Q&A: Muntz Library archivist Deirdre Joyce

Deirdre Joyce is a University archivist and librarian of special collections for the University’s Robert R. Muntz Library. She has recently been awarded a national scholarship from the University of Virginia’s Rare Book School.

With the aid of this scholarship, Joyce will have the opportunity to attend a workshop of her choosing which will give her 40 hours of intense study, research, and learning.

1. What does an archivist do?

A: Archivists are like librarians, but they work with materials, such as records, that have some enduring value. Our records are evidence of transactions, items that we want to keep. They give us a clue into what people care about collecting, which tells us about that time period. It is the archivistís job to arrange, preserve, and describe these materials, and then make them available to interested persons, like researchers or journalists.

2. How does that differ from the run-of-the-mill librarian?

A: Librarians work with books, of which many copies have been published. Many of the papers archivists work with are the only copy. Of course, archivists also work with things such as news articles, which are of interest as archiveable records. Individually they may not be important, but the value is in the entire collection of papers gathered for a particular purpose.

3. How did you become interested in this type of work?

A: I was studying to earn my Ph.D in history, but I know that jobs in this filed are difficult to come by. As a historian, I had worked with archives before and I was interested in becoming the assembler and caretaker of these.

4. What type of education did you receive?

A: I had already earned my master’s in history and I earned my second master’s in library and information studies. I also have a certificate in archives and records management, which requires 18 hours of specialized credits.
I am certified by the Society of American Archivists and the Academy of Certified Archivists.

5. What is your favorite aspect of your job?

A: I like the historical aspect of the work. I also find the work to be very purposeful. It is fun to see a collection come together.

6. What made you decided to work at Muntz Library?

A: I came to Tyler because of the job opening.

7. Do you have any words of advice for someone interested in becoming a library archivist?

A: In my experience, archiving is more academic than other library fields. Also, with all the changes in library science, I have found archiving to be a more stable career. An archivist should like history and be involved with digitization.

8. Are there any specific projects you are working on now?

A: There are three. I am working on the Tim Anthony Jackson collection of presidential campaign memorabilia dating back to 1876. I also worked on the Billy Williamson papers. Williamson was key in the establishment of UT Tyler. I worked on the Bill Ratliff papers, which are comprised of over 400 feet of material.

9. What are some interesting projects you have worked on in the past?

A: One of the most academically and intellectually interesting projects was the [William M] Steiger exhibit we made for the courthouse downtown. Basically, this was the history of the judges during Steigerís lifetime. We were able to attend the dedication and it was nice to be involved with the courthouse staff and the community.

10. What should UT Tyler students know about your work?

A: We are creating traditions at UT Tyler by establishing a shared sense of history. Right now, that history is not completely developed. As an archivist, I am finding this history and collecting it. Besides things like newspaper editions, we are documenting student life and activities.
For examples, we have a collection of the Circle K scrapbooks. People are interested in what people did before them. It is not always necessary to reinvent the wheel. We are documenting your school pride. We are going to be the keeper of your history.