There is more to the DAR Library than meets the eye

April 3-9 is National Library Week, and so it is appropriate that we take a minute to appreciate not just our gorgeous DAR Library and the collection within it, but especially the staff that make it all work. But what does our library staff DO, in addition to what one can see in the open library (fixing copiers or wrangling computers, shelving books, and helping patrons)?

Helping you donate books or resources, for one – from approving titles to adding items to the wish list, and also keeping track of your donations by working with the Development Department. The DAR Library receives about 1,000 new titles a year on average, either by purchase or donation, and the work does not end even after their arrival, as they all need to be processed, labeled, possibly rebound or reinforced – and of course catalogued – before they can hit the shelves.

Then there are the unusual maintenance tasks, like replacing the state flags that have hung around the ceiling for decades. In addition to the beautiful new Mississippi flag, donated last fall, the library staff noticed the California flag had sustained some water damage from a leak in the ceiling. The new California flag was installed just last month.  

The Library’s Manuscripts Collection is another area where staff are working hard to preserve your donations for future DAR members and the public at large. This may involve cataloging and describing the collection, evaluating and documenting the condition of the materials, creating finding aids, putting collections into proper boxes or folders for preservation, and so on.