What Our Members Are Saying: Rachel Beckwith
Your Name: Rachel Beckwith
Title and Affiliation: Associate Librarian, Collections and Outreach; Frances Loeb Library at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University
Year(s) of ARLIS/NA Membership: 25 years
About Yourself and Your Workplace
What do you love about your work?
In my career in art and museum libraries, the profound nature of the library as an open and free resource has never lost its impact for me. Now at the Frances Loeb Library, I find joy in the variety of my daily work - anything from assisting researchers with large-scale architectural drawings to collaborating on complicated offsite storage logistics to brainstorming book displays with our exhibits team. I love helping people find the tools and information they need. Whether supporting a student’s immediate needs at the circulation desk or aiding faculty with curriculum development, it never gets old!
Tell us about the kind of library you work in. What do you wish other librarians understood about the kind of library you are in? What makes it great? What makes it challenging?
The Frances Loeb Library is the busy intellectual hub of the Harvard Graduate School of Design. As our website states, “our staff supports our global design community’s diverse needs through our many services.” We have a comprehensive collection of resources, including 16th century architectural treatises, the Le Corbusier Research Collection, the tactile Materials Collection, rich archival collections, and a vast general collection of design books and periodicals. I love that our Special Collections Reading Room is open to anyone in the world, truly providing equitable access to all of our collections.
About Your Experience with ARLIS/NA
Who or what inspired you to join ARLIS/NA? What’s kept you renewing your membership after that?
I joined ARLIS/NA at the start of my career at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, inspired by colleagues who raved about the Los Angeles conference. My first ARLIS/NA conference was in St. Louis (a joint venture with VRA) and it opened a whole new world for me beyond my local chapter.
What keeps me renewing my membership is the vibrant platform the society provides. It’s where I’ve gained essential skills, built a network of incredible colleagues and friends, and found a constant source of professional inspiration.
What leadership and/or service roles have you held with ARLIS/NA? What are some skills or other benefits you gained from that service? What advice might you have for others thinking about running or volunteering for a position?
I have served as moderator of the Art and Design School Division and a member of the Wittenborn Memorial Book Award Committee, International Relations Committee, and Leadership Development Committee. Now, as I settle into my new role at the GSD, I have volunteered to co-moderate the Architecture and Planning Section of ARLIS/NA with my colleague. Through volunteering, I have gained knowledge about the inner workings of ARLIS/NA and have met many great colleagues across the society. I highly recommend getting involved with ARLIS/NA in any capacity. I’m grateful for the opportunity to give back to an organization that has given me so much.
How have other ARLIS/NA members mentored and supported you in your career? What does it mean to you to be a part of a professional community?
Discovering ARLIS/NA was a "lightbulb moment" —finding a dedicated community for art and design librarians felt like something clicked for me. Early on, a mentor’s advice to keep a career journal proved super valuable, helping me track committees, teaching, and presentations. The ARLIS network has been instrumental in my career, guiding me to roles at MassArt, Hampshire College (as the Arts Librarian initially), and now the GSD. Beyond professional growth, ARLIS/NA has gifted me lifelong friendships that began at my very first conference. It isn't just an organization; it is my professional home and a constant source of support.