Unpacking Our Library<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div>\nConversation with Jim Nolte – Director, and Tia McCarthy – Associate Director of The VCFA Library<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\u201cHow many cities have revealed themselves to me in the marches I undertook in the pursuit of books!\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter Benjamin. Translated by Harry Zohn, \u201cUnpacking My Library\u201d, Illuminations (New York: Schocken Books 1969) 63<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\nWhat type of backgrounds do you each bring to your work as stewards of the VCFA library?<\/strong><\/p>\nJ N<\/strong>: I\u2019ve been working in libraries for 53 years, starting at the age of 14. I have a MLS and I was present as libraries made the transition from purely physical to digital. I became an expert in digital libraries before I came to Vermont College. Because my background was remote librarianship it was fairly easy to structure our program to match the school\u2019s.<\/p>\nT M<\/strong>: My book background is deep but my library background is less so. I\u2019ve worked in publishing. There was a very small independent publisher here in Montpelier and I worked there in various capacities, including editing. I was the assistant publisher at one point \u2013 many hats were worn during my time there.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\nThe library is closed to the public but you are still in operation there in person?<\/strong><\/p>\nJ N<\/strong>: We have a skeleton crew keeping the library<\/a> running – one person at a time – we process mail there. We actually quarantine the mail: pick it up with gloves, bring it into our building and let it sit for three days. All of that is based upon the guidelines issued by the ALA<\/a> (American Library Association) to try and keep libraries safe.<\/p>\nResource sharing is a huge part of every library’s world and so the Library Association wants to be sure that we have all the information that we need to be safe. We follow those rules and then we repack the books and are mailing them out all over the world just as always.<\/p>\n
We are able to go with the flow and keep the services we have normally offered going pretty much uninterrupted. Which is phenomenal and entirely due to the willingness of people to go in and do that work: Juliet Stephens, Circulation Manager, and Library Technicians – Lennie DeCerce, Valentyn Smith, and Ma’ayan D’Antonio.<\/p>\n
A lot of libraries are closed right now. No mail in, no mail out. Tens of thousands of libraries have shut their doors. Libraries are people based \u2013 there isn\u2019t much we can do in a Covid world. So libraries knowing that, have thrown up their hands and gone home.<\/p>\n
But we have not.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n
What are the demands on a library within a low residency academic setting in general, and what is different now? <\/strong><\/p>\nT M<\/strong>: Not having people in is obviously a huge part of it \u2013 but we have been focusing more on digital offerings that we can provide, not just for our students, but faculty and staff as well. Over the summer we initiated a new e-reader platform for the whole community called OverDrive<\/a>. Our students now have instant access to thousands of titles that they can read online either on their computer, their tablet, or whatever mobile device they might have. That was a big thing for us.<\/p>\n
Conversation with Jim Nolte – Director, and Tia McCarthy – Associate Director of The VCFA Library<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\u201cHow many cities have revealed themselves to me in the marches I undertook in the pursuit of books!\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter Benjamin. Translated by Harry Zohn, \u201cUnpacking My Library\u201d, Illuminations (New York: Schocken Books 1969) 63<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n What type of backgrounds do you each bring to your work as stewards of the VCFA library?<\/strong><\/p>\n J N<\/strong>: I\u2019ve been working in libraries for 53 years, starting at the age of 14. I have a MLS and I was present as libraries made the transition from purely physical to digital. I became an expert in digital libraries before I came to Vermont College. Because my background was remote librarianship it was fairly easy to structure our program to match the school\u2019s.<\/p>\n T M<\/strong>: My book background is deep but my library background is less so. I\u2019ve worked in publishing. There was a very small independent publisher here in Montpelier and I worked there in various capacities, including editing. I was the assistant publisher at one point \u2013 many hats were worn during my time there.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n The library is closed to the public but you are still in operation there in person?<\/strong><\/p>\n J N<\/strong>: We have a skeleton crew keeping the library<\/a> running – one person at a time – we process mail there. We actually quarantine the mail: pick it up with gloves, bring it into our building and let it sit for three days. All of that is based upon the guidelines issued by the ALA<\/a> (American Library Association) to try and keep libraries safe.<\/p>\n Resource sharing is a huge part of every library’s world and so the Library Association wants to be sure that we have all the information that we need to be safe. We follow those rules and then we repack the books and are mailing them out all over the world just as always.<\/p>\n We are able to go with the flow and keep the services we have normally offered going pretty much uninterrupted. Which is phenomenal and entirely due to the willingness of people to go in and do that work: Juliet Stephens, Circulation Manager, and Library Technicians – Lennie DeCerce, Valentyn Smith, and Ma’ayan D’Antonio.<\/p>\n A lot of libraries are closed right now. No mail in, no mail out. Tens of thousands of libraries have shut their doors. Libraries are people based \u2013 there isn\u2019t much we can do in a Covid world. So libraries knowing that, have thrown up their hands and gone home.<\/p>\n But we have not.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n What are the demands on a library within a low residency academic setting in general, and what is different now? <\/strong><\/p>\n T M<\/strong>: Not having people in is obviously a huge part of it \u2013 but we have been focusing more on digital offerings that we can provide, not just for our students, but faculty and staff as well. Over the summer we initiated a new e-reader platform for the whole community called OverDrive<\/a>. Our students now have instant access to thousands of titles that they can read online either on their computer, their tablet, or whatever mobile device they might have. That was a big thing for us.<\/p>\n
