Hello!
I’m so thrilled to be an incoming Visual Materials Section Member-at-Large. I have an MLIS in Archives Management, an MA in History from Simmons University, and a BA in English Literature from the University of North Texas.
I am currently an Archivist Specialist in the Facilities Archives at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where I process physical and born-digital architectural and large-format drawings as well as other construction-related materials about MIT’s ever-evolving campus. My favorite drawings are part of the original 1950s Eero Saarinen blueprints for the MIT Chapel and Kresge Auditorium which showcase his innovations in modernist architecture and influence of culture and art on MIT’s post-war campus.
Prior to my current position, I had experience working with visual materials across a range of institutions and collections, including the American Antiquarian Society, Harvard Botany Libraries, Unitarian Universalist Association, and MIT’s Distinctive Collections. Through all of these positions, I have had the opportunity to process incredible collections of rare manuscripts, ephemera, photographs, and art. Although I have not worked directly with them, I have a personal interest in the preservation of video games as interactive works of art and wrote my master’s thesis on the history of women in American video games (1960-1980). My goal is to continue exploring the unique archival challenges digital-born visual materials present in long-term preservation.
I have always enjoyed being a member of VMS and have contributed a couple of articles to Views, including my journey with MIT’s unique Tarot Collection and, more recently, a review of Depth Effects by Brooke Belisle.
I look forward to being more involved in VMS in the coming years!
Ashley Tooke, MLIS, MA, VMS Member-at-Large (2024-2027), Archivist Specialist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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