Archive of Our Own ^beta

Do you know SQL and want to rescue at-risk fan archives? Do you want to help organize tags to help users find works in the Archive? Would you like to assist AO3 users by resolving complaints? The Organization for Transformative Works is recruiting!

We're excited to announce the opening of applications for:

• Open Doors Technical Volunteer - closing 26 February 2025 at 23:59 UTC [or after 30 applications]
• Policy & Abuse Volunteer - closing 26 February 2025 at 23:59 UTC
• Tag Wrangling Volunteer - closing 26 February 2025 at 23:59 UTC [or after 120 applications]
• Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Chinese) - closing 26 February 2025 at 23:59 UTC [or after 45 applications]
• Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Ukrainian) - closing 26 February 2025 at 23:59 UTC [or after 30 applications]

We have included more information on each role below. Open roles and applications will always be available at the volunteering page. If you don't see a role that fits with your skills and interests now, keep an eye on the listings. We plan to put up new applications every few weeks, and we will also publicize new roles as they become available.

All applications generate a confirmation page and an auto-reply to your email address. We encourage you to read the confirmation page and to whitelist our email address in your email client. If you do not receive the auto-reply within 24 hours, please check your spam filters and then contact us.

If you have questions regarding volunteering for the OTW, check out our Volunteering FAQ.

Open Doors Technical Volunteer

Do you know SQL and Python or other programming languages and want to rescue at-risk fan archives?

The Open Doors project receives many requests to rescue fan sites that are at risk of disappearing because their owners can no longer maintain them. The sites we import to the Archive Of Our Own range from database-driven archives based on common software packages like eFiction and Automated Archive to hand-coded HTML sites that are over twenty years old!

As a technical volunteer for Open Doors, you will process the contents of legacy sites to do the following:

• analyse the original data to find all the content and metadata needed for the import
• remove spam, legacy navigation and personal information from HTML files
• convert tags to official AO3 tags as specified by the Tag Wrangling team
• ensure chapters are correctly combined into complete works
• resolve duplicates, such as works already imported to AO3 by their creators or previous imports
• convert the cleaned data to MySQL tables in a standard format that can be ingested automatically into the Archive

As the person responsible for ensuring that all the content from the original site is correctly imported to the AO3, you will have an excellent eye for detail and an ability to work independently within the rules of Open Doors. You will also liaise regularly in chat with other Open Doors volunteers, keeping them up to date with your progress on your assigned tasks.

To apply for this role, you must be at least 18 years old and legally of age to open explicit fanworks in your local jurisdiction.

Please note that you will be asked to complete a short coding test (which should take you less than 1 hour, to be returned in 1 week) as part of your application.

Applications are due 26 February 2025 [or after 30 applications]

Policy & Abuse Volunteer

The Policy & Abuse committee (PAC) is responsible for addressing questions and concerns about potential violations of AO3's Terms of Service. We determine whether reports are about legitimate violations of the Terms of Service, and what to do about them if they are. PAC volunteers correspond directly with AO3 users and collaborate on projects both within PAC and with other OTW committees.

Our main goals as a committee are:

• to adhere to the AO3 Terms of Service
• to make our reasoning and processes as clear and transparent as possible
• to handle all user reports consistently, no matter which volunteer is doing the work
• to keep every case we work on completely confidential

We are seeking people who can:

• Commit to working on cases regularly
• Be patient with rephrasing explanations
• Ask for help when needed
• Collaborate both inside the team and with other committees
• Act in accordance with established rules, policies, and procedures
• Treat confidentiality and user privacy as a priority

Please note: you must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. While English proficiency is required, we welcome applicants who are fluent in other languages, especially Spanish (Español), Brazilian Portuguese (Português brasileiro), Russian (Русский), Chinese (中文), or Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia).

Applications are due 26 February 2025

Tag Wrangling Volunteer

The Tag Wranglers are responsible for helping to connect and sort the tags on AO3! Wranglers follow internal guidelines to choose the tags that appear in the filters and auto-complete, which link related works together. This makes it easier to browse and search on the archive.

If you’re an experienced AO3 user who likes organizing, working in teams, or having excuses to fact-check your favorite fandoms, you might enjoy tag wrangling! To join us, click through to the job description and fill in our application form. There will also be a short questionnaire that will help us assess whether you have the skills and attributes that will lead to your success in this role.

Please note: you must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. For this role, we’re currently looking for wranglers for specific fandoms only, which will change each recruitment round. Please see the application for which fandoms are in need.

Wranglers need to be fluent in English but we welcome applicants who are also fluent in other languages, especially Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian), Čeština (Czech), Español (Spanish), isiZulu (Zulu), Italiano (Italian), Polski (Polish), Português brasileiro (Brazilian Portuguese), Suomi (Finnish), Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese), Türkçe (Turkish), Русский (Russian), and ไทย (Thai) — but help with other languages would be much appreciated!

Applications are due 26 February 2025 [or after 120 applications]

Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Chinese)

The Tag Wranglers are responsible for helping to connect and sort the tags on AO3! Wranglers follow internal guidelines to choose the tags that appear in the filters and auto-complete, which link related works together. This makes it easier to browse and search on the archive.

If you’re an experienced AO3 user who likes organizing, working in teams, or having excuses to fact-check your favorite fandoms, you might enjoy tag wrangling! To join us, click through to the job description and fill in our application form. There will also be a short questionnaire that will help us assess whether you have the skills and attributes that will lead to your success in this role.

Please note: you must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. For this role we’re currently looking for applicants who are fluent in both English and Chinese. We welcome all Chinese dialects! The work will involve both regular Tag Wrangling work and translating tags from Chinese into English.

Applications are due 26 February 2025 [or after 45 applications]

Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Ukrainian)

The Tag Wranglers are responsible for helping to connect and sort the tags on AO3! Wranglers follow internal guidelines to choose the tags that appear in the filters and auto-complete, which link related works together. This makes it easier to browse and search on the archive.

If you’re an experienced AO3 user who likes organizing, working in teams, or having excuses to fact-check your favorite fandoms, you might enjoy tag wrangling! To join us, click through to the job description and fill in our application form. There will also be a short questionnaire that will help us assess whether you have the skills and attributes that will lead to your success in this role.

Please note: you must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. For this role we’re currently looking for applicants who are fluent in both English and Ukrainian. The work will involve both regular Tag Wrangling work and translating tags from Ukrainian into English.

Applications are due 26 February 2025 [or after 30 applications]

Apply at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. We are a fan-run, entirely donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.