Leslie Fields
Head of Special Collections Public Services
Leslie (she/her/hers) manages an inclusive public services program that includes curricular and co-curricular teaching, research support in the Special Collections reading room and via email, outreach, events, and exhibitions. She leads a team of professionals and student assistants, incorporating the expertise of the team in setting priorities and doing excellent work together. They aim to fulfill the Smith College Special Collections mission of providing meaningful access for active engagement with world-renowned collections in the history of activism on behalf of women and other gender minorities.
Prior to joining the Smith College Libraries, Leslie was Head of Archives and Special Collections at Mount Holyoke College. She began her career at The Morgan Library & Museum as a curator in the Department of Literary and Historical Manuscripts.
Committees
Events and Outreach Team, Exhibitions Team, Managers Team
Areas of Professional Interest
Curricular and co-curricular primary source instruction methods; accessibility and abolition in special collections; exploring how mission-driven organizations can matter more to more people; planning meaningful work events and meetings
Areas of Personal Interest
Understanding college admissions and financial aid; the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival; museum exhibitions; reading anything written by Catherine Newman; discovering new restaurants in Prague
Education
Subject Specialties
Archives and special collections
History of women in higher education