Ahem

Today, I held a letter from Toni Morrison to President Obama & experienced that fluttery feeling in my chest, screaming in my head that comes when handling something that speaks to me

Getting that feeling today was so great, but what's better is giving it to someone else

Because that's that's the work. That's it. To give everyone that feeling. To let everyone feel seen and connected to something outside themselves; to feel less alone, even for a minute. Can you, rare book lover, imagine living without it? I can't.

It's so personal. I've seen people in the reading room cry over things that don't move me even 1 inch. But in that moment, it's not about me. We need to collect broadly, diversely, for many reasons, but 1 is that what gives 1 person that feeling might not do it for another.

I think that the Rare Books Field has historically chased that feeling for themselves (I have) but oh man, can we embrace the challenge to be as generous with it as possible? This is about access and collections and teaching. GIVE THE FEELING. #specialenoughforspecialcollections

I know that there are many reasons as to why it's not so simple and Twitter is a place where nuance goes to die. BUT. but. Our spaces, our objects, have a potential for power that demands to be recognized. Today I got to touch that potential and I wanted to recognize it.