25 Years @ Midd with Joseph Watson

In this post we recognize Joseph Watson, Preservation Manager, Special Collections & Archives Associate, for his 25 years of service to Middlebury. Joseph shares his most rewarding Midd memories and experiences, his favorite place on campus, and a piece of advice for new employees. Read on to learn more about Midd from Joseph’s point of view.

What did you do prior to work at Middlebury College and where were you located?

I managed country inns, worked in restaurants, and was the resident caretaker of Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh where I also worked with the collections and gave tours.

What job titles have you held while working at Middlebury?

Bindery Supervisor, Preservation and Processing Manager, and now Preservation Manager and Special Collections & Archives Associate.

Take us back to your first year as an employee at the College. What were the most significant things happening in your life outside of work then?

Lots of change! In the year before I started working here I met my husband, Michael Warner ’80, Senior Catalog Assoc., and moved to Middlebury. We bought a house, and a few days before I started working here we had a joining ceremony (aka got married, before it was legally recognized.)

What are the most significant things happening in your life outside of work now (that you’d like to share)?

I’m enjoying middle age and trying to keep fit for the first time in my life. Let me give a shout out to Laura Wilkinson, Integrative Health Coach. The program she offers on behalf of the College is fantastic!  http://sites.middlebury.edu/middleburyintegratedhealthcoach/author/lwilkinson/

What is your fondest memory or experience that you’ve had while working at Middlebury?

Too many to share here, but here are a few–

With the GLBTQ student group, and colleagues in GLEAM (Gay & Lesbian Employees at Middlebury), I helped organize the 1993 Rainbow Festival, a week of activities that culminated in a “Queer Town Meeting”. Hundreds of people from all over the state came for a day of workshops, discussions, performances, lectures, dance classes, etc. It was great!

Singing with Francois “Divaman” Clemmons, Alexander Twilight Artist in Residence Emeritus- I accompanied the Middlebury College Choir on their spring break tour to Florida and for many years I enjoyed singing spirituals in Mead Chapel to celebrate Martin Luther King Day.

Befriending students, some who have worked for me, some in the queer community, some as an international host family—sharing fun times, talking through troubles and occasionally advising, or just having great conversation over lunch.

So many rewarding experiences working with wonderful colleagues in the Library and in Facilities Services to provide the best possible environment for our collections and for the people who use them.

Many people change jobs/careers multiple times in their working life. Something must have kept you here for 25 years. Is it anything that you can put into words?

Well, Middlebury College is an excellent employer with great benefits, but beyond that, my job has changed a lot in the past twenty-five years and that has kept things very interesting. When I was hired, I was the Bindery Supervisor processing shipments to our commercial binder, managing a book repair assistant, and overseeing student assistants typing spine labels for books. Over the years, my supervisor, the Collection Management Librarian, gradually gave me more responsibility for the care of the collections and eventually I got a certificate in Preservation Management from the School of Library and Information Science at Rutgers. I’ve been able to increase the sophistication of our preservation program over the years and that has been very rewarding. A few years ago I transferred into Special Collections & Archives and am now responsible for the care of some of the College’s most valuable items. I also help with classes and assist researchers, which means I learn something new and interesting every day.

What are your plans for the next 25 years?

I would like to get all the analog audio/visual media in the College Archives digitized. See some we’ve done so far here! https://vimeo.com/middleburycollegearchive

Do you have a favorite place on campus?

I love the old reading room in Starr Library. Although my office there was a dreary, cramped, sometimes wet space in the basement, I miss some of the beautiful rooms there.

Is there any person on campus (or retiree, former employer) that mentored you, or you feel helped you grow into your job, grow to enjoy your work and your time at the College?

I’ve had some excellent, supportive supervisors over the years, but thinking back to the early part of my career I appreciated the advice of my colleague Bill Warren, supervisor of what was then the Library Serials Dept. and who retired in 2010.  He knew how to deal well with people, and he helped me work through some thorny inter-personal issues.  I learned a lot from him.

If you could give one piece of advice to a new employee at Middlebury, what would it be?

It’s at the bottom of my email sig file… “The glory lies in doing well what you’re doing” — Robert Frost