Cimatheque – Alternative Film Centre is launching a long-term volunteering program involving hands-on training on conserving and archiving private collections related to Arab cinema. These archival collections include various paper-based materials, such as photos, sketches, diaries, letters, manuscripts, books, magazines, and other film-related archival material. Volunteers will work with Cimatheque team in a context that allows them to professionally, critically, and creatively engage with these paper collections.

The program starts with a 3-day intensive workshop on Paper Conservation techniques, covering examination and assessment, cleaning and handling, documentation, storage, enclosure, environmental control, and collection policy. The workshop aims to equip participants with the required knowledge and skills to participate in the volunteering program that starts immediately after the workshops and lasts for at least three months.

Throughout the program, volunteers will cooperate with the Cimatheque team in different archival practices, including inspection, classification, indexing, cataloging, scanning, digitizing, and preservation. Volunteers will acquire practical capabilities that qualify them to contribute effectively to various archival institutions and better handle their own paper collections.

Preference will be given to applicants who can commit to participating in the volunteering work program for at least three months through a flexible schedule.

Cimatheque will provide all supplies for the workshop, however participants are invited to bring items from their paper collections to work on if they prefer.

Workshop will be held mainly in Arabic.

Deadline for applications is 14th of January

The Workshop is free of charge.

**The program is part of the ArchiveLab project that aims to promote awareness of archive culture, build capacities related to archival practices, and empower professional communities, civil society, and public audiences to access and reuse archives.