APALA Northeast Chapter and Friends visit Beinecke Library

On July 7, members of the Northeast Chapter and Friends of the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) visited Beinecke Library. The visit was co-organized by APALA Northeast member Jeanie Pai, program specialist in Digital Imaging Services at the New York Public Library, and Sandrine Guérin, archivist at Beinecke Library, who coordinated meetings with Yale colleagues and facilitated the viewing of collections. Ten library professionals from four states gathered to visit exhibits and libraries, view collections related to Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), and meet with professional peers.

The day-long field trip included a meeting with Haruko Nakamura, librarian for Japanese Studies, and a tour of Beinecke’s exhibition space with Moira Fitzgerald, program director for Reference and Research Services. In the classroom, Alison Clemens, who is access strategist and a member of the Reparative Archival Description Working Group (RAD), gave an overview of reparative descriptive work related to the Japanese American incarceration during World War II.

Following the presentation, the group viewed the library’s AAPI collection, giving special attention to several holdings: the Aiko Takita and Miyeko Takita Papers (WA MSS S-3211), which capture experiences during and after the Japanese American incarceration during World War II; the Yonekazu Satoda papers (WA MSS S-2897); and a very poignant album of identification photographs of Chinese men in San Francisco in the 1870s, compiled by Theodore Cockrill, chief of the San Francisco police department at that time (WA photos 626). The viewing of these materials prompted discussion about the importance of community input and cultural knowledge in creating inclusive and accurate archival description. The group also reflected on the benefits of collaborations across institutions. “It was quite sentimental getting together with APALA members and friends,” Pai said. “For a few of us, this was our first time seeing each other since the pandemic lockdown—a period synonymous to the spike in anti-Asian violence and when community support was crucial. Planning the visit collaboratively was rewarding, from workshopping our agenda with Sandrine to selecting AAPI special collections. We were excited to be together and share DEIA efforts in our respective institutions.

“I was personally drawn to the photographs of Chinese men in the Cockrill album,” Pai added, “as its documentation was a form of social control of an alienated class. I appreciate that the album is fully digitized and accessible online. I look forward to investigating these records further and to exploring collaborations that would enhance their description and support their searchability.”

The visit to Beinecke Library was very meaningful for the group. They were grateful for the opportunity to exchange experiences and perspectives, learn about peers’ work, and imagine future partnerships.

To learn more about the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), an organization committed to addressing the needs of Asian/Pacific American librarians and those who serve Asian/Pacific American communities, please contact Janet Clarke (janet.clarke@stonybrook.edu).

View the photographs in the Theodore Cockrill album.

Images: Sandrine Guérin (left) speaks with APALA Northeast Chapter and Friends in Beinecke Library Classroom; Janet Clarke, Jeanie Pai, and Jennifer Shimada viewing the Cockrill album. Text by Sandrine Guérin. Photos by Isabel Gomez.