Archives, like libraries, come in all shapes and sizes. However also like libraries, most are housed in drab, cost-effective structures which architects like to call the “modern” style. The one here is a bit different. The official name of the compound is “the Lazaretto," and it was initially an asylum for the island's lepers until being converted to its present function in the early 1960s. The structure has several wings, ample porches and shade, and a 10-foot stone wall encircling the grounds. It overlooks the Caribbean, and there’s a small patch of jungle in the west yard. Pretty good digs for lepers, IMO. My advisor told me that when he was here in the 80s, there were monkeys inhabiting that jungle patch. But no more. I should ask one of the archivists about that.
The BNA is free and open to the public. But if you’ve never been to an archive before, know that they’re different from regular libraries insofar as you’re not allowed to wander around, checking out shelves. Instead your access is limited to a central reading room, which is just a big area with tables, chairs, and some card catalogues. (Yes, they still use paper card catalogues here.) You find what you want in the catalogue, get the call number, fill out a form in triplicate, and the archivist retrieves it from the back. Then you read.
The earliest stuff here dates back to the 1640s, which is what I’ve been looking at so far. Here is a “recopied deed book” from that time -- recopied insofar as its not the original document collection. At some point (maybe 100 years ago?) somebody or some group took upon themself(ves) to gather all up all of the old deeds, wills, and power of attorney documents on the island (up to then scattered about as individual scraps), and “recopy” them into new volumes, word for word, so as to preserve the originals. There are 48 volumes of deeds alone dating from 1640 to the 20th century. Each volume is huge: about 24 inches tall and approx 1000 pages. (That's my new 15" laptop in the pic above.) Moreover each volume was copied in hand-cursive using a quill pen. You can tell whoever was doing all this copying was not enjoying themself … the handwriting starts off good and then gets progressively worse as he/she got tired and lazy, to the point where it’s bona-fide chicken scratch. Then suddenly the writing improves again, marking the point where the scribe must have taken a break.
Typically my day goes as thus: Up at 8, shower and coffee up, leave home around 9, and at the archive and working by 9:30. Stare at said texts for three hours and then leave for lunch at 12:30. At first I was commuting home to eat, but now I’ve got a better schedule whereby I grab some local cuisine at a nearby smorgasbord called Scotty’s (hands down best food I’ve found on the island). Then I walk down to the ocean and take a nap on the beach. (I initially tried to work a lunchtime swim in, but dragging wet swimclothes around all afternoon proved to be too complicated.) Back at the archives around 2, and work again until they close at 4:30. Sometimes I head to the University library after that (up the hill from the BNA), while other times I go home to eat dinner and then read some more. Drink a beer or two while watching my one TV channel, and go to bed and start over.
Whether or not this all sounds like drudgery or heaven I’ll leave you to decide. Personally, while it’s not all fun and sun, I can think of much worse ways to spend a summer.
Duh,
ReplyDeleteHeaven.