C U RECORD An Interview with Jocelyn Wilk, AKeeperof … · 2002. 1. 17. · Q A & Columbia...
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Q A & C olumbia U niversity RECORD January 18, 2002 5 An Interview with Jocelyn Wilk, A Keeper of Columbia’s Cutlture library science and I figured I could at least learn some practical skills. My history background dovetailed nice- ly with the archives concen- tration, so I decided to take that track. While in grad school, as part of my course- work, I did a number of archival internships, working in places like the American Jewish Historical Society and the Boston Symphony Orchestra archive, which provided me with positive “hands-on” experience. I was also inspired by the woman in charge of the archives pro- gram; she made me want to do this. CR: Columbia was found- ed in 1754 as King’s College by royal charter of King George II of England and is the oldest institution of high- er learning in the state of New York and the fifth oldest in the U.S. That must make your job at the Archives and Columbiana Library rather unique? JW: It does, especially because we document, pre- serve and provide access to records, photographs and other historic materials relat- ing to the entire history of the university. Columbia has several special collections and archives around campus; this specific collection at the UACL only contains materi- als pertaining to the history of the university. Additional- ly, we maintain the King’s College Room, a museum room with items—paintings, furniture, printed works— dating back to the first days of the college in 1754. We encourage people to come and visit it on the days we are open to the public. We also have everything from old college bulletins, printed matter, directories, corre- spondence files from the president’s office, Trustee minutes going all the way back to the 18th century, var- ious Columbia publications, clippings, you name it. Because I’ve been here the longest of our staff, I guess I’m considered the reference expert, so I tend to answer lots of reference requests. CR: With so many works, files, documents, pho- tographs, and resources span- ning so many years, you probably get a lot of ques- tions from a lot of people, even if non-Columbians? JW: Right. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve answered nearly a thousand questions alone since I’ve been here. Some take a few seconds to answer, others a week. We average 120 requests a month in the form of e-mails, let- ters, phone calls, or walk in visitors and they come from as far away as China, Aus- tralia, Europe, or as close as the office next door. And all types of people contact us both from inside and outside the University, looking for anything from information about their grandfather who attended in 1910 to specific photographs for a documen- tary film, what kind of research Columbia conducted during World War II, or the history of a named profes- sorship. Once we even had representatives from Dream- Works come research images of Columbia during a certain era to use for costume and set design for their upcom- ing movie, “The Time Machine.” CR: It sounds like you’re a bit of a ‘history detective’ answering such a variety of questions. What else do you do with these materials when you get a break from the questions? JW: It’s not all just refer- ence work. I also go through unorganized boxes and files of documents, clippings, announcements, that sort of thing and process them, deciding what’s worthy of being kept, and how best to organize it for future researchers. As we organize the materials, we use basic preservation techniques, placing items in acid free file folders and boxes, copy- ing fragile items onto acid free paper, placing others into mylar sleeves, so they’ll be in a stable environment. Ultimately we create finding aids so researchers and the staff can know where things are, basic information about a specific collection and how to get at them. For instance, a colleague recently re- housed and re-organized a big, disparate collection of materials into what now comprises our 1960s and 1970s protest and activist collection. It is so much eas- ier to use those resources now. The goal is make the information we have as accessible as possible and to make sure people know about at least some of the really cool and interesting stuff we have. CR: Being surrounded by all of this “cool and interest- ing” old stuff, do you have a favorite part of the Columbiana collection? JW: (laughs) It’s a tough question because I deal with so much. But coming across the oldest materials is defi- nitely the most interesting for me. It’s very exciting to touch these old elegant din- ner invitations, for example, knowing that more likely than not people have not seen or touched these in a really long time. Another gratifying part of the job is helping people find what they’re looking for. We want people to use the materials and find answers to their questions. It’s like a big trea- sure hunt. The UCAL is currently open to the public—anyone with a legitimate question— from 9:30am to 4:30pm, Monday, Wednesday and Friday though archivists can be reached by phone (854- 1338) and e-mail (archives- columbiana@ columbia.edu) at all times during the work week. BY JO KADLECEK Archivist Jocelyn Wilk at her office in 210 Low Library. RECORD PHOTO BY JO KADLECEK Columbia In the News A New York Times article on new security measures under dis- cussion by the Times Square Busi- ness Improvement District quotes Richard Briffaul t, vice dean of the Law School, as saying, “They are obviously trying to have a more controlled environment, to com- bine the security you get in that set- ting with the openness that you get in a public setting. There’s nothing wrong with beginning that process.” He said there was a dan- ger that the district could go too far. A recent Newsday article profiled the progressive and unconventional programming that George Steel , executive director of Miller Theatre, has brought to the University. The story says that Steel’s pursuits, which “flout the conventional,” have helped him “transform a small uptown academic auditorium into a frequently sold-out center of musi- cal ferment.” Wallace Ford, professor in the School of International and Public Affairs was quoted in a recent New York Times article on Richard D. Parsons, AOL Time Warner’s new chief executive. Ford said that Par- sons is the right man for the job during a crucial time: “He is like Kublai Khan coming in to run the empire after Genghis Khan has conquered all the territory.” A New York Times article pre- dicting difficult times ahead for New York’s confident new mayor Mike Bloomberg quotes William Eimicke, professor of political sci- ence, who warns, “What he’s going through, he’s never gone through before. He hasn’t been in the game.” The article does note that Eimicke, who worked for Hugh Carey when he was Governor of New York State, is “both surprised and charmed by Bloomberg’s reac- tion to the fiscal problems he faces.” In a USA Today article focusing on a two-month study of the mid- ocean ridge that slices across the bottom of the Arctic Ocean, Charles Langmuir, the Arthur D. Storke Memorial Professor at Lamont-Doherty said, “We found more hydrothermal activity on this cruise than in 20 years of explo- ration on the mid-Atlantic Ridge.” Edmund Phelps, McVickar Professor of Economics, was quot- ed in a recent New York Times arti- cle on the economic stimulus pack- age. According to article, Phelps said, “It’s strange to be talking about stimulus at this point, because it’s so late. There are signs now that gross domestic product is about to turn around.” Fewer companies are visiting business schools to recruit students, according to the New York Times, and many are turning to other industries or applying to business schools to increase their chances. In the article, Martin Feldberg, dean of the Business School, says that interest in the business school is enormous—applications have increased 60 percent so far this aca- demic year. For her almost six decades of volunteer service, the National Urban League Guild honored Helen E. Harden (center, first row) at a Dec. 8th luncheon in Columbia’s Low Rotunda. Harden, a native New Yorker and former teacher, was presented with a plaque for helping to estab- lish the Guild and raise funds for it, and for her active involvement in numerous community organizations. Among the 300 guests at the trib- ute were (standing l. to r.) representatives from the New York Urban League Manhattan Advisory Board: Anthony Nolen, Savanna Clark, and Dorothy Gordon; (from l. to r. seated) Naomi Frye of the Philadel- phia Urban League Guild; honoree Helen E. Harden; Larry Dais, assistant vice president for Public Affairs and director of Community Affairs; and NYC Deputy Mayor of Policy Dennis M. Walcott, also the former president of the New York Urban League. New York Urban League Volunteer Honored in Low Library Rotunda Jocelyn Wilk, 28, has worked at the University Archives and Columbiana Library (UACL) since May 1999, and two months ago was promoted to assistant director of the UACL. That means Wilk—along with archives director, Marilyn H. Pettit, and two other staff members— regularly roams the site of the original archi- tecture library in 210 Low Library where the UACL is housed. She also helps main- tain and provide access to records and memorabilia rel- evant to the history of Columbia. The Columbia Record caught up with Wilk on the balcony bookshelf to talk with her about the work she and her colleagues do. CR: As an archivist, you walk into history everyday. But it seems like most people in their twenties have chosen high-tech, dot.com-type careers of the future. What made you decide to immerse yourself in a vocation that concentrates on maintain- ing the past? JW: I’ve always been drawn to books and libraries, and was always read to or taken to the library by my parents. When my sister started volunteering at our school library, I followed suit and just kept volunteering throughout high school. It became an outlet for me, something I always enjoyed, and the librarians always liked me. Then I went to col- lege and studied history, but by my senior year, I pan- icked. I mean, what was I going to do with a history degree? My mom suggested I go get a master’s degree in
Transcript of C U RECORD An Interview with Jocelyn Wilk, AKeeperof … · 2002. 1. 17. · Q A & Columbia...
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C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y RECORD January 18, 2002 5
An Interview with Jocelyn Wilk, A Keeper of Columbia’s Cutlture
library science and I figuredI could at least learn somepractical skills. My historybackground dovetailed nice-ly with the archives concen-tration, so I decided to takethat track. While in gradschool, as part of my course-work, I did a number ofarchival internships, workingin places like the AmericanJewish Historical Societyand the Boston SymphonyOrchestra archive, whichprovided me with positive“hands-on” experience. I wasalso inspired by the womanin charge of the archives pro-gram; she made me want todo this.
CR: Columbia was found-ed in 1754 as King’s Collegeby royal charter of KingGeorge II of England and isthe oldest institution of high-er learning in the state ofNew York and the fifth oldestin the U.S. That must make
your job at the Archives andColumbiana Library ratherunique?
JW: It does, especiallybecause we document, pre-serve and provide access torecords, photographs andother historic materials relat-ing to the entire history ofthe university. Columbia hasseveral special collectionsand archives around campus;this specific collection at theUACL only contains materi-als pertaining to the historyof the university. Additional-ly, we maintain the King’sCollege Room, a museumroom with items—paintings,furniture, printed works—dating back to the first daysof the college in 1754. Weencourage people to comeand visit it on the days we areopen to the public. We alsohave everything from oldcollege bulletins, printedmatter, directories, corre-spondence files from thepresident’s office, Trusteeminutes going all the wayback to the 18th century, var-ious Columbia publications,clippings, you name it.Because I’ve been here thelongest of our staff, I guessI’m considered the referenceexpert, so I tend to answerlots of reference requests.
CR: With so many works,files, documents, pho-tographs, and resources span-ning so many years, youprobably get a lot of ques-tions from a lot of people,even if non-Columbians?
JW: Right. I wouldn’t besurprised if I’ve answerednearly a thousand questionsalone since I’ve been here.Some take a few seconds toanswer, others a week. Weaverage 120 requests a monthin the form of e-mails, let-ters, phone calls, or walk invisitors and they come fromas far away as China, Aus-tralia, Europe, or as close asthe office next door. And alltypes of people contact usboth from inside and outsidethe University, looking foranything from informationabout their grandfather whoattended in 1910 to specificphotographs for a documen-tary film, what kind ofresearch Columbia conducted
during World War II, or thehistory of a named profes-sorship. Once we even hadrepresentatives from Dream-Works come research imagesof Columbia during a certainera to use for costume andset design for their upcom-ing movie, “The TimeMachine.”
CR: It sounds like you’rea bit of a ‘history detective’answering such a variety ofquestions. What else do youdo with these materials whenyou get a break from thequestions?
JW: It’s not all just refer-ence work. I also go throughunorganized boxes and filesof documents, clippings,announcements, that sort ofthing and process them,deciding what’s worthy ofbeing kept, and how best toorganize it for futureresearchers. As we organizethe materials, we use basicpreservation techniques,placing items in acid freefile folders and boxes, copy-ing fragile items onto acidfree paper, placing othersinto mylar sleeves, so they’llbe in a stable environment.Ultimately we create findingaids so researchers and thestaff can know where thingsare, basic information abouta specific collection and howto get at them. For instance,a colleague recently re-housed and re-organized abig, disparate collection ofmaterials into what nowcomprises our 1960s and1970s protest and activistcollection. It is so much eas-ier to use those resourcesnow. The goal is make theinformation we have asaccessible as possible and tomake sure people knowabout at least some of thereally cool and interestingstuff we have.
CR: Being surrounded byall of this “cool and interest-ing” old stuff, do you have afavorite part of theColumbiana collection?
JW: (laughs) It’s a toughquestion because I deal withso much. But coming acrossthe oldest materials is defi-nitely the most interestingfor me. It’s very exciting totouch these old elegant din-ner invitations, for example,knowing that more likelythan not people have notseen or touched these in areally long time. Anothergratifying part of the job ishelping people find whatthey’re looking for. We wantpeople to use the materialsand find answers to theirquestions. It’s like a big trea-sure hunt.
The UCAL is currentlyopen to the public—anyonewith a legitimate question—from 9:30am to 4:30pm,Monday, Wednesday andFriday though archivists canbe reached by phone (854-1338) and e-mail (archives-columbiana@ columbia.edu)at all times during the workweek.
BY JO KADLECEK
Archivist Jocelyn Wilk at her office in 210 Low Library.
RECORD PHOTO BY JO KADLECEK
ColumbiaIn the News
A New York Times article onnew security measures under dis-cussion by the Times Square Busi-ness Improvement District quotesRichard Briffault, vice dean of theLaw School, as saying, “They areobviously trying to have a morecontrolled environment, to com-bine the security you get in that set-ting with the openness that you getin a public setting. There’s nothingwrong with beginning thatprocess.” He said there was a dan-ger that the district could go too far.
Arecent Newsday article profiledthe progressive and unconventionalprogramming that George Steel,executive director of Miller Theatre,has brought to the University. Thestory says that Steel’s pursuits,which “flout the conventional,”have helped him “transform a smalluptown academic auditorium into afrequently sold-out center of musi-cal ferment.”
Wallace Ford, professor in theSchool of International and PublicAffairs was quoted in a recent NewYork Times article on Richard D.Parsons, AOL Time Warner’s newchief executive. Ford said that Par-sons is the right man for the jobduring a crucial time: “He is likeKublai Khan coming in to run theempire after Genghis Khan hasconquered all the territory.”
A New York Times article pre-dicting difficult times ahead forNew York’s confident new mayorMike Bloomberg quotes WilliamEimicke, professor of political sci-ence, who warns, “What he’s goingthrough, he’s never gone throughbefore. He hasn’t been in thegame.” The article does note thatEimicke, who worked for HughCarey when he was Governor ofNew York State, is “both surprisedand charmed by Bloomberg’s reac-tion to the fiscal problems hefaces.”
In a USA Today article focusingon a two-month study of the mid-ocean ridge that slices across thebottom of the Arctic Ocean,Charles Langmuir, the Arthur D.Storke Memorial Professor atLamont-Doherty said, “We foundmore hydrothermal activity on thiscruise than in 20 years of explo-ration on the mid-Atlantic Ridge.”
Edmund Phelps, McVickarProfessor of Economics, was quot-ed in a recent New York Times arti-cle on the economic stimulus pack-age. According to article, Phelpssaid, “It’s strange to be talkingabout stimulus at this point,because it’s so late. There are signsnow that gross domestic product isabout to turn around.”
Fewer companies are visitingbusiness schools to recruit students,according to the New York Times,and many are turning to otherindustries or applying to businessschools to increase their chances.In the article, Martin Feldberg,dean of the Business School, saysthat interest in the business schoolis enormous—applications haveincreased 60 percent so far this aca-demic year.
For her almost six decades of volunteer service, the National UrbanLeague Guild honored Helen E. Harden (center, first row) at a Dec. 8thluncheon in Columbia’s Low Rotunda. Harden, a native New Yorkerand former teacher, was presented with a plaque for helping to estab-lish the Guild and raise funds for it, and for her active involvement innumerous community organizations. Among the 300 guests at the trib-ute were (standing l. to r.) representatives from the New York UrbanLeague Manhattan Advisory Board: Anthony Nolen, Savanna Clark,and Dorothy Gordon; (from l. to r. seated) Naomi Frye of the Philadel-phia Urban League Guild; honoree Helen E. Harden; Larry Dais,assistant vice president for Public Affairs and director of CommunityAffairs; and NYC Deputy Mayor of Policy Dennis M. Walcott, also theformer president of the New York Urban League.
New York Urban League VolunteerHonored in Low Library Rotunda
Jocelyn Wilk, 28, hasworked at the UniversityArchives and ColumbianaLibrary (UACL) since May1999, and two months agowas promoted to assistantdirector of the UACL. Thatmeans Wilk—along witharchives director, Marilyn H.Pettit, and two other staffmembers— regularly roamsthe site of the original archi-tecture library in 210 LowLibrary where the UACL ishoused. She also helps main-tain and provide access torecords and memorabilia rel-evant to the history ofColumbia. The ColumbiaRecord caught up with Wilkon the balcony bookshelf totalk with her about the workshe and her colleagues do.
CR: As an archivist, you walkinto history everyday. But itseems like most people in theirtwenties have chosen high-tech,dot.com-type careers of thefuture. What made you decide toimmerse yourself in a vocationthat concentrates on maintain-ing the past?
JW: I’ve always beendrawn to books and libraries,and was always read to ortaken to the library by myparents. When my sisterstarted volunteering at ourschool library, I followed suitand just kept volunteeringthroughout high school. Itbecame an outlet for me,something I always enjoyed,and the librarians alwaysliked me. Then I went to col-lege and studied history, butby my senior year, I pan-icked. I mean, what was Igoing to do with a historydegree? My mom suggested Igo get a master’s degree in
