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A girl with dark hair and glasses smiles at the camera.
Credit: Shawn Miller, June 2024.

Purrservation: On Cats, Audiences, and Whys

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The following is a blog post by Kaila Brugger, Librarian-in-Residence, Preservation Division.

It was an early Friday morning when I got the call: I would be the Preservation Directorate’s 2024 Librarian-in-Residence! It took an embarrassingly long time for the initial shock to wear off – almost a month. I sat in a lawn chair, accessorized with eclipse glasses, staring at the darkening sky, and I smiled. I was going to be the Preservation Directorate’s 2024 Librarian-in-Residence at the Library of Congress. It had finally dawned on me.

The eclipse passed its peak and I floated on air back into my house and was immediately greeted by a little, meowing ball of fur.

“Well, Joe,” I said, “Looks like you and I will be moving to Washington, D.C.”

A gray cat lies on the floor looking at the camera. his incisors point out from his closed mouth, almost like a vampire.
Joe and his famous teeth! Credit: Kaila Brugger 2024.

 

Joe and I have had to adjust to quite a bit since moving here. Namely, to the heat. He and I were born and raised in the Midwest and were quite ready for the swampy D.C. summer. But we prevailed!

Joe loves sitting at the top of his cat tree, chasing raindrops, and playing fetch. And he loves Fridays because he gets to learn about the preservation of library and archival materials — on Fridays, I work from home.

Working from home once a week gives me a chance to read what I am working on out loud to check my grammar, flow, and tone. This includes research guides, presentations, and training materials. For example, I am leading a reboot of the Stacks Survey. In bringing on new volunteers to help with the project, I wanted to be sure that the goals, tasks, and intended outcomes of the project are clear so I created an infographic for prospective volunteers using the invaluable data developed in previous iterations.

At home, I read this infographic out loud, “The Stacks Survey’s goal is to ensure the continued preservation of our collections by aiding in space and emergency management decision making throughout collections areas within the Library and across Capitol Hill. . .”

I trailed off. I had caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. Joe had silently, cautiously made his way from the top of his cat tree to the seat right next to me, and he was watching, listening to my words. I continued to read, a bit more aware of my newfound audience, “The Stacks Survey hopes to analyze high level data to support preservation, collections management plans, and emergency preparedness operations.”

I expected my ever-so-playful Joe to get bored or hungry or tired but as I kept reading, he continued to watch and listen, bright eyed and all the more interested. And so, we created our Friday routine.

A gray cat peeks at the camera over a pillow.
Joe in his spot next to me, listening to his lesson. Credit: Kaila Brugger 2024.

 

By teaching Joe about archives and preservation, I teach myself the best ways to communicate for each project or outreach event I participate in. Joe serves as my test audience, and while he might not directly tell me if I need to expand upon or parse out a section, presenting to him helps me analyze it for myself.

Cliches are often cliches because they are true, and in preservation communication truly is key. It is tempting to describe what a project is and how it will be done, then forget to dictate the why. As I worked on a slideshow depicting my work with the Delta Collection, I orated to Joe, “There are three beginning steps to my Delta Collection project. One: Research. Two: Sort. Three: Bring the material into General Collections.”

Joe blinked at me. Of course, he did not know what the Delta Collection was, and neither would much of my audience. I began to edit the slideshow then started again, “The Delta Collection consists of over 200 books. These books were once considered quite scandalous and were moved to the Rare Books and Special Collections Division (RBSCD) to limit access to them. But the books are no longer, or never really were, rare. There are three beginning steps. . .”

Joe yawned and stretched out his front paws. I tsked at myself. I never told him the why. So why should Joe, or my intended audience, listen? Why should they find my project important? I paused I added another slide, looked at Joe, and began once more, “The Collections Management Division (CMD) aims to keep the collections of the Library safe and available. By transitioning the Delta Collection from the RBSCD, we undo an act of censorship and provide accessibility to the materials. Further, by working with the Delta Collection, we can file common cataloging issues and create an instructional document explaining best practices for solving the discrepancies. The skills learned with the Delta Collection are transferrable to other collection management projects. How’s that, Joe?”

He didn’t respond. But I was satisfied and hoped my future, real audience would be as well.

There is a sort of magic in working on site at the Library of Congress. It’s a beautiful building with wondrous collections. I often find myself feeling as if I’m dreaming as I walk to work and the Library comes into view, especially on days with bright blue skies. I feel a deep gratitude in having the opportunity to be here as I hold Library materials in my hands or scour the stacks. I adore my colleagues and my cohort and am overjoyed when I see them in the halls. I am so deeply passionate about libraries, museums, and cultural heritage, I dedicated my education and my profession to them. I continue to learn every day while at the Library.

While Joe might not be a human and maybe just enjoys the sound of my voice, I like to think he is a studious pupil with dreams of working at the Library of Congress. He reminds me to catalog what I learn throughout the day, what I find interesting, and what makes me so thankful to be here so that I can share it with him. He reminds me to explore the “why” and share those answers

He has learned how to survey the stacks, about emergency preparedness in libraries and museums, the preservation of photographs, the preservation of scrapbooks and albums, and collection management. He has learned about the materials held at the Library, the wonderful people I see every day, and the many adventures I embark on. And through his learning, I am reminded of and inspired by the myriad opportunities I have been offered.

A grey cat lounges on a grey couch with its head perked up, looking at the camera.
Joe watching me practice presenting from his spot on the couch. Credit: Kaila Brugger 2024.

 

This is an ode to Joe, an ode to the Library of Congress, and an ode to dreams.

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Comments (3)

  1. Kaila, thank you for this entertaining and informative post!

  2. Yea Kaila! It was lovely to read your blog. I was “…bright eyed and all the more interested” as Joe 🙂

  3. Excellent — summation of the following important work you are doing here at LoC. Now we need to know what is so scandalous in those pages. Do tell! 😄 Congrats on joining LoC.

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