Name: John DeLooper

Title and Duties: Spe­cial Col­lec­tions Assistant

I pro­vide pub­lic ser­vice at the recep­tion desk, includ­ing reg­is­ter­ing patrons, record­ing the cir­cu­la­tion of mate­ri­als and pho­to­copy orders, and assist­ing vis­i­tors to the Mudd Library with ini­tial ref­er­ence inquiries. I also respond to e-mail ref­er­ence ques­tions, and cre­ate and main­tain data­bases that aid in the com­pi­la­tion of monthly sta­tis­tics for Mudd’s cir­cu­la­tion and pub­lic ser­vice oper­a­tions. In addi­tion, I sched­ule classes and meet­ings in the library’s class­room, and work on other assorted projects such as assem­bling exhi­bi­tions and the James A. Baker III Oral His­tory Project.

Recent projects: I con­tributed the 1983 case for the 2008 Alumni Exhi­bi­tion, and cre­ated a new data­base to han­dle our cir­cu­la­tion that will replace the old DOS-era sys­tem in use since 1992.

Worked at Mudd since: August 2, 2007.

Why I like my job/archives: I wanted to work in a library/archives set­ting because I enjoy help­ing oth­ers find infor­ma­tion. Work­ing with our col­lec­tions is like work­ing with his­tory hands on, and I get to see the results of the work every­body puts in at the Mudd Library through the enthu­si­asm and joy researchers show when we help them find an unex­pected resource or item.

Favorite item/collection: His­tor­i­cal Pho­to­graph Collection–seeing how the uni­ver­sity, its build­ings, and stu­dents have changed over the years is a way to step into the past and make his­tory feel alive. It is amaz­ing to see both what has changed and how much remains constant.

*Please note that as of Sep­tem­ber 2011, John has moved on to become a ref­er­ence archivist at Hud­son County Com­mu­nity Col­lege. We wish John the very best in his endeav­ors in his new pro­fes­sional position.*