I remember at the start of February lamenting that it would be my last Monday working from home. Knowing that the upcoming weeks were going to be extremely busy, I relished in the quiet of getting Museum work done in the comfort of my home. Now, let’s fast-forward two months.
What are some of the challenges I have been facing working from home? When you’re sitting in one spot working for an extended period at home, you start to notice things. Patchwork in a hidden spot that was never repainted, a glob of red paint on the white ceiling, how you should clean the light over your head. How long has it been like that? But that’s not all. I am an avid gardener, and there are many things coming up in the garden right now! It’s very tempting to spend my days outside tending to all of the new sprouts.
Has the joy of working from home worn off yet? Not quite. I enjoy settling in with a mug of coffee and my favourite news program on in the background, and there is a lot more sunshine at home than in my little corner of the programming office.
One thing that I definitely miss about coming in to the office is access to our amazing archival collection. As the Visitor Experience Coordinator, I do a lot of outreach programming for our visitors, who aren’t necessarily physically able to come down to the Museum. This means that I am continually revisiting our PowerPoint lectures to ensure they are up to date and the information is correct. Being able to use unique, primary sources is one of the best ways to convey this information. Currently I am getting ready for to share information about Thomas Henry’s grandchildren. There is a wealth of genealogical material in the collection that is useful for comparing data, now listed on ancestry.com. I can’t wait to share this with the public, because I have found the extended Henry family just as noteworthy as the ancestors.
Until then, here are some photos of my workspaces at home – either my kitchen table, or my wait too comfortable chair and a half, usually accompanied by my cat Olaf.
COVID-19 in Oshawa 