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By Keila Santa '25
We’re excited to welcome Julia Klukoff to the Henry Whittemore Library as our newest library archives assistant. To help the campus community get to know her, I asked Julia a few questions about her background, interests, and what excites her most about archival work. Read on to learn more!
What is your name and where are you from?
My name is Julia Klukoff. I grew up in South Jersey, just outside of Philadelphia. I went to college in Western Massachusetts and I've lived in the Boston area since 2022.
What are you passionate about?
My greatest passion at the moment is birds! I love bird-watching, learning about birds, and reading about birds. You can find me craning my neck up at a tree somewhere pretty much every weekend, even when it's really cold. I'm also very passionate about literature and history! I love to read, particularly queer historical fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. My undergraduate thesis was focused on 17th- and 18th-century lesbian poetry and culture and I'll go on for hours about it (and birds too) if you let me!
What was your background like before coming to Framingham State University?
I have a BA in English with a minor in Gender Studies from Mount Holyoke College as well as an MLIS with a concentration in Archives Management from Simmons University. I've worked/interned/volunteered in a few other institutions, including the Marblehead Museum, Woburn Public Library, and MIT Libraries. I also currently work as a Project Archivist at the Concord Free Public Library, in addition to my Archives Assistant position here at FSU.
What interests you most about working in archives?
Archives are the gateways to our histories, physical or otherwise. It's particularly important to me that marginalized histories are preserved and made available—shared historical knowledge is community resilience. While my work experience has mainly been "behind the scenes" (processing materials rather than working directly with patrons), I'm fulfilled by the knowledge that my preparing a collection for public use might engender a sense of discovery, emotional connection, and greater awareness.
Are there any exciting special collections or projects you’ll be working on?
Currently, I'm working on reorganizing the university records portion of the archives. This includes ensuring that there are record groups for all offices, divisions, departments, and organizations (and ensuring that their names are up-to-date). I'm also working on housing any backlogged materials with existing collections in which they belong. Once this is complete, I will be updating finding aids to reflect these changes.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work? Any hobbies?
Besides birding, I love to read, play board games, cook and bake, go to museums, and spend time in nature. I'm also a big fan of theatre and musicals!
Any book or movie/TV show recommendations? Tell us about your favorites!
My favorite author is Shirley Jackson, so I highly recommend anything by her---We Have Always Lived in the Castle is my favorite. I also really like TJ Klune, Toni Morrison, Alice Oseman, Alison Bechdel, and Mary Oliver. Here are some of my all-time recommendations:
For TV shows, I'm a loyal viewer of RuPaul's Drag Race, so I recommend that for sure. Some other favorite TV shows are Daria, Heartstopper, and Doctor Who.
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