Thursday, April 28, 2011

day fifteen.

I switched my shift to a Wednesday this week, since I had to give my practicum presentation yesterday.  In the meantime, we (the interns) also had our tour of the MoMA library last Friday, with Jennifer Tobias.  I'm really glad I went to the NYARC meeting back in March and have had the chance to see the operations of institutions outside the Brooklyn Museum.  Each organization is really different, and it's easy to forget that when you are honed in on the details of your little tasks.  I mean, it's easy to lose sight of what's going on around you, even in your own institution.  I appreciate the efforts BM is making to help us see the bigger picture...

Especially when I think about the "user" or the "patron" out there, trying to make sense of all this data and find something specific in it.  Because that's mostly how I think of myself, still; as a library student, I am trying to learn how to use the very same tools I am supposed to be building,  maintaining, and teaching to others.  I love NYARC/Arcade, as a researcher and cataloger, and I think that subject-based consortia (and other types of collaboration) are models for improving both access to information and quality of information.

I had tea in the cafe with Deirdre this afternoon.  A sort of check-in, I think.  She asked how my presentation went and I tried to explain all of these thoughts (above) to her, but I don't think it made any sense.  I am getting so unbelievably exhausted at this point in the semester—not just physically from all the work and not sleeping, but intellectually, from cramming my brain so full.  I feel it will take some to  process everything, and that the significance of all this work will not become clear to me until long after the internship is over.

Hours worked:  9:30-5:30pm.
Records created:  25.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

day fourteen.

"University of Pittsburgh. ‡b University Art Gallery" to "Vancouver Art Gallery."

Keith's preservation tour today was maybe my favorite behind-the-scenes treat at the museum so far.  Although his office/workroom/lab is attached to the Archives, I'd never taken a peek at it.  And I think he might have the job I really want:  spending quality time with old stuff.  Well, I guess it's not always old, because the preservation process can start right away, with Keith building special boxes or protective covers for some books as soon as they arrive.  I just love the hands-on aspect of the work that I do with the vertical file materials—and if I were cataloging new materials I might not like it at all!  I don't know.  But I love all the book binding tools and rolls of fabric and paper and neat stacks of boxes and the way all of the flat file drawers are labeled and so organized....  I don't think he even has a computer in there.

Hours worked:  9-5pm.
Records created:  26.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

day thirteen.

Didn't get very many files cataloged today--now that I'm so close to the W's, it feels like I'll never get there!  But my excuse is that I attended the talk on Artists' Books for a couple of hours in the middle of the day.  It's such a cool collection, and I didn't even know Brooklyn Museum had it.  That's how narrow my focus is at work, I guess.

Jennifer followed up her talk by emailing some links to more artists' books and book-making resources:

http://www.myconfinedspace.com/wp-content/uploads/tdomf/145944/book.jpg

http://www.artistsbooksonline.org/

http://www.uglyducklingpresse.org/catalog/online-reading/

Hours worked:  9:15-5:15pm.
Records created:  only 17...

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

day twelve.

"University of California, Riverside. ‡b Art Gallery" through "Whitworth Art Gallery"...which is part of the University of Manchester, although you can't tell from the name.  It really rankles my sense of order to not have these things be connected somehow.  I know that the OPAC uses Library of Congress references to point users to related terms and earlier/later forms of names...  But it still feels weird to me to place items that are clearly related to each other into different folders on different shelves in the stacks.

Hours worked:  9-5pm.
Records created:  35.