One Archivist's Pandemic Experience and Some Very Good News

Introduction

As I write this, I've been staying at home since Governor Murphy issued his order on March 21. I have lost three people to COVID-19, and one was a close friend. It is a time of loss, as well as isolation. It was already a time of grief and major changes in my life. I will not provide any details, but I divorced J in December. Thus, I experience this fraught time solo.

Because my economic situation changed so dramatically, it was necessary to seek different avenues for work. Thankfully, those changes happened prior to the closings. So, this blog post is all about bringing you up to date. The very good news is at the end.

New Job #1

In September 2019, I landed a part-time Adult Services Librarian job at Piscataway Public Library. The staff and leadership are really committed to the patrons; there is a very high degree of service; and my coworkers are all about finding creative solutions to challenges. I was welcomed very warmly and promptly given a wide variety of interesting work to do. I also get to spend a few hours a week working on the Local History collections, but not during this period of the pandemic.

In mid-April, I produced a webinar of a shortened version of my Archivists to the Rescue Preservation for Beginners workshop. It has been recommended as professional development viewing for librarians, which is very cool and a bit redeeming. I'm looking forward to giving a hands-on, in-person version of it at some point in the future.

I'm also serving some hours on the chat reference team. It's the first time I've done online chat reference, and I find it easier to call the patrons to walk them through some queries. Other inquiries are more straightforward and easily directed via online chat. I am very fortunate to still have this job. Other librarians have not been so lucky.

My expectation is that P'way will open as soon as allowable. I'm not sure if that means open to the public right away or not. But there are some instructions from the Northeast Document Conservation Center, among others, now on how to handle incoming books. Mainly, it's about quarantining the books for 72 hours, handling them with gloves while wearing masks, and avoiding treating them with any kind of disinfectant.

As an archivist, I'm used to wearing nitrile gloves while working on materials, but a mask is another story. I did wear a respirator the first time I worked on a collection after library school because the materials had been housed in an outdoor storage shed infested with rodents. Those materials easily had 1/4 in. of dirt on top of them. I used to think that was the worst-case scenario of archive work (outside of a flood or fire).

New Job #2 

In early February, I began a new position at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), as the first Archives Librarian, another Lone Arranger position. It's also part-time, but I hope the role will be expanded at some point. In the pandemic economy, it would be unrealistic to expect that to happen any time soon. But, one can wish.

At the beginning of February, I had just begun work at TCNJ. By then, there were inklings of big problems with this pandemic, so I brought my good camera into the Archives and Special Collections with me and photographed the collections and the space extensively every day I was there. Not only were the hundreds of photographs key to writing an illustrated survey of the collection, but also to writing project plans for processing and preservation. The photos also provide a good documentation of the state of things in the Archives at the beginning of my work.

I put together a plan for working remotely, although I did feel safe until the last day because by the time the governor was about to shut down the state, we were already in Spring break, and there weren't any students around. Plus, the Archives and Special Collections are up on the 4th floor, in a locked space.

The situation at TCNJ Archives and Special Collections is different than Chester in that there already exists a substantial archive and significant rare book collections for a school of its size. There also is a backlog that will keep me busy for many years. Most of the materials appear to have been donated by either alumni or other departments.

While photographing collections and backlogged items, I noticed a sizable collection of textiles. These are primarily banners and pennants used during formal occasions, such as commencement. Some of the earliest materials date back to the 1860s.

There are many photographs, audio and video tapes, and moving picture films. From what I could garner, photos were removed from collections and placed in an artificial "Photographs" collection. Moving forward, I'll follow archival standards and keep the photos with their collections, but will not attempt to repatriate the original photo collection.

In the rare books, there is a first edition Leaves of Grass, as well as Little Women, Jo's Boys, and Little Men, among others. A handful of vellum-bound books also can be found on the shelves. Oversized books, especially art books, are in abundance. The largest collection in the rare books comprises those books used in the teaching of children. TCNJ has long been an educator's school, and many of the books date back to its earliest days.

I look forward to getting back into the archive and starting the processing work in earnest. Currently, my at-home work time focuses on creating the documentation needed to run the Archives and Special Collections. When that wraps up (very likely before the campus opens), I will move on to creating work plans for the various collections. I've also been investing considerable time researching how to re-open the space according to guidance from governments, museum associations, and other organizations. It will be tricky, to say the least. 

Farewell to Chester

When I accepted the TCNJ job, it was necessary to resign from Chester Library. It was bittersweet leaving Chester, where I built a department from scratch and where I had worked for 8 years. I experienced a great deal of professional growth there, including creating all of the documentation needed to run an archive, doing all the PR work for new collections and digitized materials, developing hands-on workshops on preservation and genealogy, building online finding aids and online exhibits, working on government records, and much more.

I was fortunate to have many opportunities to serve the profession, such as joining and participating in all levels of leadership in the New Jersey Library Association's History & Preservation Section, as well as leading the Society of American Archivists' Lone Arranger Section as a steering committee member and as Chair. Chester was where I developed and led the Archivists to the Rescue project. I wouldn't have been able to do these things without the support of the Library Director, Lesley Karczewski. I also will always be grateful for the autonomy she gave me in that spot.

Very Good News

A couple of months ago, Tom Ankner, Librarian at Newark Public Library and Past President of the NJLA's History & Preservation Section, let me know that I had been nominated for the Susan G. Swartzburg Award. Swartzburg was an early developer of library preservation programs and a leader in the field, especially in preservation education and collaborative projects. It was an honor just to be nominated for an award celebrating her achievements.

Recently, Tom called to say that I had won the award, and because the May annual NJLA meeting had been cancelled, they would find another way of presenting the award. I am very honored to be recognized by my peers for my work in the field. It's humbling to follow in the footsteps of such a pioneer, as well as the great group of previous recipients (https://www.njla.org/susan-swartzburg-award). I can only hope to keep going and making a dent in preservation education in NJ and elsewhere.