Editor’s Note: Work Is Work

Abstract

In the autumn, my Editor’s note was, in part, an accounting of the work we’d done,
and a hesitant pledge in uncertain times. Writing in February to be read in May or
June now seems less soaked in doubt, though we are awash in uncertainty.
Developing this issue took over a year, and what a difference a year made. This issue
brings dauntless authors, who collectively took an honest look at the special collections
profession and—despite revealing uncomfortable truths—herein provide
pathways, for all of us who nonetheless want to remain working in archives and
special collections, to demand better for ourselves, our colleagues, and the future of
the field. Melanie Griffin, Yuzhou Bai, and Ruth Xing helped me critically assess my
own workplace, and worth