A Day with Ines Zalduendo, Special Collections Archivist at Harvard University, Graduate School of Design

                                                         

I am thankful for Ines Zalduendo, special collections archivist at the Harvard University-Graduate School of Design to meet me on February 20. We talked and discussed my research project on underrepresented communities in architectural archives, and more specifically at the archives & collections at the Harvard-GSD, practice & methods of historical documentation on this subject. With her deep knowledge, experience and expertise on architectural archives, her conversation with me opened up new horizons in my mind. Thanks dear Ines.

Ines is one of the special gifts of my advanced academic research project at the MIT-HTC program. When I visited their archive for my research for the first time, she was more than an archivist for me; asked me some essential questions on my research problem and women & gender issues in my research. Then, she said that I should have talked with Beverly Willis. At that time, I had no idea how to reach out to her. I had visited Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation in NYC but never could encouraged to ask such a question. Dear Ines immediately smiled and said: I can help you to do this, I think. A few days after our conversation, I found myself in Connecticut to talk with Beverly Willis. I really do not know how I can express my thanks Ines! Whenever I visit their archives and special collections, she is always friendly and ready to help with her amazing background and experience in the field. Harvard, GSD is really very lucky to have such an archivist!