Name: Maxine Wright

Title: Head, Collection Management

Contact: mw217@columbia.edu

Library: Arthur W. Diamond Law Library

@Columbia Since: 1996

Education: BS, MS, MLS

About me: Organizing, managing, and preserving nearly one million items comprised over five floors of open stacks.  You may ask what is required to keep a large collection in pristine order; let’s start with a pair of comfortable shoes and stamina. That is, walking and climbing stairs is front and center. You are on your feet and sometimes tip toes (for the higher shelves) for most of the day.  Collection Management staff are rustling through the library tracking items, responding to searches, filing loose-leaf material, shelving, shifting, packing boxes for bindery and a myriad of other duties which fall under managing a collection.

The physical aspect is important however, an affinity for being highly organized and passion for connecting users to the collection is equally important. Users expect to find KF 9999 on the correct shelf in the correct order, current releases in place and pocket parts securely tucked in the back of treatises. We expect this too. Therefore, we strive to work toward a high level of accuracy when managing the collection at Arthur W. Diamond Law Library.

What’s new at my library: Electronic paging for microforms and scanners.

Personal Favorites: Alumni weekend, Visitor’s Day and any other event which invites returning or prospective users to tour the library and the collection.

Recommended Resources: www.lyrasis.org – lots of information on caring for a collection, classes and events.