NAME: David Selis, 鈥19YC
MAJOR: Jewish studies
HOMETOWN: Palo Alto, California
For a person who loves books, especially rare books, David Selis had the perfect internship in the Asian & Middle Eastern Division, Israel & Judaica Section of the Library of Congress, working on initial cataloging for recent Hebrew publications.
鈥淢y work involves taking volumes received from vendors, finding a record for them in the Library鈥檚 cataloging system and making them findable by assigning a Library of Congress Control Number and barcode. When the volume isn鈥檛 in the library鈥檚 cataloging system, I find a record using other databases and import that record. Essentially, what I鈥檓 doing is the first step in the cataloging process, which allows a volume to be located so that it can be made accessible even if it has not been completely cataloged.鈥
He also spent two days a week researching early Hebrew books in the Library鈥檚 collections as well as in other collections in the Washington, D.C., area with the results of his research being contributed to Footprints, a digital humanities project which traces the movement of Hebrew books. 鈥淔or me, this work is like being a kid in a candy shop as I can see a first printing of Chumash, then the first book printed in North Africa (which happens to be in Hebrew), early editions of Josephus, a first edition King James Bible, and more.鈥
He also acknowledged that 鈥渘one of my research would be possible without the hard work of librarians, catalogers and conservators who make these volumes accessible and preserve them for future generations. There鈥檚 something satisfying about making progress on a cataloging project and being able to point to books and say I helped catalog that and find my name in the record. Working with rare books is a distinct privilege, and I never know what I will find; sometimes a few handwritten annotations reveal a chain of ownership that lets me trace part of the book鈥檚 unique story.鈥
David first became interested in rare books at YU while taking a course on the history of the book with Dr. Jeffrey Freedman while volunteering at the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary, 鈥渁nd I just got hooked.鈥 Through a combination of coursework and close connections with professors and mentors, he has been able to acquire a working knowledge of medieval through modern Jewish history and European history during the Renaissance which allows him to contextualize the volumes he researches within their general and Jewish contexts.
鈥淚 plan to go into Judaica librarianship professionally, so having experience working in multiple Judaica libraries is invaluable in understanding how they function and the roles of different staff,鈥 he noted. 鈥淢y dream job would involve working with rare Hebrew books, what鈥檚 called special collections, not only by reading the books but also learning about things not on the printed page through such elements as the materiality of the book, any visual elements, how the book is bound and how it might have served as a status symbol.鈥
David among his precious books.
For a person who loves books, especially rare books, David Selis had the perfect internship in the Asian & Middle Eastern Division, Israel & Judaica Section of the Library of Congress, working on initial cataloging for recent Hebrew publications.
鈥淢y work involves taking volumes received from vendors, finding a record for them in the Library鈥檚 cataloging system and making them findable by assigning a Library of Congress Control Number and barcode. When the volume isn鈥檛 in the library鈥檚 cataloging system, I find a record using other databases and import that record. Essentially, what I鈥檓 doing is the first step in the cataloging process, which allows a volume to be located so that it can be made accessible even if it has not been completely cataloged.鈥
He also spent two days a week researching early Hebrew books in the Library鈥檚 collections as well as in other collections in the Washington, D.C., area with the results of his research being contributed to Footprints, a digital humanities project which traces the movement of Hebrew books. 鈥淔or me, this work is like being a kid in a candy shop as I can see a first printing of Chumash, then the first book printed in North Africa (which happens to be in Hebrew), early editions of Josephus, a first edition King James Bible, and more.鈥
He also acknowledged that 鈥渘one of my research would be possible without the hard work of librarians, catalogers and conservators who make these volumes accessible and preserve them for future generations. There鈥檚 something satisfying about making progress on a cataloging project and being able to point to books and say I helped catalog that and find my name in the record. Working with rare books is a distinct privilege, and I never know what I will find; sometimes a few handwritten annotations reveal a chain of ownership that lets me trace part of the book鈥檚 unique story.鈥
David first became interested in rare books at YU while taking a course on the history of the book with Dr. Jeffrey Freedman while volunteering at the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary, 鈥渁nd I just got hooked.鈥 Through a combination of coursework and close connections with professors and mentors, he has been able to acquire a working knowledge of medieval through modern Jewish history and European history during the Renaissance which allows him to contextualize the volumes he researches within their general and Jewish contexts.
鈥淚 plan to go into Judaica librarianship professionally, so having experience working in multiple Judaica libraries is invaluable in understanding how they function and the roles of different staff,鈥 he noted. 鈥淢y dream job would involve working with rare Hebrew books, what鈥檚 called special collections, not only by reading the books but also learning about things not on the printed page through such elements as the materiality of the book, any visual elements, how the book is bound and how it might have served as a status symbol.鈥
David among his precious books.
