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.

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.

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...

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.

day eleven.

"Universidad de San Carlos" to "Bienal Internacional de São Paulo."

Thank goodness I know my way around Spanish better than Japanese.  Because these Universities are killing me.  UCLA, seriously, has about 8 pages of Library of Congress name authority headings.  That's like 800!  I actually had to write out a flow chart to keep track of all the variations of names I found in the vertical file:  Fine Arts Center vs. University Gallery vs. Art Center vs. University Art Gallery vs. Foundation for the Fine Arts Gallery, etc...

We also got to attend a talk/take a tour with the Education Division today, which was the first time I was able to directly connect anything from the internship with the class in Museum & Library Education & Outreach, which is required for all of the M-LEAD students.  I personally wish I could connect the broader educational agenda of museums/libraries with the specific work of cataloging, though...

Hours worked:  9-5pm.
Records created:  24.
Monthly total:  160.

day ten.

"Ukiyo-E" through "UNESCO" to "U.S. Indian Services."

I got this email from Beth in response to the small pile of cataloging questions I left her last week:

So, I guess I am doing some things right?


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

day nine.

I couldn't quite sustain the productivity of last week...but it was Deirdre's birthday, so we all spent the last hour of the workday in the break room eating cupcakes, chatting about the IMLS conference last week and about the terrible New York Times review of the new Tipi exhibit.

But earlier, Beth told me that she wanted to get an estimate from me about how soon I might be done with the vertical files.  It turns out someone already cataloged the end of the alphabet, going backwards, up to somewhere in the W's.  Deirdre and Beth have another project planned for me when I get there, which is cool because it would definitely become more of a well-rounded learning experience if I explore more than one kind of routine task.

Here I am, deep in the T files:

Hours worked:  9-5pm.
Records created:  22.

day eight.

I made more new records today than any day so far!  On the one hand, I'm proud of myself, but on the other hand it's not like I have anything to do with the content of the files that come out of those archival boxes.  Some files are just easier than others:  they are labeled correctly, the items are in English, the names have authorized headings in the LC.  Other files are a nightmare from start to finish, even when they only contain a single postcard or museum brochure.  But today's boxes (I'm in the "T" section now) were pretty straightforward.  I have also gotten faster at the routine of record-making, the keystroke shortcuts, the automatic placement of my stack of files to the right of my keyboard...

UPDATE:  I got an email from Beth  approving of all the non-LC records I cataloged on my own.  She said I made "good decisions."  Success!

Hours worked:  9-5pm.
Records created:  49.  49!!!