I’ve worked in the Hoover Library and Archives since 2001, 10 years! Not many people get to work at one place for so many years before they hit 30, let alone the place they might spend their career in.
While I was an undergrad at San Jose State University, I worked as a page in the Hoover Library. Since we are a closed stacks library, researchers make their requests and people like me (“pages”) retrieve their books, newspapers, periodicals, microfilm, or whatever else their heart desires and reshelve them later. As a page I got to see how a research library works from the inside. I was fortunate to meet world-class economists, historians, driven grad students and average people who loved to learn.
When I was on the verge of graduating from SJSU with a degree in Library Science, I was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime to apply to become an librarian at the Hoover Institution. I jumped on the chance and 3 1/2 years later I’m thrilled that I made the choice.
Preparing the “Century of Change” exhibit on Chinese history. That was a late night!
What I love about my job is that I get to do a variety of things. I coordinate the creation of museum exhibits that highlight our amazing library and archival collections. A few of the exhibits I’ve done have been on the outbreak of World War II and the history of China in the first half of the 20th century.
I also get to answer about half of all of the questions that researchers email the Hoover Archives with. I help them find the information they’re looking for and get copies (digital or paper) if they need them.
Another cool thing I get to do is describe new collections, this is called “processing.” This involves describing the contents of a collection to create a “finding aid” which is the guide to the collection. When some collections consist of 1000s of boxes (~750 pages each) you need to know where to look!
That’s just a thumbnail sketch of what I do. I’m passionate about my work and it’s a privilege to be a part of the Hoover team. My blog is my way of sharing my knowledge and experience with people who I wouldn’t meet otherwise.
What are you passionate about?
