Our production team: working in the labs and at home

By Linda Lam, Laura Nguyen, Tati Scutelnic, and Astrid J. Smith

As the daily work of Stanford Library’s Digital Production Group (DPG) is primarily hands-on, imaging and performing post-production work on images of collections materials, making the switch to working from home while sheltering in place has taken patience, flexibility, and creativity. Coordinators and imaging specialists Astrid J. Smith and Linda Lam decided that it would be a particularly good time to come up with a unique project that would allow lab staff to draw from their own skills, interests, and imaginations. They asked members Laura Nguyen and Tati Scutelnic to collaborate and create content that showcased what we all do in the labs and what we have been doing while at home. The two lit up at the opportunity, and the resulting work beautifully represents the team and also shows how meaningful the reflection exercise has been to everyone involved. “This project has allowed me to connect with others on a level I wouldn’t have in the lab, especially since I’ve recently joined the team about a month before shelter-in-place,” said Nguyen. “I’ve learned so much about my peers, their projects and whether they are dog or cat people. I’ve had the pleasure of chatting and collaborating with Tati through our Zoom meetings and together we created a stunning visual about our lab and the people who make it what it is. Though working remotely is physically distancing, it has brought me closer to my peers in a different way through virtual communication.”  

Below are the photographs and designs by Laura Nguyen and Tati Scutelnic, along with captions they collected from DPG lab staff in their own words.