This spring, Watzek Library welcomed Head of Special Collections and College Archivist Hannah Crummé. Get to know Hannah in the interview below:
Please tell us a little about yourself.
I grew up in Portland and Corvallis, then completed undergrad at Pomona College in Claremont, California. I’ve lived in London for the past decade, where I completed my MA and PhD in early modern literary history. I spent the past two years at The National Archives, working on the events that surround the commemoration of 400 years of Shakespeare.
Before working at Lewis & Clark, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
I worked at The National Archives of the United Kingdom, curating an exhibition focused on Shakespeare’s life in early modern London. I worked with 400-year-old governmental documents to create an exhibition narrative that was compelling for a show at Somerset House in central London.
If you could interview one person (dead or alive) who would it be?
I’m conscious that there are a lot of unanswered questions about Shakespeare—I’m very aware of these—so my impulse might be to speak to him. However, my research interest really focuses on Jane Dormer, a sixteenth century woman and important mediator of the war between England and Spain that resulted in the Armada of 1588. One of very few English women living in Spain at the time, and certainly the most influential, Dormer shaped the nature of the American colonies, as well as the political and religious cultures of Europe. I am eager to learn as much about Dormer and her influence as possible.
What did you want to be when growing up?
I wanted to be a detective. Throughout my career as an academic, as a curator, and as a special collections librarian, research has been a key element of every day. Particularly at TNA, where I discovered several previously unknown documents relating to Shakespeare’s life, I felt I followed clues that helped me understand things about history. As such, although I’m very much not a detective, I do feel like elements of this career shadow the life I have constructed.
What kinds of hobbies and interests do you have outside of work?
I run! And I chat over tea. That’s really all I do!
