Two women sit among the stacks of books in a library, c. 1950 (Edward A. Hubbard photograph collection, HEd 1009)
We’re excited to introduce a new newsletter from the DC History Center: Unbound.
Unbound offers a behind-the-scenes look at our library and archives. It invites readers into the spaces and processes that care for the District’s history. Through stories from the collections and the people who steward them, the newsletter makes visible the quiet work of preservation and access.
For more than 130 years, the DC History Center has collected artifacts and documents related to Washington, DC. Over that time, generations of librarians and archivists, volunteers and paid staff, have worked behind the scenes to care for these materials.
This work is often invisible. When library and archival care is done well, it appears seamless. The downside is that the work can seem mysterious—or even magical—to those unfamiliar with it.
Most archival work happens quietly and over long periods of time. Acquiring, caring for, describing, and sharing materials is slow, deliberate work. Unbound exists to open the doors to that world.
Through the newsletter, we will take you into our collection spaces inside the historic Carnegie Library, our home base. We will also share stories from the Kiplinger Research Library, our second-floor reading room. Along the way, we will introduce you to the people and processes that make this work possible.
Each issue will highlight compelling and unexpected items from the collection. We will also share insight into the questions we ask, the decisions we make, and the care that goes into preserving these materials. Our hope is that you will come to know both the collection and the team who stewards it.
Consider this blog an invitation. If you value these glimpses into the collection and our work, we encourage you to subscribe to Unbound. The newsletter is free and sent a few times throughout the year.
We look forward to engaging with you in the coming year. Thank you for your interest in what we do.
Yours, if you’ll have us,