A Thursday like so many others. For hours, the only sounds in the office are the rustling of paper and the tapping of a keyboard. Kristien Bogaert and Annemarie (Mieke) De Nijs are working on the Amsab-ISG biographical files. This is an old collection of nearly ten thousand folders containing articles, clippings, and index cards of all shapes and sizes.
A folder can sometimes contain two, but sometimes ninety documents. These often include duplicates, sometimes redundant notes, or documents without source citations. Mieke retrieves the documents from the folders one by one, examines them, checks for duplicates, numbers them with a pencil, and enters a brief description on the computer. This is essential preparatory work so the next volunteer can do their work. Kristien takes over the cleaned and organized folder and processes the documents in the online ODIS database by typing in information or sometimes by adding a scan of the documents.
The two women have been working their way through the stack of files for years, Kristien since 2018 and Mieke since last year, when she replaced the previous volunteer, Jacqueline. About a third of the biographical collection has been fully processed; we hope to be over halfway there by the end of this year. There's still a ways to go.
But our volunteers aren't limited to these files. Many Amsab employees have already identified the busy bees. Kristien has also transcribed interviews, entered diamond cutters' records, and inventoried CD-ROMs.
And it doesn't stop at work; with volunteers, there's always room for a social break. No one is allowed to touch the plants in the office, and occasionally, a dirty coffee cup gets washed anyway. The women come to exhibitions, receptions, and join city walks. Unless, of course, it's snowed or the wind is too strong. One can't ask for too much.
But really, nothing is too much to ask. So thank you, Kristien and Mieke, and all the other volunteers who live and work at Amsab-ISG and go the extra mile, and with endless patience, do so much valuable work. May it continue for many years to come!
