Unique to the Library...

This week, I came across a book to catalog that is unique to the Jean Outland Chrysler Library: Barton Myers: The Architecture of the Theater: Learning from Italy, published by the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles on the occasion of a 2006 exhibition of the architect’s work. Barton Myers, a descendent of Moses Myers and the grandson of a former mayor of Norfolk (Barton Myers, 1853-1927), remains involved in the Norfolk community. The Library has a number of other interesitng architecture books as well. Also to catalog I discovered several architectural and engineering books and manuals once belonging to Wyatt Hibbs (1903-1998), a former resident of Norfolk. These books, annotated by Mr. Hibbs, were used by their owner in his work as an architect and draftsman. The discovery of books whose history is tied to their subjects, uses, and former owners, caused me to consider the responsibilities of the cataloging librarian: both to accurately transcribe information about the books and objects in the library, but also to add meaning (through the addition of subject headings) that relates specifically to the history of the community and to current and future needs of library users, with the goal of making searching for materials easier and more effective. Thus, the collection and catalog of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library strive to represent and to serve the Chrysler Museum’s collections, staff, visitors, and the larger community.

- Rachel Juris, 2009 Jean Outland Chrysler Library Cataloging Fellow