Staff Spotlight: Sarah Horowitz
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In this edition of the Staff Spotlight, Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts and Head of Quaker & Special Collections, Sarah Horowitz, answers questions about QSC, access, and some of her favorite resources.
1. What do you want the Haverford community to know about Quaker & Special Collections?
Sarah wants the community to know that Quaker & Special Collections (QSC) are not meant exclusively for researchers. “The best part is that we’re open to everyone,” Sarah states. The collection is accessible to all members of the community. She encourages anyone with an interest in the collection, or a curiosity for rare items, to come to QSC located on level 1 in Lutnick Library and experience it for themselves.
The Haverford College Libraries are home to a vibrant collection of rare materials. With over 600 visitors a year interacting with the collection, QSC offers researchers a treasure trove of rare, historical items. The QSC team works to collect, preserve, and make rare materials available for years to come. Although QSC contains “one of the best collections of materials related to the history, faith, and practice of the Society of Friends, from their founding to the present,” Quaker materials only account for a fraction of the collection. To see what other topics are found in QSC, explore the collections by subject.
2. How does Haverford acquire rare materials for Special Collections?
Haverford predominantly acquires materials for QSC through donations. Sarah says, “donations often come from members of our community.” These donations serve as the backbone of QSC, but these items need care. Their stewardship requires an investment of time and resources. “I also want to emphasize that donations are free the way puppies or kittens are free we’re agreeing to care for these materials for a long time. That means we’re investing large amounts of staff time in arranging and describing the materials so that they can be used by researchers; we’re purchasing acid-free boxes, folders, and enclosures to help protect and preserve materials; and we’re placing items in climate-controlled storage areas, which have limited space. So even when we receive materials at no cost, the Libraries are putting in tons of time and money to enable researchers to use these items.” QSC receives an annual budget for items that support the curriculum.
Interested in instruction for your course? QSC provides a “hands on laboratory for the liberal arts” experience to introduce students to primary sources.
3. How do Special Collections impact scholarship at Haverford?
Providing students with access to primary sources presents them with the opportunity to contribute fresh perspectives to scholarly conversations. “We have unique primary materials that aren’t available anywhere else, and many haven’t been studied or written about before,” says Sarah. Studying these rare materials gives voice to those who have not previously been acknowledged, studied, or cited. The Haverford community and researchers who come to QSC have the opportunity to learn and think differently as a result. This can be an advantage to students completing research or theses, allowing them to draw from resources that have not been studied before.
Sarah also describes the ways in which QSC contributes to the development of scholarship not only in the Haverford community, but beyond. “We also award Fellowships to scholars from around the world to support their use of our unique materials. This allows the materials in Quaker & Special Collections to contribute to wider scholarly conversations in a variety of disciplines, and enhances Haverford’s standing in the scholarly community.” The best way for researchers to interact with materials is to have the ability to do so first-hand. These fellowships make this interaction possible;, keeping resources present and relevant in the scholarly community.
4. What role does diversity play in Special Collections?
Sarah emphasizes the importance of diversity when developing the collections. She and her QSC colleagues aim to describe items respectfully and inclusively. “Today at Haverford, we’re trying to ensure that we are acquiring materials that reflect the backgrounds and interests of our students and future scholars.”
Ensuring that QSC can be accessed in an inclusive, respectful manner also influences decision-making. The impact these decisions can have on the community, “...we are also very concerned that we [acquire materials] ethically, as Haverford may not always be the best home for a particular item. For instance, if Haverford acquiring a piece means that it will be far away from the community that created it, is Haverford really the best place for that material to live? We try to consider questions like this before we acquire materials for the collection.”
Check out current exhibits featuring QSC materials.
5. What are some of the most interesting resources you have experienced in Special Collections?
As Head of QSC, Sarah supports the Haverford curriculum and teaches students research skills, presenting primary sources and rare materials to students during in-class instruction. “Part of what I love about working with Haverford’s collections is that often when I pull materials, it’s for a class, and I love seeing students get invested in a specific piece; because something about it reached them.” This in-person experience can be an influential, exciting experience for many.
Some of Sarah’s favorite things:
Early printed editions of Shakespeare.
travel journals of Margaret Jenkins's
Conjuros y ebriedades: cantos de mujeres mayas
6. What are you currently writing/learning/studying?
Sarah is continuing to develop her skills as a dancer. “I have been taking dance classes since I was a kid, and I still try to take a ballet class at least once a week. It’s a continual process.” Just as dancing requires continual practice to maintain skills, so does librarianship. Sarah stays up-to-date on several library systems, participating in professional development to sharpen her skills.
7. What are you reading?
Sarah just finished reading The Bostonians by Henry James. She is also reading Comic Sans: The Biography of a Typeface by Simon Garfield. Next up on her reading list are The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell and Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal? By Jeanette Winterson.
Sarah also co-convenes the faculty-staff reading group. Interested in reading books and discussing themes within the Haverford community? Join the reading group or take a look at their reading list.
8. Anything else you want to share about QSC?
Sarah wants the community to feel welcome in the QSC reading room. All are encouraged to come into the reading room and experience the collection first-hand. The reading room has a consistent schedule, Monday through Friday, 9AM to 5PM and welcomes walk-ins. “I hope everyone will come and visit,” she says. Plan your visit to QSC soon.
