For the past nine months I have been working part-time at the Oregon Historical Society on the temporary Research Library move, consolidating the collections at an offsite facility while the downtown location is completely remodeled. From June to September, I primarily worked on a small team under Archivist Valerie Harris, assisting with inventory shelf reads, rehousing materials and consolidating collections to create more space for the interim. Beginning in October of 2019, I was promoted into the role of Move Coordinator, working directly with Collections Manager Dana Miller to assist with logistics of the move, which happened in two stages. This involved mapping new locations for collections, offices, and the public research room; oversight of movers, flat file installation and shelving construction; deaccessioning out of scope collections; moving excessively large or fragile books, maps, documents and photographs by hand; more shelf reading and inventory work as collections were combined in a single location; and general communications with the moving team. While much of the work drew on skills I’d developed through decades of moving letterpress printing equipment and type collections, as well as running a small business, it was also a crash course in Library and Archive standard procedures. I’m thankful for the generosity of everyone I have worked with for sharing their knowledge with me through the process, and to the entire library staff for the teamwork involved in pulling off such an undertaking. Writing now, in mid-March, all the collections and library staff offices have been safely relocated offsite and construction on the 4th floor at 1200 SW Park Ave commenced. We are also all suddenly at home for the foreseeable future, as the COVID-19 State Stay-at-Home orders are in effect and the timeline for this pandemic are currently unknown. The final documentation for this portion of the initiative and planning for the return downtown in late 2020 may all happen remotely! Stay up to date on the Oregon Historical Society Research Library renovation and reopening on their website.
