The ArQuives is a volunteer-run organization, relying on many people who generously give their time and expertise to maintain the archives. Periodically, we will feature one of our volunteers to highlight the people and work that go into keeping our stories alive. This edition: Adam Dunn
How long have you been a volunteer with The ArQuives?
I have been a volunteer since 2005.
What work do you do at The ArQuives?
The job I started doing is book labelling. When the librarian has organized and catalogued the books, I will create the label that goes on the spine, attach it, and shelve the books. Along with this comes the job of listing incoming book donations for our files.
I expanded my role to include selling our duplicate books on eBay. Like many organizations that accept donations there is a lot of duplication in the material we receive and selling them on eBay lets the organization get a fair market value for what can turn out to be some pretty rare items.
What are some highlights from your time volunteering at the archives?
One of the highlights of my time volunteering was a time I listed a few pulp paperback books. I enjoy looking at the covers and handling the books and I remember one had a plot where an evil scientist had put something in the drinking water that turned all the men of the world gay. I’m not an expert at pricing and was very surprised when the book ended up selling for over $550!
Another item I remember selling was a 10 year complete run of DRUM magazine, a gay publication from the 1960’s. We sold it to someone in Ottawa for over $3,000.
What do you enjoy most about volunteering at the archives?
The parts of the volunteering I like most are the people I work with and getting to handle these rare items and not have to buy them or bring them home for my husband to complain about the bookshelf getting too full and falling over and killing the cat.
On July 5, 2014, Adam (right) married his partner Shin Ideguchi at Toronto City Hall.
Congratulations, Adam and Shin!