Log of the LOST workshop:
-- Start: Wednesday, June 28, 1995 3:26:28 pm Diversity University
MOOtime (EDT)
tombick says, "Welcome to the L.O.S.T. Workshop on Museum Librarianship!"
tombick says, "Today I'd like to explore this topic by describing the Smithsonian Institution Libraries; considering the day-to-day work of museum librarians; offering you some suggestions for further reading and thoughts on preparation for museum librarianship."
tombick says, "Please ask questions! If we need to postpone discussion of a particular question until later in the workshop, I'll let you know."
tombick says, "Information on the Smithsonian Institution Libraries: The Smithsonian Institution Libraries (SIL) contributes to the Institution's mission "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge" through its service to the Smithsonian community in support of research, exhibitions, education programs, publishing, and the administration of the Institution. The Libraries also serve the scholarly community and the public as appropriate." "
tombick says, "SIL Resources and Services: collections numbering over 1,121,000 with 40,000 rare books, 15,000 current journals, and 1,800 manuscript units. online catalog accessible from all branches and via telnet (siris.si.edu). access to end-user and librarian-mediated database searching, including a networked CD-ROM searching center and various commercial databases. "
tombick says, "SIL serves users through a system of 18 branches and a Special Collections Department. SIL is a member of the Association of Research Libraries; OCLC; FLICC (Federal Library and Information Center Committee) and FEDLINK (Federal Library Information Network). "
tombick says, "Staff of approximately 130, about 50 of whom have library degrees. Of the 18 branches, 6 have one librarian as their staff; staffing patterns vary for the others, with some having a branch manager, two reference librarians, and two or three paraprofessionals. "
tombick says, "Any questions or comments?"
tombick welcomes comments about the speed of presentation too!
Cathy shakes her head no but is glad to know about the online catalog
Ringer says, "I find it just about right "
tombick nods.
DavidK says, "The speed was fine."
Cathy [to Ringer]: I'm having no problems...but a slower reader might...
tombick . o O ( excellent ideas from you all )
Ringer says, "i think that perhaps stopping after 2 or 3 items .. and then
asking would be good. "
tombick exclaims, "Good!"
Ringer says, "really depends on the size of the stuff .. but it is fine for
me. "
tombick proceeds
tombick says, "I am the only staff person for the Anacostia Museum Branch Library, though I have one superb volunteer who works 5 hours each week."
tombick says, "The Anacostia Museum Branch Library has approximately 1500 volumes, 15 journal subscriptions (and 15 regularly donated journal titles), approx. 500 microform pieces, and a growing vertical file."
tombick says, "The museum has 25 staff members, most of whom share a large office area divided into departments via office dividers/cubicles. My cubicle is in the Research Department, and the stacks are in a loft overlooking the Research Dept. area."
tombick says, "In addition to the stacks in the loft, there is a workstation for World Wide Web Access and CD-ROM use, and a TV/VCR."
tombick says, "Any questions or comments?"
Ringer asks, "So you are the resource person for a staff of 25 folks?"
tombick says, "Primarily, and then for anyone in the Institution who needs our
resources."
Cathy [to tombick]: Ninja and I are talking about what happens when you get
sick or are on vacation? You just close up shop? No coverage?
tombick nods to Cathy.
Lynn asks, "Ringer could you make some introductions?"
Ringer asks, "yes .. can we do that ?"
tombick awaits introductions
Ringer says, "mathilda and DavidK are new to this group"
Mathilda [to Ringer]: I have been here for several mths now, but I rarely get
a chance to log in
Ringer says, "This is a workshop sponsored byt L.O.S.T .. the Librarians On
line Support Team"
Lynn [to Mathilda]: Where are you located?
Cathy is glad to meet Mathilda
DavidK says, "I've been coordinating library services for GNA and I am trying
to catch up on MOO stuff."
tombick nods to David.
Ringer says, "I am Isabel Danforth.. finishing my MLS .. and involved in the
net and such"
Ringer asks, "Tom? "
tombick says, "I'm Tom Bickley, Branch librarian for the Smithsonian's
Anacostia Museum."
Mathilda [to Cathy]: hello, I am in New Hampshire, Lynn
Ringer says, "Tom is our speaker today "
Ringer asks, "Cathy? Lynn?"
Lynn says, "I am Lynn White. I am the librarian/computer teacher at an
alternative school in Tennessee."
Ringer asks, "Ninja ? "
Ninja_Librarian says, "I am Linda Warden, librarian at the Woodrow Wilson
Center in Washington, D.C."
Cathy says, "I am Cathy Bennett, librarian at West Virginia Northern Community
College and recent USC library school grad"
Ringer says, "linda did our first workshop"
Ninja_Librarian says, "Right now, tho, I'm in W.Va. with Cathy."
Ringer asks, "Tom .. Would you continue? "
tombick nods.
Cathy [to tombick]: does that ever make you feel pressured? Like you should
cut your time short when ill or schedule vacations when you know folks won't
need your services as much?
tombick says, "I'd just mentioned how I staff my museum library alone."
tombick says, "Basically, my flock at the museum contacts the next Branch
Library in the Smithsonian heirarchy (Nat'l Mus of Am Hist branch)"
Ringer says, "so you cover for each other then. "
tombick says, "I hope to have a colleague trained to fill in here when I'm out
on vacation etc."
tombick nods to Ringer.
tombick says, "The NMAH Branch has a much bigger staff (6? people)"
tombick says, "This is a summary of my collection development policy. It was written by my predecessor Tim Carr, the first librarian for this museum. "
tombick says, " The Anacostia Museum is national historical and cultural resource devoted to the interpretation of the Black experience in Washington and the Upper South, a region including Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia."
tombick says, "In order to effectively increase the body of material which may be used by staff curators and other scholars, the museum intends to further develop its collection around twelve broad topics:"
tombick says, "Any questions or comments?"
Ringer asks, "what/where is Anacostia?"
tombick exclaims, "Ah! I'm glad you asked!"
tombick smiles.
Ringer smiles.
Cathy [to tombick]: does Anacostia stand for anything in particular?
tombick says, "This is the origin of the name "Anacostia." "When the first Europeans visited the region, it was a village of Nacotchtank Indians, who were named "Nacostines" by Henry Fleet and later called "Anacostines" by Father Andrew White, who had accompanied Lord Baltimore."
tombick . o O ( pardon the lenghth of this next one please )
Ringer smiles
tombick says, " More than a century and a half later, shortly after the
region was selected by President Washington as the site of a permanent
capital city, Major Andrew Ellicott was commissioned to survey a ten-mile
square for the new federal district. While engaged in this project, he wrote
to the then Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, on Jan. 12, 1793, reminding
him that "From a conversation which I had with you some time ago I remember
you were desirous of discovering the Indian name of the Eastern Branch of the
Potomack. By some old surveys it appears to be 'Anna Kastia.'" In his
response of Jan. 15, Jefferson advised Ellicott that it would be
desirable
for him to consult the commissioners "on the propriety of adding to the
Eastern Branch, the words 'or Annakostia.' This would probably revive the
ancient Indian name instead of the modern one." ...excerpted from Louise
Daniel Hutchinson's _The Anacostia Story: 1608-1930_ (Washington, DC:
Smithsonian Institution Press, 1977) p. xix."
Ringer asks, "so a native American name.. is applied to Afro-Americans?
or to a region?"
Ringer says, "this part: African American life in the Anacostia
community"
tombick says, "We are the Smithsonian's museum in the neighborhood to the
south east of the Capitol. The name is of the River that separates us from
the rest of the city."
Ringer says, "Thanks "
tombick says, "Originally the area was a segregated (White only) housing for
workers in the Navy Yard."
tombick isn't aware of significant intermarriage among African American and
Indians of this region.
Ringer says, "i was confused.. that was all. "
tombick nods.
tombick exclaims, "Onward!"
Ringer nods
Cathy grins
tombick says, "The content of my work days vary widely, but, a generic day consists of arriving at 8:30, turning on lights, photocopiers; carrying the mail to my desk, checking for faxes, logging on to the mainframe. "
tombick says, "Skimming mail, fax and email for ILL and other circulation requests; dealing with other email and mail (by now it's likely 9:30 AM). Pulling requested items from the shelves, charging them to the borrowers and preparing the items for mailing. "
tombick says, "Shelving books used during the previous workday. By 11 AM I've usually had at least 2-3 in-person reference questions, and likely a telephone consultation. I try to answer at least one of the questions before I go to lunch at 1 PM. At 2 I give a research orientation to a new intern or researcher, taking time to learn their backgrounds, scholarly interests, current projects, level of information literacy, etc. "
tombick says, "At 3 I spend more time working on pending reference questions (this may involve online searching, consulting with other libraries, etc.). Between 4 and 5 I check publishers catalogs, read reviews in scholarly journals, enter requests for new books. "
tombick says, "I asked my Smithsonian Institution Library colleagues what they thought someone contemplating museum librarianship should know and where they went to library school. Among the responses I received to the first question were: "
tombick says, "Now, before I offer advice from other librarians, ..."
tombick says, "Any questions or comments?"
tombick smiles.
Ringer waits for the tips.
tombick says, "I likely should add that there are always special projects
being juggled in the course of the day. e.g., getting ready for this
workshop, committee meetings, ..."
tombick says, "Anyway,"
tombick says, "I asked my Smithsonian Institution Library colleagues what they thought someone contemplating museum librarianship should know and where they went to library school. Among the responses I received to the first question were: "
tombick says, "Diversity of experience is a great help. Academic library experience that includes contact with professional scholars equips you for work with curators and historians/researchers. "
tombick says, "Keep in mind that curators are "catalogers" also, classifying and describing objects according to various schemes. For example, in zoology, they use the Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Therefore curators can be really insightful and critical users of a library catalog. "
tombick says, "Interning in a museum would be a good idea for anyone planning to work in a museum library. That gives you necessary knowledge of the field of museology. Subject knowledge is very important. That allows you to interact as a subject colleague with other museum staff. Also, this special knowledge may place you in a position to curate exhibits and be a part of the scholarly outreach of the museum. "
tombick says, "Many of us at SI Libraries attended either the Catholic University of America School of Library and Information Science or the University of Maryland at College Park College of Library and Information Service. Others hold library degrees from all over the U.S. "
tombick says, "Attending library school in a metropolitan area near museums that would be sites for internships is a good idea. However, most library degree programs are flexible enough to allow a semester internship away from campus. I assume that the various distance education library programs have even greater flexibility. The funds at the Smithsonian are almost non-existant for paid library internships, but we welcome inquiries from students about volunteer work for academic credit. "
tombick says, "Any questions or comments?"
Ringer asks, "I was wondering if Linda's Center is also considered part of the
Smithsonian?"
tombick has gotten to give a paper at a museum conference here and
participated in an advisory board
Ninja_Librarian says, "We're loosely affiliated, but technically
separate."
Ringer smiles .. and nods to Ninja.
tombick says, "I would be happy for generally closer affiliations. There are a
few libraries around the Smithsonian that are not part of SI Libraries
administratively."
Ninja_Librarian says, "The Wilson Center is a separate agency, but is loosely
affiliated with the Smithsonian."
tombick says, "Any questions or comments?"
Ringer says, "I like your sharing those resources"
tombick says, "Thanks! You can always check LISA for more citations."
Ringer nods
Ninja_Librarian exclaims, "Very useful information!"
Ringer says, "That was great "
Lynn applauds tombick
tombick says, "Reading museum-l gives you a good sense of the field,
too."
tombick nods appreciatively.
Ringer asks, "May i share this with the faculty member who teachers the
special libraries course at Southern?"
tombick says, "Yes, please do."
Cathy says, "I will archive that info for later"
tombick says, "I want to give special thanks to Ringer, Cathy, Ninja_Librarian and the other L.O.S.T. colleagues for their support and techincal assistance. Also I've received great help from Rhoda Ratner, Art History and Technology Division Librarian, Smithsonian Institution Libraries (my direct supervisor); Dr. Barbara J. Smith, Director, Smithsonian Institution Libraries; Valerie Wheat, Branch Librarian, Smithsonian Institution Libraries' Museum Reference Center; Gil Taylor, Branch Librarian, Smithsonian Institution Libraries' Museum Support Center; Leslie Overstreet, Librarian, Smithsonian Institution Libraries' Special Collections; Alvin Hutchinson, Librarian, Smithsonian Institution Libraries' Natural History Branch Library; Stephen Van Dyk, Branch Librarian, Smithsonian Institution Libraries' Cooper Hewitt Museum Branch Library; Amy Begg, Reference Librarian, Smithsonian Institution Libraries' National Museum of American History Branch; and Secundra Beasley, Volunteer at the Anacostia Museum Library; and Dr. Gail S. Lowe, Historian, Anacostia Museum and Steven C. Newsome, Director, Anacostia Museum and the National African American Museum Project (both of whom hold graduate degrees in librarianship). "
Ringer asks, "So folks with library degress, can also be Museum folks .
right?"
Ringer smiles ..
tombick says, "Absolutely! I think we all serve as griots for this
culture."
Ringer was looking at the last 2 on your credits list
tombick bows to Smithsonian, Ringer, Lynn, Nutmeg, Ninja_Librarian, Cathy,
tftips, tftips2, you, and Mathilda.
tombick says, "It is wonderful having the museum director know exactly the
work you are doing."
Ringer laughs.. I hope that the recorder appreciates the honor.
tombick laughs.
Lynn chuckles
Ringer asks, "do we have other questions for Tom?"
tombick listens
Cathy [to tombick]: why did *you* choose museum librarianship?
tombick says, "I had the very good fortune of being sent here as a contractor
for a 3 month stint."
Ringer asks, "What had you done before then?"
Cathy [to tombick]: so it actually was something that you "fell into" more
than something you selected ahead of time?
tombick says, "In that time, I figured out that here I could use my academic
background very thoroughly. When it opened as a permanent job, I
applied."
tombick nods to Cathy.
tombick says, "Before this I was the Director of Education for the Texas
Medical Center Library."
tombick exclaims, "My colleague Amy Begg, a new reference librarina at NMAH
decided in the 4th Grade to work for the Smithsonian and now she does!"
Cathy [to tombick]: is she the one you had visiting DU yesterday?
Ringer says, "knew someone who loved the Museum of Natural History (inNYC)
and is now a very famous paleontologist"
tombick says, "Yes! She was seeking librarianship that would challenge her
academic backgound and keep her current in the field of history."
Ringer asks, "so what should folks do.. for preparation?"
tombick says, "Of course there also are super catalogers and other tech
services folks as well in museums."
Ringer asks, "Reference.. and some special library preparation?"
tombick says, "I think an internship is really really useful. Also reference
courses in subject specialties."
tombick says, "Another grad. degree can give you the depth to do more
curatorial/scholarly projects too."
Ringer asks, "so like academic librarianship.. a specialty .. and reference
background?"
tombick advocates deep and broad preparation, not narrow specialization
though.
tombick says, "I think it's very much like academic librarianship
preparation"
tombick exclaims, "This is from a public services view of course!"
Ringer says, "with a background like I have.. with a MS in geology.. and then
the MLS.. a science museum might like that .. "
tombick [to Ringer]: Certainly!
tombick says, "As in any library work, we need to demonstrate our acumen and
act like colleagues to the folks we provide info to."
Ringer [to tombick]: do you also handle techinical services - cataloguing- for
your library?
tombick shakes his head no.
Ringer smiles.. that comes from outside?
tombick says, "I do enter acquisitions data, but I don't catalog. We
have a central tech services staff that does that."
tombick has spent time catalogging too and prefers public service.
Ringer asks, "Any other questions ?"
tombick says, "I've really enjoyed this! Thanks for coming and asking good
questions."
Ninja_Librarian applauds.
Ringer says, "Thank you for coming and sharing with all of us. "
Cathy cheers Tom
Lynn says, "I enjoyed it thank you tombick"
tombick smiles broadly.
tombick really appreciates such colleagues at DU.
Ringer says, "This is a good group"