I am finally in New York. Today I went to the NY Public Library to start my research in the Typophiles / Dr. Leslie papers. Whew, what a bunch of bureaucratic loops to jump through.
First the library doesn't open until 11 am. WHich is fine if you want to run errands before doing work, but bad if you are only here for a few days. So I get there a bit early, have some coffee and sit out on the steps of the library with the other hundred people. Once inside, they search your bags.
Then up to the 3rd floor to room 316. I wait in a line and then have to fill out a 2 page form to get a special collections access pass. Once I had that, I had to take my stuff back downstairs and check everything at coat check. My computer, out of the bag. My valuables, in a see through plastic bag to carry along with me.
I then have to go back up to the 3rd floor to the special collections archives room. SHow the pass and they unlock the door. I fill out the form to request the first 5 of 30 boxes I want to go through. After about 20 minutes, the guy tells me I missed the page and therefore my boxes won't be here until 2:15. By now it is almost noon, so I'm cool - I figured today would be rocky anyway—getting used to the process and all. So I leave, get my stuff, and go up a few blocks to a cool diner - Red Flames - where I have a pretty good cheeseburger.
I still had a couple of hours to kill so walk around a little - but it sucks because of the heavy bag with my computer. Around 1, I go back to the library, to the main reading room - which has free internet access - and hook up, catch up on some email and surf the web for awhile.
Finally at 2:15 I go back to the archives room and the lady tells me the list went to the apge at 2 but my stuff won't be up until 3. Geez. So back to the big reading room —kill some more time and finally at 3, back to the archives room.
Finally I get the first box. Letters - Dr. Leslie must have kept every piece of correspondence he received and sent (carbon copies). Which on the surface seems very anal, but as a researcher is quite wonderful. In some ways I feel like I am spying on this person's life - especially reading the letters from childresn of his friends who continued to write him for years and years—even after they had their own children.
It is quite amazing what this man did. He helped support several folks down on their luck. He paid hospital bills and funeral expenses and opened his heart to so many people.
He seemed to be always open to speak to young people, especially if they were designers or interested in the graphic arts. The letters attest to this. I looked through almost three boxes—each containing 10-12 folders of letters. Many were impossible to read, back in the days when folks really wrote long hand and long letters. There is such an interesting story here and I wonder at the whole story since only half the conversations are here.
Overall, this took me way longer to review than I anticipated and I am not really sure which items I want to photocopy. I wish I could keep the boxes out, review them all and then go back through them to see what I want to copy or photograph.
Now that I know the process, tomorrow should run smoother and I should be able to see more than 3 boxes.
Posted by erin at May 4, 2004 07:43 PM