An Interview with Director Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

An Interview with Director Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives recently welcomed
Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty
as our inaugural director. Join us as we get to know the new leader of our organization!
1.) What is your earliest memory of either libraries or archives?
I have fond memories of both libraries and archives. When I was a little, libraries played a very important role in my life and that of my family. My mother loved books and saw libraries as a treasure trove of information – and most importantly, they were free. She was a single mom. We were poor and could not afford a lot of books. I was fortunate that we owned a set of encyclopedias – quite rare for being an African American little girl growing up on the West Side of Chicago. No one else I knew had a set.
I remember my mother taking me to the Chicago Public Library to complete a school report on Benjamin Franklin, and also running around looking at books as my brother attended Black Panther meetings in one of the Library’s community rooms.
Therefore, my family saw libraries as an important benefit to us as American citizens. Later on, my mother fell on hard times, and we were homeless for about a year. We were shuffled from shelter to shelter, and from good neighbors to church members, but there were times in between when we slept at the Chicago Public Library for heat, or when the lights got turned off, or to get cool in the heat of summer. Because of this I experienced firsthand that libraries serve a lot of functions in society. I always say that libraries helped raise me.
My first memory of archives and special collections is quite different. My brush with archival research came when I was a sophomore in high school. As a Chicago Public School requirement, every high school sophomore had to enter the Chicago History Fair. Students had to present a history project using Chicago area archival collections and other primary sources. Along with my Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center partner, Leslie Casimir, we had to consult the collections of the Chicago Historical Society (now Chicago History Museum) in order to research the Aragon Ballroom. I wore gloves and they brought out big archival drawings for my project. So that was a different experience for me; I didn’t understand why I had to put on gloves, or formally check in, or show my ID. It was a completely different process than using regular materials. I also observed the reading room as beautiful, and it all felt very important and ceremonious – with “esteemed” white men pictured on the wall. I remember thinking, “Wow – this is like attending church!”
Director Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty stands outside the doors of Smithsonian Libraries and Archives offices.
2.) Tell me about your background in your own words. What attracted you to the field of libraries and archives as a career?
The path to my career was a challenging process. My mother wanted me to…