Carmel Curtis, Human Rights Watch, Spring 2014, NEH
Human Rights Watch has a mission to defend the rights of people worldwide. They “scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all.” Through investigative journalism, photo/video documentation, extensive interviews, and scholarly research, Human Rights Watch produces a number of detailed reports, often accompanied by multimedia videos, exposing worldwide human rights violations and advocating for change. In my semester long internship at Human Rights Watch, I engaged in a number of rewarding tasks that helped to expand my professional experience and clarify my understanding of the role of an archivist in an production environment. Tasks that I engaged in include cataloging born digital materials in a digital asset management system, assisting in long-term storage arrangements for the physical collection (VHS, BetacamSP, DigiBeta), working with MiniDV tapes, digitizing DVCAM tapes, and shadowing my supervisor in her daily routines.
