Tell us about the work that you do at Yale.
I am responsible for leading Yale Library’s seven special collections repositories in working together to build and steward outstanding collections and to foster their discovery and use for research, teaching, creativity, and more. The Beinecke Library is the largest and most well-known of these repositories, with collections and researchers from around the world.
How does the general public interact with the collections?
The Beinecke Library has a spectacular exhibition gallery, and this past year nearly 200,000 visitors came through our doors for two exhibitions, one on the Fortunoff Video Archive of Holocaust Testimonies and the other focused our Islamic manuscript collections. We offer tours on the weekend and regularly host fieldtrips for local middle and high schools, where students can learn about understanding history through rare materials. We also have a robust event calendar, with lectures and concerts online and in-person.
What kind of training did you receive at the Bentley?
When I first came to U-M, I was a Ph.D. student in medieval history, but I was also curious about working in libraries, as I had held several student positions in libraries previously. After I got a job as a manuscript processor for Tom Powers at the Bentley, it didn’t take me long to realize that working in archives was a viable career path. I worked with Tom and several other Bentley staff for two years. It was so much more than a job, as so many staff generously mentored me to give me insight into a variety of issues in appraisal and description. I applied to the archives program in the School of Information not long after that.
Thinking back on that time, do any collections in particular stand out?
I worked on correspondence and a diary from Allison Kent Thomas, who commanded an Office of Strategic Services group that parachuted into Vietnam in 1945 to train the Vietnamese resistance, led by Ho Chi Minh and General Vo Nguyen Giap, against the Japanese. I didn’t know how much an American had a hand in training someone we eventually fought against. After reading his first-person account, I knew I wanted to focus on modern archives.
Do you have a favorite item or collection at Yale? Tell us about it.
The Ripley Scroll. It is an alchemical scroll from 1570 that is over 18 feet long. It describes how to make the Philosopher’s Stone in English verse with spectacular drawings of chemical processes and mystical symbols, including dragons, a phoenix, toads, the sun, moon, and Adam and Eve. It never fails to impress students and pique their curiosity when we unfold it in history of science classes.
