I come to research in PPL’s special collections and reference areas on a regular basis. I have found not only history but community. The friendships I have made with the collections and staff at the Library are some of my most valued relationships. I have also made many friends and connections through my time and investigations at PPL. The library is an important heart of this community–reminding us of where we have been and who we are. I have discovered worlds and been able to share those worlds with others. When I talk about the projects and discoveries I have made at and through PPL with others, I love to see that moment when their eyes go wide and their mouths open — they are struck with wonderment at the past — and so am I!
Kate Wells (Rhode Island Collections Curator) has become a dear friend and has from the beginning been a welcoming, professional, insightful resource to navigate the PPL collections. Jordan Goffin (Head Curator of Collections) has been equally welcoming and supportive with his insight and friendship — and he offered me the opportunity to create a historical booklet on the Providence Armory that has become an entry point for me into all sorts of research and storytelling. I am profoundly grateful to these two and many others at PPL.