Application: Open Doors Import Assistant

Organization name: Organization for Transformative Works

Committee: Open Doors

Reports to: Open Doors Chair Team

Time requirements: 2+ hours a week

Term: 1 year

Role Overview: Open Doors Import Assistants complete tasks such as searching AO3 for duplicate works and posting works to assist Open Doors volunteers with archive imports.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Compiling and correcting creators/works tracking spreadsheets that list each work contained in an archive waiting to be imported by the Open Doors Committee.
  • Searching AO3 for existing works from an incoming archive and noting their status in a Google spreadsheet.
  • Proofreading works from transcribed fanzines to be imported through the AO3 Fanzine Scan Hosting Project to ensure that the scanned works were transcribed properly by the software we used.
  • Posting works from an archive backup or transcribed fanzine to AO3 as part of an Open Doors manual import and noting their status in a Google spreadsheet.
  • Other related tasks as directed by the Open Doors Chair Team.

Requirements:

  • At least 18 years old and legally of age to open explicit fanworks in your local jurisdiction.
  • Able to reliably access AO3 with a computer or laptop.
  • Experienced using AO3.
  • Commitment to regularly access the OTW’s chat platform.
  • Able to access Google Workspace (G Suite) apps.

Skills, Experience & Attributes

  • Familiarity with using AO3’s advanced search.
  • Ability to work independently toward a common goal within a team.
  • Ability to give and receive feedback, support, and mentorship.
  • Familiarity with Google Spreadsheets.
  • Nice to have, but not required: Fluency in languages other than English.

Training requirements:

Import assistant volunteers are required to complete training within 6 months of their induction date.

Import assistant training follows this general schedule:

  • Tool tutorials
  • Task tutorials
  • Practice on a real task after completion of each task tutorial

Upon completion of each practice stage, mentors from the committee will:

  • Check over each new volunteer’s work.
  • Give feedback.

Tutorials and practice are mostly self-directed, but a mentor will check in every few weeks to ask how training is going. New volunteers are encouraged to speak up at any time if they’d like to schedule task walkthroughs with mentors to get extra guidance.

Communication with the committee takes place primarily on the OTW’s chat platform:

  • Volunteers are added to a training channel in which several working parties are held each week, giving them the opportunity to meet their mentors and fellow new import assistants, motivate each other, and get their questions answered in realtime.
  • Upon completion of training, volunteers will be added to the main import assistant working channel, where weekly working parties also take place.

Recruitment for this role has now closed for this round. Please check the volunteering page for future openings.