Tattooed Librarians & Archivists
Hidden by white gloves, camouflaged by cardigans, or somewhere above sensible shoes is the tattooed librarian, archivist, or curator. Submit your ink today!
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Librarian/Archivist/Historian - public library (multiple hats)
Washington State
The two ladies are based on some friezes on the facade of The Field Museum in Chicago, where I worked in the anthropology department and later the library. The flowers are associated with important people and events in my life.
All work was done by Partrick Cornolo at Speakeasy Custom Tattoo in Chicago. If anyone is looking for an artist/studio in Chicago, I highly recommend both - they were great to work with and worth the wait.
Photo blurry is thanks to awesome natural hot springs action. If you are in Washington, nearish to Seattle, check out Goldmyer Hot Springs - it’s an easy 5 mile hike in and has beautiful camp sites. Only 20 reservations a day, so it doesn’t get crowded or dirty.
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Hello to all our new followers. I hope you’re liking what you’ve seen so far here. We would like to invite you to submit your own ink. This is a community-run tumblr, so we will only keep growing if our tattooed followers keep submitting photos of their awesome work. If you have any questions about submission, or if you would like to email the blog admin to submit photos on your behalf, send us a message.
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I’m a recent MLIS grad with a concentration in archives. I currently work as a History Associate at the ACLU.
This is my first tattoo, and I got it right after I graduated. It’s on the top/side of my foot. I got it to show my love of books and the written word. Done at Black Metal Tattoo in Strongsville, Ohio.
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Position Title: A Newly Minted Master of Library Science with a concentration in Archives Management looking for jobs and working in tech support in the meantime.
Type of Repository: While I’m currently not working in the field, I have experience in Academic and Public Libraries and well as interning in several Archival repositories.
Location: Boston, MA
My Tattoo:
But then there was a star danced, and under that was I born.
-Beatrice, Much Ado About Nothing, Act II, scene i, lines 140-1.
I got this at the Boston Tattoo Convention summer of 2010 by Moose Tattoos and Piercings.
I wrote my undergraduate thesis on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. I’d loved the play before and was completed obsessed with it after. Beatrice is my favorite character, filling each scene with life, spunk, and humor like no other character I have ever read. This line embodies her spirit best, I feel - laughing in the face of adversity and pain. I wanted to keep a piece of the play with me, to grow as I grow.
I also feel this line pretty much sums up my personality in one sentence.
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A grainy Happy New Years shot of my upper back piece. My 2012 resolution is to collect more Librarian, Archivist, and Curator tattoo photos - make it yours to submit some!
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Old and busted - my first tattoos. When asked I often make up what these say (favorites include ‘left’ and ‘right’ or ‘youthful indiscretion’). In reality they mean ‘snake’ (got that when I was 14) and ‘tortoise’ (done when I was 15) - what that meant to me 15 years ago has kind of evaporated over time.
It makes me smile when someone can actually read them because it puzzles them even more. There was a period of time when I hated talking about these tattoos; now I love them because their original meaning is no longer relevant so I am free to reinvent what they are as I please. I briefly considered removing them or covering them with something else, but in the end have opted to let them fade and age as I do. After all they are a part of my story, why change them?
In the spirit of the blog, about me:
Location - Chicago
Type of repository - Library and Archives in the private sector
Position title - Director of Library and Archives
That’s all for now - at some point I will get some decent photos of my other work (not easy when you always play the role of the photographer and the bulk of your work is on your back). In the meantime be sure to submit your tattoos!
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Position title: New archives grad currently working tech support to pay the bills.
Type of repository: I’ve had a bit of experience interning at academic archives and special collections, a bit of experience on research projects. Ideally I’d like to work in archives and special collections, but I’m also interested in science/medical librarianship (and just about everything else).
Location: Boston, MA
My Tattoos:
This was my undergraduate graduation present to myself. The blue lotus on my back represents the ephemeral and illusive nature of existence. Yes, this was during my pretentious writer hipster phase. Photo courtesy of my good friend AJ Kane. Additional context here.
I got this before I went to library school to remind me that no matter how dark and how lost I get, I can always find my way back home. These little symbols are on white paint on the roads in Portland to show bicycle routes. No matter how dark it was outside or no matter how turned around I got, if I saw them on the road, I would eventually find my way home. Photo courtesy of my shaky hands and a digital camera my uncle got me one Christmas. Additional context here.
