Interview with Dr. Elise Lewis
Independent Study Interviews
By Meg Coker
Interview #1, with Dr. Elise Lewis
November 12, 2015
Meg Coker: Today is November 12th, 2015. This is Meg Coker with Dr. Elise Lewis. Would you like to introduce yourself?
Elise Lewis: Yes, I am Elise Lewis, I am an Assistant Professor here at the University of South Carolina in the School of Library and Information Science.
MC: Alright. So one of my first questions is, How would you define your career?
EL: I primarily define myself as an educator, and I would specifically hope to educate people who are going into cultural institutions--museums, libraries, historical societies, and archives.
MC: And how has your career--or how has this evolved over your career?
EL: Well I started as a Masters student in Library and Information Science, focusing on digital imaging management, and I was lucky enough to work on a project where we took a photo archive, it was the predecessor to the Sepia magazine, and digitize that. And so that kind of stepped, kind of brought me into that realm of preserving and getting those stories told. I also did an internship at the Berkley Art Museum in California, and I did some work with their film collection, digitizing posters. So that kind of also pulled me into what this field could do in terms of preserving, not just books, but the visual aspect and multimedia, and people's stories captured that way.
MC: Ok. What type of training-- you've mentioned a few things already-- but what type of training throughout any point of your career has really helped mold all of those different things? Even before you became a MLIS student.
EL: My undergrad was in radio, television, and film. So I think that, I'm a very visually-oriented person so I think that definitely played into it. Technology was also how I got my start in the library, working at the help desk in an academic library, and kind of learning how to trouble-shoot and learning how to become very computer-literate myself. I didn't start off knowing what I was doing, but I got the job so I had to figure it out fast! [laughs] And the technology, learning the technology and just kind of having a curiosity has been the best training.
MC: Awesome... What is your passion? You've touched a little bit on this, but if you could elaborate?
EL: I think preserving and valuing everyone's stories, is what I am passionate about. And whether that comes to fruition on a museum website, or a community service project, I think that is really important and at the heart of what I do.
MC: So what has been your greatest success in this?
EL: I would say my greatest success has been passing a love and appreciation of people's stories on to my students, and seeing how they become the advocate and they embrace the technology and understand the users, and they are very, feel very strongly about preserving the stories as well.
MC: Ok. And what has been your greatest challenge?
EL: I think the challenges have been dealing with limited resources. Whether it is time, whether it is money, whether it is manpower, I think in this field we have to do a lot with very little. Especially in the nonprofit realm of it.
MC: And I know we have some questions and we'll follow up on those that we have written down, but also if you wouldn't mind talking a little bit more about becoming computer-literate and how that digital aspect has influenced things?
[pause]
MC: If you don't mind, we can come back to it!
EL: No, not at all! [laughs] Not at all.
EL: I applied for a job in the library technology department, knowing very little. And when I went there on the first day the computer was not turned on, and all my experience with computers had been in, like, a college lab where all the computers had already been turned on. So I didn't even know how to turn on the computer, and it was... the guy that hired me came out, and was just kind of looking at me, and I was just kind of looking at the computer, and it was like...[clicks her tongue]... but my cover was blown right away, basically. But it was really, I think that was really important because I could sympathize with the librarians who didn't have the, you know, strong technical skills. Or all of a sudden a new icon would appear on the machine that we had pushed out, and it was supposed to change their workflow, and so there wasn't a lot of... I don't want to say consideration, but feedback from the librarians, so that made me really have to figure out how to navigate that. People would call just livid, because their icon was gone, or there was a new icon, or there was some new software they were supposed to do. So figuring out that was a lot of on-the-job training. I had to understand the software so I could teach the librarians and make sure they were okay with it. So it was kind of a backward way of getting into the field, basically. [laughs]
MC: Makes sense. And how has the field been impacted by digital tools? In your opinion, you know, not to say that you have to be authoritative on it. Just...
EL: Yeah. No, I think the field is completely changed with the idea of digital tools. And it has really... I think you, if you don't stop for a moment and think about where the field has been, and where it's going, you're doing yourself a disservice, because you will play a part of that technology and it will impact you. You need to, I think, make sure you're on the correct side of the argument. And, you know, understand how technology is going to be used. I think the access that it has created for users is unbelievable. It just has such potential to bring enrichment, preserve stories, and just open up worlds to people.
MC: Neat. So, what do you think of the current state of librarian field, or the cultural heritage institutions field?
EL: I definitely think that it's a really exciting time. I think there is a good intersection of technology and implementation, where we are not only considering the users but how the tools are being used in-house, and how to make us more productive, and how to make us able to manage larger collections and serve larger collections. Yeah, I think it's a really, really exciting time that is also very fast-paced and somewhat exhausting. [laughs]
MC: And where do you think in the near future that the field is going?
[EL glances down at paper: "now I can't read my notes!"]
EL: I think because the technology is so widely implemented that we are going to have to rethink how we use technology. We still have the digital divide, we still have users who are not comfortable or able to use the technologies that, you know, we take for granted every day. And that is only increasing as technology keeps moving really, really quickly. I think kind of the boom is over so I think everybody has an understanding that you don't try something just because it's the latest and greatest, it actually needs to have a purpose, and be useful, not just use it because it's cool. So I think that's where the field is heading, kind of... not necessarily a slowing down, but definitely a rethinking of how technology is implemented.
MC: Neat. So what are the current strengths of the field (or professionals in your field)?
EL: I think the strength of the field and hopefully a successful person working in the field has a couple of traits that I think are really important. I think they have to be flexible; so, what happens if the computer program or presentation you just used or created can't be used for whatever reason? I think you have to be able to not rely on technology as a crutch but still be able to talk about your ideas without the use of technology. So flexibility, definitely. But I also think they have to not be fearful of technology, and... I think it's a very dangerous pitfall in the field after you've been in it for a while to say, 'Oh that's the new technology, somebody else will learn that.' I think when you kind of let things just go by the wayside that you've heard about, and not at least investigate it, you're going to get lapped.
MC: Are there any other weaknesses or things to correct that you can see?
EL: I don't know if it's necessarily a weakness, but I think it's a challenge finding the balance of that. So trying to stay on top of technology, while you have fifty other, million other, things going on at the same time and not, you know, just getting sucked into one area. I think the balance shifts for people, depending on their job description and their responsibilities. But I don't like that idea of 'That's somebody else's problem to worry about' or know about.
MC: Is there a specific word or term you prefer to use to describe the people who are using libraries/archives/museums/etc?
[thoughtful pause]
EL: I think that they are interested in the communities. And I think that... they're advocates and I think that they're interested in their community. That's where I would go with that, a term to describe them.
MC: And for the folks who come in, like, some people use 'patron,' some people use 'users' -- are there any specific ways that you would frame that?
EL: I go back and forth depending on the audience and I don't know if that's really right. If I'm talking to museum people sometimes I'll say 'patrons' or 'visitors,' if I'm talking to library I usually say 'users' or 'patrons.' And I know those are loaded words and that's probably something I need to be, you know, aware of, but I use them kind of all the same. And somebody that's coming in, and you're going to help them meet their information need, so...
MC: Do you think those different communities then use those different sets of words?
EL: I do.
MC: Do you think that's why?
EL: Yeah. Yeah, I do. I think.... yeah, I do. It's kind of, I think if you have somebody... it's kind of like me going into their house, you know, I'm not necessarily a museum person, I'm not necessarily a library person, so I try to use the terminology that they use, because it sounds very jarring if all you know them as are library patrons, library patrons, and somebody comes in and says 'Oh, here's a customer..' You know, it kind of shifts. So I don't necessarily think that change in ideology is bad or that change of thinking, but I kind of want to ease in, not just be like 'Oh these people you've called patrons your whole life, you can't call them that anymore. They're now your customers.' It kind of freaks people out, I try to be a little more subtle.
MC: Cool. So how would you define the relationship between patrons, users, what-have-you, and the professionals in the field?
EL: I think that we are, they're allies and advocates. I think that's our job. To advocate for them and to make sure they know that we are there for them, and that we are invested in their community.
MC: And do you think that varies at all depending on the type of institution, like do you think with the different use of words that that has any sort of different attitudes in the different types of institutions?
EL: I do think it exists. Do I think it should be there? No. [Laughs] I think it should be universal across cultural institutions but I am very aware that some institutions view what they do and their role very different than others.
MC: Would you be willing to elaborate or would you like to move on?
EL: Ummm...
MC: It's fine either way.
EL: Well it's just... I think some of the museums have a hard time thinking about, you know, patrons running through their galleries and you know...
MC: Touching?
EL: ...the very hands-on, yeah, don't touch things. It's very... and definitely not all. I have seen some amazing exhibits where you know, you can touch and you can interact. But I think that is very difficult. I think the archives have a hard time of just letting people in the door, sometimes it's kind of hard for them to... and understandably, you know, they have to preserve things. So I understand that. But kind of this, I think they all are invested in the community, but in terms of openness, I think it varies, institution to institution.
MC: And do you want to say anything about libraries? Because you've covered museums and archives.
EL: Libraries... Yeah, libraries are a free-for-all. You know, we'll take everybody. So, you know, you've got the unemployed, the homeless... the well-to-do, the affluent, it's pretty much... I think libraries kind of fit that, the openness there.
MC: Alright. Well, those are the questions that I had laid out. Is there anything else that you wish to add, on any of these themes or ideas, or just anything you want to add?
EL: No, I'm very excited just to listen to this whole project, like in 10 years. And see what...
MC: See what's happened?
EL: Yeah, see where we are! Yeah, I think it's really fun. Because I've been in the field like, almost... 18 years. So I've seen so much change, and it's going to be really cool to see what the next, the next wave of change brings.
MC: Alright, I'm turning it [the recorder] off now.
EL: Awesome.
[end of the interview and the recording]