The Rock ‘n’ Roll Librarian

It might be surprising to note that Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has a library. Listening to the music of inductees such as  AC/DC,   Hank Williams, The Ramones,  or Little Richard doe not necessarily lead to thoughts of  orderly shelves of books, call numbers or document retrieval.  Such a library does exist and is the most comprehensive repository of materials relating to the history of rock & roll.   A recent post in Atlas Obscura  profiles the librarian who make those connections in the Hall of Fame’s Library and Archives, 34-year-old Laura Maidens .

Asked why she wanted the job, Maidens replied:

Just because—what cooler librarian job is there than being the librarian at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

I had actually already worked here as a project cataloger, in the lead-up to the opening of the library and archives in 2012. I cataloged many of the materials that are in the library’s collection right now: the books, CDs, DVDs, etc. I had also worked here before that, as an intern and a volunteer.

And why did she get the job?

It’s really a combination of a lot of things. The fact that I was here five years ago as a project cataloger, and got to know the collection and the institution, really helped a lot. But then also, I have a lot of passion for rock music. The project cataloging was the most exciting job I had ever had. So I really showed a lot of enthusiasm in my interview process, because it is such an exciting place to work.

They were also looking for someone who had both public services skills and cataloging and technical services skills, and I have a kind of unique combination of those two things. Before I became a librarian, I worked in retail for many years. I also did public services reference work at my previous library job, as well as cataloging. So I think that that was probably the hardest thing for them to find: someone who had both the public-facing skill and the technical skill.

I think the most surprising thing to people is that it’s a position that requires a Masters degree. A lot of people don’t realize that most of the time, librarian jobs do require a Masters.

Maidens , though not a musician, does have the musical chops to work in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

I really like to make playlists. I’m interested in the way that music relates to itself—I like finding themes in music, and bringing those things together. My first [stint at the library], I would create a lot of my playlists from things that I was cataloging at the time. I did a whole hour-long Stevie Wonder playlist. Nobody believed me that I could come up with an hour’s worth of danceable Stevie Wonder songs. But since I had just cataloged his entire collection, I had everything I needed.

As for the library and archives,

We have two different collections: a library collection and an archival collection. The library materials are published, mainstream materials, like books, DVDs and CDs, and periodicals and magazines. And the archival materials are one-of-a-kind items, like correspondences, recording contracts, photographs, items of that nature.

The best part is just being here, being surrounded by everything that I’m surrounded by all the time. It’s really a joy to walk into work and be in this kind of environment. Everything here is so interesting, and it really helps you to be enthusiastic about the work that you’re doing.

Read the full article at Atlas Obscura or search the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archive catalogue for your favourite band.