Description:

How do users experience items in protective enclosures? Are they confident about how to use them, or do they feel uncertain? The experiences that researchers have while using the collections affect whether they feel included, respected, and empowered. The Enclosures Lab of Harvard Library Preservation Services strives to create enclosures for library materials that are intuitive to use. 

In Fall 2022 and 2023 the Enclosures Lab partnered with Harvard Library’s User Research Center to conduct a study of how library users engage with common enclosures used in the Harvard Library collections. Come and see the findings and learn opportunities for creating enclosures that people can safely and confidently use in their research.

Speaker Bios: 

Amanda Hope

Amanda Hope (she/her/hers) is the Protective Enclosures Coordinator in Harvard Library’s Preservation Services department. As part of the Collections Care team, she leads the creation of custom enclosures for vulnerable materials in the library’s collections. She has a Master of Science in Library and Information Science from Simmons College.

Meg McMahon

Meg McMahon (they/them) is the User Experience Researcher at the User Research Center within Harvard Library.  In their work they provide consultation to support library staff as they gather, process, analyze, manage, and report data related to library resources and services. Meg has a Master of Science in Information Science with a certificate in Digital Humanities from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Lauren Telepak 

Lauren Telepak (she/her/hers) is the Senior Collections Conservator in Harvard Library's Preservation Services department. She manages the Collections Care unit which performs conservation treatments and creates custom protection enclosures for vulnerable materials in the library's general and circulating collections. Lauren has a Master of Science in Information Studies degree with a certificate of advanced study in library conservation from the University of Texas at Austin and a certificate in museum studies from the Harvard University Extension School. 

The presentation will be held from 12:00-1:00 PM on Zoom. Zoom meeting information will be sent via email once you register.

Open to all Harvard affiliates. Please RSVP for the event below. If you have any questions, please contact libraryux@harvard.edu.

Accommodation Statement: Persons with disabilities who would like to request accommodations or have questions may contact the User Research Center at libraryux@harvard.edu in advance of the event.