Title: LIbrarian for British Studies and General History
Library/Department: Duke University Libraries - Research and Instructional Services
Location: Lilly Library
Years at Duke: 21 years in this position. I lived close by and visited as a child and I was an undergraduate here.
In a nutshell, what do you do at your library and in your division? (DUL, Medical Center, Law, Divinity, Ford)
I help users find materials relevant to their research especially about history. Sometimes this is providing specific resources that they can use, but often I make suggestions about how to frame search terms and strategies so that they can search again as their interests evolve. Much of my work involves finding sources that are not located in the Duke Libraries, especially since the internet and the ability to borrow from other libraries has become so powerful. I work with my library colleagues to enhance our collections and services, and I buy for our library in History of Science, Military History, and for Great Britain and much of the former Commonwealth.
If you had to pick one thing, what is the most enjoyable part of your job? (25-50 words)
I enjoy the process of working on questions with researchers and with my colleagues. Sometimes I offer advice and never see the patron again, but often these relationships have lasted for many years.
What is the best thing you’ve read/watched/listened to recently?
I am reading pretty widely for an upcoming blog post on Black/White relations at Duke and around Durham from about 1924 to roughly 1971 when I started college. I have been on a kick for Russian movies about World War Two (the Great Patriotic War). You have to love Netflix and Amazon! I’ve recently enjoyed a series called The Attackers which has great acting but laughable subtitles. Another recent favorite also beautifully photographed and acted is The Dawns Here Are Quiet.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I like to hang out and I am a long-struggling (thankfully, not long-suffering) amateur musician. My father and his siblings were especially musical and were trained from an early age. Aunts and uncles who would play and sing and dance and who supported my interest has been a blessing. I have played many genres of popular music and I participate in a fairly large community of musicians around the country. I am currently trying to understand and to interpret popular jazz songs from the 1920s-1950s, like “Darn That Dream.”
