AMIA Pathways Fellowship supports paid internships in combination with mentorship and professional development training to forge pathways in the audiovisual preservation field for people from groups historically underrepresented in the profession at any level of their career.

The program enables fellows to engage in professional development through webinar training, remote mentorships, office hours with specialists in the field, onsite paid internships, and an alumni program to support ongoing engagement.

The AMIA Pathways Fellowship was made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services [RE-254879-OLS-23].

Applications for the 2024 Pathways Fellowship are now closed.

Applications for the 2025 Fellowship will open in March 2025.

The Application Process

To be accepted as a Pathways Fellow, you must complete two applications. While each institution offers a unique and important internship opportunity, it is only one part of the Fellowship program. The seven-month Fellowship also includes a five month mentorship, a 12 week curriculum program, and professional development including attendance at the AMIA annual conference.

The Pathways Fellowship Application. This application is reviewed for your interest in and commitment to the full seven-month Fellowship program by the Pathways Fellowship team. In addition to the Fellowship application review, you must also be accepted to a Fellowship internship at one of our host institutions.

Individual Internship Application. You may apply to multiple internship opportunities from our listed host institutions. Each institution requires an individual application that is reviewed by the host institution, based on the individual internship job description as well as the Fellowship guidelines.

Both applications must be received to be considered for the Pathways Fellowship Program.

 

 

Apply for the Fellowship
and an Internship at a Host Institution

As outlined above, to participate in the AMIA Pathways Fellowship, applicants must also  be accepted into a paid internship at one of our partner host sites. Acceptance into the Fellowship program is distinct from acceptance into any individual internship and will occur after internship selections have been made.

We strongly encourage you to review the information about being a Pathways Fellow (here) to have a full view of the program, information about each component, Fellowship calendar, and time commitment.

Fellowship events begin June 3, 2024 with an orientation, followed by the first three webinars that week. The program will continue weekly through August. Internship start dates are subject to the individual host site schedules. During the fellowship, in addition to the paid internship, fellows participate in weekly online professional development sessions for ten weeks (June – August), and are paired with professionals in the field in a remote mentorship program (July – December), Fellows also attend the annual AMIA conference (December 5-7 in Milwaukee).

Please note that internship projects and criteria vary and are intended to offer a broad range of opportunities and, unless otherwise specified, are open to applicants at any level in their career.

Internships do not include funding for relocation.

  • This fellowship is meant to support individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities in the field of moving image archives and audiovisual preservation. Please reference AMIA’s Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to inform your application.
  • Participants must be working as interns for their host sites during Summer 2024 when the majority of the program activities will take place.
  • Participants must commit to their participation in the Fellowship through the end of the mentorship period (December, 2024).
  • Fellowship and internship applications must be submitted separately. We strongly recommend submitting them both on the internship deadline date.
  • Fellows will be selected in line with the timeline of each host site. See links below for more information on host site internships. Some internships may not yet be posted, and the AMIA list-servs will be notified when new qualifying internship applications become available.AMIA Pathways Fellowship.
  • Fellows must be based in the US. We are hoping to expand the program to international applicants in coming years.

Below is information about each host site and the application for each internship. All internships are supplemented to an hourly rate of $23. You must also fill out the Fellowship application and indicate which internship(s) you have applied to.

Please note that at least TWO applications are required – a Fellowship Application and an application for each internship you are applying to.

 

The 2024 Pathways Fellowship is open.

Applications for Internships have various opening and closing dates.

Step One: The Fellowship Application

To be accepted as a Pathways Fellow, you must complete two applications. While each institution offers a unique and important internship opportunity, it is only one part of the Fellowship program. The seven-month Fellowship also includes a five month mentorship, a 12 week curriculum program, and professional development including attendance at the AMIA annual conference.

The Pathways Fellowship Application. This application is reviewed for your interest in and commitment to the full seven-month Fellowship program. In addition to the Fellowship application review, you must also be accepted to a Fellowship internship at one of our host institutions.

Applications are now closed.

You need only submit one Pathways Fellowship Application, but but you must apply for each internship independently.

Your completed Fellowship application must be received by the due date of your internship application(s). We strongly recommend you complete the Fellowship application early.

Step 2: Internship Application(s)

Below is information about each host site and the application for each internship. You must also fill out the Fellowship application.

Each internship opportunity requires a separate application.  Please note that internship projects and criteria vary and are intended to offer a broad range of opportunities.

Application due dates vary. It is important that you complete the Fellowship Application AND the internship application by the due date.

 

DESERTED FILMS (Remote)

Melissa Dollman and Devin Orgeron founded Deserted Films in Palm Springs in 2021 and incorporated as a nonprofit in 2022. In 2023, Deserted Films was federally recognized as a 501(c)(3). We are dedicated to collecting, caring for and making accessible films shot in the general Palm Springs area — as well as Southern California, surrounding desert regions, and sometimes beyond if we love it — during that golden age of nontheatrical film from the 1920s-1980s when 16mm, 8mm, Super 8 celluloid film and VHS camcorders (instead of our phones!) were the tools we used to preserve our memories. Disconnected from their makers, removed from their contexts, these films end up at estate sales, yard sales, auctions, thrift stores, and antique shops. Deserted? Perhaps. Our mission, however, is to reunite these materials with the region they depict and to amass and make available a roster of films that present a fuller image of the area’s unique development, its particular beauty, and its perpetual appeal. The Deserted Films collection consists of over 1000 8mm, Super 8mm, and 16mm films, as well as a small collection of home movies transferred to, or originally shot, on VHS.

Applications are now closed.

MOVING IMAGE RESEARCH COLLECTIONS AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA (Columbia, SC)

The University of South Carolina’s Moving Image Research Collections (MIRC) preserves films and videos produced outside the American feature film industry to make them available to present and future audiences. Established in 1980, MIRC is one of the leading university-based film archives in the country. Its collections include the Fox Movietone News collection and local television newsfilm, regional films and home movies, science and nature films, artists films, industrial and educational films, USC film and video productions, a unique collection of Chinese films, and the United States Marine Corps film repository.

Applications are now closed.

ROSELANI MEDIA PRESERVATION INTERNSHIP: ‘ULU‘ULU MOVING IMAGE ARCHIVE (Remote, In Person, or Hybrid)

ʻUluʻulu is Hawaiʻi’s official state archive for moving images. Located on the University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu campus, the archive aims to perpetuate and share the rich moving image heritage of Hawai‘i through the preservation of film and videotape related to the history and culture of Native Hawaiians and the people of Hawai‘i. ‘Uluʻulu is a Hawaiian word meaning collections, assembly, or gathering. Our archive is not just a collection of moving image items, but also an assembly of voices, communities, and stories; a gathering place for people to share Hawaiʻi’s culture, traditions and collective memory. Intern may choose an in-person, remote or hybrid schedule

Applications have closed.

TEXAS ARCHIVE OF THE MOVING IMAGE (Austin, TX – In Person or Remote)

Founded in 2002, the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working to discover, preserve, provide access to, and educate the community about Texas’ film heritage. TAMI partners with the Office of the Governor’s Texas Film Commission to administer the Texas Film Round-Up program, which provides free digitization for Texas-related films and videotapes, online access to a selection of the contributed materials, and statewide public programming, as well as creates educator resources using these newly digitized Texas media in the classroom. You can view TAMI’s collections at TexasArchive.org.

Applications are now closed.

THE MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL MOVING IMAGE ARCHIVE (Baltimore, MD)

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Moving Image Archive (MARMIA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and access of movies and sounds that document the arts, history, and culture of the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region. MARMIA’s collections include home movies, oral histories, mixtapes, local television and radio, found VHS-tapes, and more. MARMIA is dedicated to providing free access to these collections online: descriptions of our holdings are available through our ArchivesSpace finding aids (please note that many include descriptions that were written by the creator, and may be inaccurate or use outdated and/or offensive language); and digitized content can be searched, browsed, and watched on our Aviary page.

Applications have now closed.

STORYCORPS (Hybrid – Brooklyn, NY)

StoryCorps’ mission is to help us believe in each other by illuminating the humanity and possibility in us all — one story at a time. Since 2003, more than 600,000 people, in all 50 states, have recorded StoryCorps interviews about their lives. We preserve and archive their recordings at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered, and share select stories with the public through StoryCorps’ podcast, NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. These powerful human stories reflect the vast range of American experiences, engender empathy and connection, and remind us how much more we have in common than what divides us. StoryCorps is especially committed to capturing and amplifying voices least heard in the media.

Applications are closed.

SMITHSONIAN LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES (Washington, DC)

Launched in 2021, the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives’ Audiovisual Media Preservation Initiative (AVMPI) is a landmark effort dedicated to the preservation and digital transfer of the Smithsonian’s vast audiovisual collections, which spans a vast range of topics, such as oral histories, scientific studies, experimental and educational films, rare home movies, and more. AVMPI aims to broaden access to these invaluable resources for a diverse global audience by implementing a pan-institutional approach, which will maximize resources, increase work efficiency, and streamline workflows and processes.

The AVMPI Internship offers a unique opportunity to engage with the preservation and digitization of audiovisual materials, working alongside experienced professionals in the field. Over the course of 12 weeks, the intern will participate in various stages of the AVMPI digital transfer workflow, including: identification, assessment, conservation, digital transfer, description, and quality control. The internship scope will be tailored to the skills and interests of the intern.

Applications are now closed.

AL LARVICK CONSERVATION FUND (Remote)

The Al Larvick Conservation Fund mission is to preserve historical and cultural heritage through conservation, education and the public accessibility of American analog home movie, amateur cinema and community recording collections.

The goals of ALCF include –

  • Preserve and restore audiovisual source materials through evaluation, repair and cleaning, and utilize technological advances to provide high quality digital captures.
  • Educate and further awareness around the historical and cultural importance of home and amateur audiovisual media and how to prolong the life of the original analog materials as well as their digital derivatives.
  • Contribute to a growing community of publicly available home and amateur audiovisual materials through open, online access, the creation of associated metadata and use of creative commons licensing.

Applications have closed.

PRELINGER ARCHIVES (Richmond, CA)

Prelinger Archives, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, holds a large collection of home movies, amateur films, sponsored and educational films. Since 2000, Prelinger Archives has worked with Internet Archive to make moving image material freely accessible, and Internet Archive remains a close collaborator, with over 8,000 items from the Prelinger collection freely available for online viewing and reuse.

Prelinger is currently in the second year of a three-year partnership between Prelinger Archives (PA) and Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web (FFDW) to build a publicly accessible distributed web resource that provides freely accessible digital copies of thousands of hours of archival moving images from Prelinger Archives and other collections. The project will vastly expand the scale of digitization and access and make many moving images from Prelinger Archives, Internet Archive and other collections available to students, educators, researchers, scholars and mediamakers.

Applications have closed.

Application Checklist

Acceptance into the Fellowship program is distinct from acceptance into any individual internship.

  • Complete the AMIA Pathways Fellowship application
  • Complete a separate application for each internship you would like to be considered for