Welcome to The Back Table, a blog which highlights archives and special collections at the libraries of New York University. This blog was born out of a collective interest among library staff in forging a stronger connection between the NYU special collections libraries, the departments that act in accordance with them, and the larger archival community. Our goal is to maintain a virtual space for exploring our professional interests as archivists and examining how those interests apply to our work at NYU Libraries. Although the subject matter of each post will be determined by each individual contributor, potential topics include archival collections currently being processed at NYU, how archival theory plays out in practice, current and emerging trends in archives, or particular challenges encountered through the course of daily work.

This blog is envisioned as a truly collaborative effort among the special collections departments. You can expect contributions from the professional staff of the Fales Library and Special Collections, the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, and the New York University Archives, in addition to the professional staff of library departments that handle special collections, like Archival Collections Management and the Preservation Department. You can also anticipate blog posts from our many graduate students and interns whose efforts aid and enhance so much of our work. Although our intention is to focus primarily on the archives profession, we acknowledge that the work of archivists is often intertwined with the work of a variety of library professionals—catalogers, conservators, digital librarians, educators, etc.—and we will invite our non-archivist colleagues at NYU to contribute their experiences on occasion as well.

This blog is the result of a discussion between five NYU archivists which took place, appropriately, at a back table in the University Archives.