Faces of ALBA: Shannon O’Neill By Aaron B. Retish
In 2019, Shannon O’Neill became the curator for the Tamiment-Wagner Collections of the New York University Special Collections that houses the ALBA archives. She previously worked at Barnard College, the Los Angeles Public Library, and the Atlantic City Free Public Library.
W
hat drew you to the Tamiment Library and Robert Wagner Labor Archives?
Working at the Tamiment is something of a return for me. I was an undergraduate at NYU and had an assignment where I had to utilize the archives in my coursework. As a first-generation student, I spent a lot of time just figuring out how to navigate the university; I had no idea what a Bursar was or how to effectively use office hours. No one prepared me for any of that. I recall feeling so intimidated by the assignment. I wasn’t even quite sure how archives operated. Maybe it’s because I come from a union family (my dad was a part of the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 27 that also supplied me with a generous scholarship for my studies), or maybe it was because I was politically active as a teenager, but I felt at home in the Tamiment. Following my research in the collections, I decided I wanted to be an archivist. It’s a real honor to take up the torch of continuing to care for these collections, especially considering that they completely changed my life.
exists around these collections. Though I’ve only been at the Tamiment for a little less than two years, the majority of which has been under quarantine conditions, I’ve been grateful to meet so many family members of those who served in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, so many supporters and advocates for the collections, and so many researchers whose work is enriched by the documentation. It’s been a real joy to be introduced to this community, and I’m excited to continue our conversations and collaborations.
As you have gone through the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives collection, has there been a set of documents that has stood out to you? Have you found any surprises in the collection? The women of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade are endlessly inspiring, especially Salaria Kea. I am really grateful to have learned about her story through working with the ALBA collections. The ALBA collections’ documentation of her life and work during the Spanish Civil War are some of my favorite materials to bring into the classroom. As far as surprises go, we have both a rifle and a medic’s stretcher in the collection which are two objects that I didn’t necessarily expect to see. What’s unsurprising, and incredibly humbling, is the community that 4
THE VOLUNTEER September 2021
Hunter College students research the ALBA Collection at the Tamiment Library (NYU), April 2018. Photo María Hernández Ojeda.
