What do you do?
I am a book and paper conservator working in the Smithsonian Archives’ conservation lab. I treat and rehouse collections on a preventive and as-needed basis, in coordination with the needs of researchers as well as those of the institution.
Favorite spot in DC to recommend:
The Folger Shakespeare Library. As both an Anglophile and a Shakespeare devotee, it’s not surprising that I would recommend the Folger—however, they have not only a beautiful location close to the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court, but also wonderful exhibitions drawing from all across their collection of Shakespeareana and Tudor history and culture. One favorite was their exhibit on shipwrecks and piracy, featuring a vast sail suspended above the displays and a scale model of a seventeenth-century sailing ship. High on my list is also the Freer Gallery of Art, with its gorgeous building, breathtaking art, and amazing public events.
Collection favorites:
Record Unit 305 (Accession Records of the US National Museum, circa 1850–1958) is fascinating to me: it contains detailed records of all the items acquired by the National Museum, the forerunner of today’s 19 Smithsonian museums, and paints a fascinating picture of the beginnings of our national collections.
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