How Washington DC shapes us all: in honor of Art Emerson
Submitted by Cass on Thu, 2007-09-20 05:52.
Many of us who are drawn to U.S. federal publications end up traveling to our Nation's capitol fairly regularly, if we don't live there already. Over time, we develop constellations of memories about "the first time I did" this or that in Washington DC. We attend GPO-sponsored events like the formative Interagency Depository Seminar (alumna, class of 1993) or the Depository Library Conference & Council meetings; we tour famous sites and museums; we recall our first time on the Mall, seeing cherry blossoms, and riding the Metro. Special people in our lives are willing to show us "their" Washington DC, and their perspectives further enrich our understanding of all the secrets within the Beltway.
There are also special Washington DC people we visit -- our family or friends -- who are completely outside the govdocs realm. For fifteen years, I've had a standing date (always dinner and a walk) with a reference librarian from the Library of Congress, Art Emerson. Art served as the Library of Congress subject expert for Australia and New Zealand. He was a contemporary of mine from the University of Michigan School of Information and Library Studies (its old name). Art and I would look forward to our annual time together: what new memorial would we see? What museum just opened? What ethnic restaurant was fabulous and as yet undiscovered by the hordes? I'll never forget the night he took this small town girl on a no-holds-barred tour of the Metro's steepest escalators, because he knew what fear and excitement these inspired in me. He took special pride in my teary-eyed first glimpse of the LC Main Reading Room and the restored Jefferson Building. When he visited the Northwest this past year, we took him to see Seattle's favorite Australian import, Lauren Jackson, play a mean game of basketball.
My friends and I were shocked to learn that Art Emerson died last week. A health problem had been building, stealthily, for some time, until it finally manifested itself and ended his life. He was 51. He had spent a glorious year at the State Library of New South Wales. He helped people all over the world discover treasures of one of the greatest libraries on Earth, and a federal library at that. He was still planning his next trip to Australia, perhaps planning his next book project after his Historical Dictionary of Sydney. He had a wicked sense of humor and a mind that would be the envy of any scholar. With the serendipity that always seems to happen around a death, I turned over a scrap of paper on my guest room floor last night to find that it was a card for Tony Cheng's Seafood Restaurant and Mongolian Barbeque, the last restaurant I visited with Art. I'm too sad to eulogize him further right now, and FGI is not the place to do so. But I thought in Art's memory, I would ask the FGI readership: what are some of your favorite secret spots in Washington DC? What special person introduced you to these? How has Washington DC changed who you are as an information lover?
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Vale Art Emerson
Nice to see a valediction to Art - I worked with Art at the State Library of NSW when he did his year exchange. Some of his ex-colleagues at SLNSW had memorial drinks on Friday 21 September at one of his favourite Sydney pubs, where we reminisced about our time working with him (and his droll sense of humour). We were very sad to hear the news...
Art Emerson
Hey,
Over here in Australia, Art was greatly loved and he will be severely missed by all of us here in Aussie Libraries.
I was lucky enough to win a scholarship to work at LOC in 1996, Art was a fabulous guide and I still have his old Washington DC guidebook from that time. I remember visiting this hamburger and beer restaurant around Capitol Hill, which opened my eyes to what a true hamburger should be and to quote Art-
"A true hamburger is not a patty (Like Macds) but is in fact an oblaque speroid"
I was glad to repay the favour, on his visits here and taught him what a true beer should be and taste like!
I hold true to that hamburger maxim today and handmake my own speroids and still think of Art and the old days with a fond chuckle!
I have fond memories of DC and would not hesitate to work on the HIll again , if the opportunity presented itself. The people and place are fabulous!
Cheers!!
Here's To Art
I'm another Australian who was very affected by Art's sudden passing.
What an amazing guy! I will never forget Art's passions for music, sports, a good beer and anything Australian. And his humourous if not slightly cynical take on life, the universe and everything. And his wonderful way of summing up people and situations. And his seemingly endless supply of quotes from movies, TV and science fiction novels.
We kept in close contact following Art's stint in Sydney, and I was heartily looking forward to Art's next visit to Australian shores.
Here's to an impressive librarian, a fine colleague and a great friend.
Ave atque vale, Art
When the world lost Art Emerson, I lost one of my dearest friends.
Living in different hemispheres (with me here in Australia) it made close contact difficult! But although we spent only about a month together over the last 12 years, we emailed very often, sent cards and letters, and occasionally phoned. But mostly, it was email and letters...words...there was nobody to touch him when it came to utilizing the English language with verve and flair! We shared so many opinions and tastes on movies, books, culture and politics generally...and of course I'm another librarian, at the State Library of Victoria.
But we didn't meet through work -- we met through a medium oddly close to both our hearts, TV. Specifically, via the late, lamented "Mystery Science Theater 3000". Any MSTies reading this will get it, I need say no more. He was responsible for providing me with about 70% of my MST collection, and we never tired of sharing laughs and experiences relating to that show, and to many other esoteric cultural interests. Sadly, I didn't share his devotion to Real Ale, but I certainly aided and abetted him whenever he came to stay with me in Melbourne, on many designer-brewery quests, plus hunting down various local sports memorabilia and clothing.
My biggest regret is that I never made it to D.C., for Art to show me around. I always meant to, visiting LA and NY almost annually, but I kept putting off that extra trip down to D.C. I wanted to do it properly, to take enough time for Art to do it justice. Alas for my optimism that there would always be another time. He's gone now, and nothing will ever be the same. Neither will Washington D.C., I imagine, for anybody who ever knew Art Emerson. When I finally make it there, he'll be walking by my side in spirit, entertaining me with quips and snarky comments, and making me laugh...and think. What a blast we'll have.
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