Julie Tanaka, Director of Special Collections and College Archives, has three mantras for every Occidental student: stay curious, be open and keep asking questions. Arriving at Occidental in May 2022, she has over a decade of experience specializing in archives, special collections and rare books. Tanaka recently accepted a position at the University of Washington as Associate Dean for Distinctive Collections. Her last day at the college will be March 31.
Though a small department, Tanaka said Occidental’s Special Collections and Archives play an integral role in every student’s education, regardless of their major. As director, Tanaka said she manages the department’s projects on a day-to-day basis and oversees her fellow Special Collections staff.
The director’s role consists of helping implement policies, procedures and practices among the other staff members and students while handling materials, according to Tanaka. Tanaka said an important part of her job is working with donors because it is one of the main outlets her department gets funding from. She said she enjoys what she does despite having to work on seemingly less interesting administrative tasks.
“It’s really rewarding working at Special Collections and with students who want the hands-on experience handling archives and historical artifacts,” Tanaka said. “Some go on to apply to library school, museum studies or other graduate programs in public history, and our department can give them some experience in the field.”
According to college librarian Kevin Mulroy, Tanaka holds an essential role within the college library because she has made progress in transforming the attitude students have toward the Special Collections and College Archives.
“Here at the library, we have a strong emphasis on information literacy instruction. When we’re dealing with primary sources, students need a robust education and understanding of how to interpret and handle them, and [Tanaka] helps students raise questions about what materials we have here at Occidental,” Mulroy said.
Mulroy said college Special Collections departments are often looked at like a college’s assets — it helps differentiate schools. He said having a vast array of special collections and archives with a vibrant book arts program distinguishes Occidental from other liberal arts colleges.
Tanaka said the college’s Special Collections exist more than to just store archival college materials and rare books, but also as an opportunity for students to get the tactile experience of history. She said even though the digitization of many materials has provided a convenient, accessible way to view them, there is no way to experience the entirety of an object unless you do so in person.
Alanna Quan ‘16, Special Collections and College Archives archivist, said by encouraging students to explore the collections, Tanaka is helping dismantle misconceptions they have about their department. She said students often believe they need to have a special research project to ask about materials or that the archives are only reserved for staff, and the most common misconception people have about Special Collections is that the staff wear lab coats and process materials with white gloves.
Quan said Tanaka’s work within the department and her efforts to engage with students do not go unseen. She said that it is clear Tanaka is actively involved in Special Collections beyond her administrative role and is eager to get involved with hands-on work, something that a special collections director at a larger institution would not get as many opportunities for.
“[Tanaka] always jokes that she would hate to be a processing archivist because she would lose her mind folder-ing things all day, but I secretly think she would really enjoy it,” Quan said. “She’s just so enthusiastic about her work, and it rubs off on the whole staff, but especially the students she talks to.”
Despite having so much appreciation for everything in the college archives, Tanaka said she doesn’t openly reveal her favorite pieces of the collection because she wants everyone to experience Special Collections for themselves to see what excites them. She said when she pulls materials out for students, she selects a wide range of materials to encourage discussion amongst their peers and in the hopes of them asking her to show them more.
According to Tanaka, her first exposure to an archival collection was through an undergraduate Middle High German course. She said she was captivated by the wide array of books presented and would not have had to opportunity to see any of those materials without her university’s efforts to expose their students to the archives — the same type of early exposure culture Tanaka has worked hard to develop at Occidental.
“The earlier you expose students, the earlier they ask questions and the earlier they learn more about the world,” Tanaka said.
Above all else, Tanaka said she wants to foster an environment where students are curious and excited about digging deeper.
“I love it when students come into the collections without a plan and simply to explore,” Tanaka said. “Stay curious. Be open to what you didn’t know existed. Ask any, and all, questions you have, especially here at Special Collections.”
Contact Anna Beatty at beatty@oxy.edu
