August 11, 2014

The wisdom within Watzek: Everett Carter

Everett Carter recently joined Lewis & Clark as the special collections and archives librarian.

This is the second in a series of stories featuring Watzek research librarians. Read the first Q&A with Kate Rubick and look for an upcoming Q&A with Stephanie Beene.

Everett Carter recently joined Lewis & Clark as the special collections and archives librarian. The Source caught up with him to find out more about his expertise and cutting-edge developments in his field.

Why did you decide to join Lewis & Clark?

I think this is the perfect environment for a librarian—everyone is friendly, students take research seriously, and the campus is really nice.

How would you describe your areas of expertise?

I’ll primarily be working to make our materials available to students and faculty. I’m also the liaison to the international affairs, political science, and religious studies departments. (Editor’s note: For a complete list of departmental liaisons, please see the library’s staff directory.) I have a background in history and wrote a dissertation on German gambling casinos and the emergence of capitalism. So, if anyone needs to know more about 19th-century gambling casinos….

What unique qualifications do you bring to the Lewis & Clark library system?

In a previous position, I worked extensively with African American historical and literary collections, and I’m looking forward to our upcoming Ralph Ellison symposium in February. I collaborate with faculty and community members to build collections and preserve obscure items. I also like using rare books and manuscripts to get students excited about primary sources and increase their engagement with the past.

What cutting-edge developments in your field are you a part of?

I’m interested in the use of Semantic Web technologies for linking together archival collections at various institutions. At a time when larger bibliographic collections are becoming available, many special collections in repositories across the country are still isolated and hard to find. I think the rise of the Digital Public Library of America could change that, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.    

What do you find most exciting about working at Lewis & Clark?

The people primarily, but the landscape, architecture, history, and location are all great too.

What do you do in your spare time?

I like to read and watch movies. I also spend time running and cooking.

Caleb Diehl ’16 contributed to this story.