AN INTERVIEW WITH:

Jasmine Larkin

Accessioning Archivist at
UCLA Library Special Collections

Can you share what initially drew you to pursue a career in archival science? Was it a field you were familiar with before, especially considering your background in librarian work?

I actually don’t have a ton of experience as a traditional librarian. I realize that if you are looking at my LinkedIn profile it could appear that way. Upon graduating from UCLA with my MLIS (focus on archival studies), I was hoping to get a job working in an archival repository, but I was desperate for any type of library/archive work (gotta pay the bills). So, I took a job as a Librarian at a private asset management company. It was a small, privately owned library where I was cataloging art postcards and art books. However, not long into that job, my former internship supervisor at the Getty asked if I would like to work at the Getty in a contract position as a Library Assistant to help process the Knoedler Gallery archive. So, while the Getty job was technically a Library Assistant position, I was actually doing archival work.

The internships I did while earning my MLIS degree were both archival internships processing archival collections. Through those internships, I learned that I like doing archival work and wanted to pursue a career as an archivist. I enjoy being able to handle the materials and I love to organize.

As an Accessioning Archivist at UCLA, can you provide an overview of your role and walk through what a typical day looks like?

My days can vary week to week. I’m not always doing accessioning work. Some days I go on site visits with curators. On site visits, we assess collections and their current storage environments. We assess the materials to see if the collection fits UCLA’s collection development policy, what condition the materials are in, and what impact the storage environment is having on the materials. It’s also an opportunity for us to speak to the donors and explain the procedures for bringing in a collection into UCLA.

I facilitate the transfer of materials from the donor to UCLA. This is mostly a lot of emailing back and forth between our movers, storage facilities, and the donors in order to set up a transfer date and to get all of the paperwork approved. When a collection arrives at UCLA:

• I inspect the materials for severe preservation issues (pests, mold). If needed, I freeze and vacuum materials, or I send the materials to the Preservation department if the issues are beyond my capacity to handle.

• I check the legal paperwork associated with the collection to make sure we’ve received everything that was agreed upon in the paperwork.

• If needed, I rehouse materials so they are physically stable and are able to sit in a box, on the shelf, for long periods of time. I make sure each box is numbered and accounted for in ArchivesSpace.

• I look for media (audiovisual and digital). I make sure media is tracked and accounted for in ArchivesSpace. I also transfer files off digital media carriers and deposit the files into our network.

• Within 6 months of a collection arriving at UCLA, I aim to have a minimal collection-level finding aid and catalog record published online so researchers can discover the collection.

• I supervise 2 undergrad student workers that assist me with my accessioning work:

• Rehousing collection materials.

• Creating inventories for collections.

• Moving materials between storage repositories.

I’m currently leading a project to address our archival backlog. Before I arrived in 2019, UCLA did not have an accessioning program. So, many collections would arrive and would simply be placed on the shelf. There was little-to-no tracking for these materials. Due to this inconsistency, we have created a sizable backlog that is fairly unknown to us (we don’t know how much stuff we have or what types of materials we have). To address this backlog, I minimally accession the collections and I’m having the curators reappraise the collections to see if they still fit our collection development policies.

As part of this project, I supervise one contract employee. I’m also leading another project to organize our collection files and input important legal and administrative information from the collection file into ArchivesSpace. A collection file contains documents related to the acquisition of a collection (deeds of gifts, licensing agreements, appraisals, donor correspondence, etc.). Our collection files have been inconsistently maintained and sometimes lack the documentation we need to understand our collection stewardship responsibilities - Who owns the copyright? What restrictions are there to the collection? When did we acquire the collection?

We are going through every collection file, assessing the contents, and making sure all important and relevant information is added to ArchivesSpace. We are also tracking which collection files lack the legal paperwork we need so we can follow up with donors for those collections. As part of this project, I supervise two MLIS students.

Archivists are classified as Librarians at UCLA. So, I am expected to serve on committees within and outside of the library.

• Librarian Association for the University of California - Programs Committee

• Los Angeles Archivists Collective - Steering Committee

• SAA Accessioning Best Practices Working Group

In your various roles, have you encountered specific cataloging standards, databases, or metadata tools that you find most beneficial to know for archival work, especially in a university setting?

DACS, RDA, XML, ArchivesSpace, Alma, and Oxygen.

Having worked across different institutions, such as the Getty Research Institute and New York University, how did your roles prepare you for accessioning responsibilities? Are there any specific skills or lessons that stand out?

My work at the Getty gave me a lot of processing experience, which is important for anyone going into the archival field. It helps to know how to process a collection from start to finish. I learned how to process large collections as part of a team. The Knoedler Gallery Archive took 3 years to process and we had a team of 2 full-time archivists, 2 full-time library assistants, and 2 interns. I also learned how to process small collections on my own. My work at NYU taught me how to accession and I learned what it’s like to work on a large backlog project. A lot of the skills I learned at NYU prepared me for my current position at UCLA.

• Assessing and accessioning collections.

• Minimally processing collections and preparing them for offsite storage.

• How to read and assess legal documents (deeds of gift, licensing agreements, deposit forms, grant forms)

• How to validate XML files in Oxygen + how to fix coding errors for finding aids.

Your involvement in diverse projects, such as the Knoedler Gallery Archive, Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive, Max Liebermann Prints, Elizabeth Roth Research Papers on Festivals, and Jean-Jacques de Boissieu Prints, showcases a broad range of archival work. Did any of these projects significantly influence your approach to archiving?

There have been many times I’ve looked at a collection file and its lack of documentation would upset me. Or I’ve looked at a finding aid and thought “why would they describe something like this?” Or there are times I come across a collection in our backlog and I have no idea what it is and where it came from. These moments can be incredibly frustrating. However, my supervisor at NYU reminded me that one day, someone will look at my finding aids or collections I’ve processed and will think the same thing. So, we are all doing our best.

As a UCLA alum, did any specific class in the MLIS program best prepare you for working in the field?

• All the archives related classes were useful.

• Descriptive and subject cataloging - even if you don’t end up cataloging, it’s useful to know how to read a catalog record. And I actually have to catalog all of the new archival collections in my current position. So, it’s a skill I have to use occasionally. 

• The internships gave me practical, hands-on experience.

What are your future goals in the field of archiving? Are there specific projects or other areas you're eager to explore in the future?

I would like to get more structured experience/training related to accessioning digital materials. As of right now, I’m figuring things out as I go. Our previous Digital Archivist taught me a lot of what I know now and I dearly miss her. She took a job at Yale and now we are in the midst of recruiting someone to fill her position.

Considering your journey from librarian work to archival roles, what advice would you give to someone who is considering a career in archival science, especially if they are transitioning from a different aspect of information management?

See if there are opportunities at your current position that allow you to try out new skills that would enable you to transition to a new role. Seek out a mentorship with someone that is in a role that you are looking to transition into.

Based on your experiences as an archivist, if someone asked you, "What is an archivist, and why is their work important?" how would you respond?

What a question! Short answer for a stranger at a party:

• I’m the person who works in the archives (most people know what an archive is, but don’t know what an archivist is). I’m responsible for organizing, preserving, describing, and making accessible the rare and unique materials created by people and organizations.

Long answer for acquaintances, family, and friends:

• I help steward cultural heritage materials.

• I rehouse materials, perform basic conservation work, and create inventories that get published online so researchers can see what collections we have and know what box they would like to request when they come into the reading room.

• At the Getty I would help process artist collections and gallery records. At NYU, I processed the collections of artists, writers, and labor movements.

• I organize stuff and make the stuff discoverable for researchers!