POTW: Opening the Pocket Doors – Welcome to the Brooklyn Historical Society!

This week’s photo of the week shows Denise Joseph and Robert Kolinski greeting visitors to the Brooklyn Historical Society. I recently came across an interview, which features this photo, in the January-March 1990 issue of the Brooklyn Historical Society’s newsletter. In the interview, Kolinski, the first Visitor Services Manager at BHS, discusses the importance of his role – an office that didn’t exist before his employment. As BHS shifted its focus to exhibitions and educational programming, and began welcoming the community into what had previously been an exclusive institution, the need for a dedicated Visitor Services department became paramount. While the front desk staff handled admission fees, distributed museum materials, and answered questions, Kolinski emphasized another key role: “The putting at ease and the welcoming of a visitor is the crucial duty at hand. A visitor who feels comfortable at an institution is one who will share that feeling with other people, and those people will be encouraged to visit [as well].” 

For the Brooklyn Historical Society, this sentiment is particularly significant, as its landmark building is, and remains, imposing. What might seem like a magical, Harry Potter-esque setting to some can be intimidating to others. While all staff in such buildings need to be aware of this, it is especially crucial for the first people visitors encounter – those at the entrance – to make them feel at ease. Kolinski acknowledges this: 

“The reason why I believe that putting visitors at ease is so important is to compensate for the very nature of a library or museum. Most cultural institutions are built with the idea of eliciting feelings of reverence and respect for the objects or performances contained within—which is why the architecture of these buildings often approaches the grandeur of churches. For visitors, a feeling of awe can sometimes inhibit the learning and appreciation process. Some are even intimidated and avoid the experience altogether.” 

In other words, the architecture of such historic buildings can often contribute to a sense of exclusion, making it essential for the Visitor Services team to bridge this gap and ensure that every visitor feels welcomed. 

Today, our Welcome Services team is dedicated to fostering an environment where everyone feels they belong. They answer questions, provide accessibility tools, offer a free craft supplies cart, loan iPads for visitors to take our building tour, and stock the Community Corner. In the Community Corner, visitors can pick up information on community resources, zines (my personal favorite), and free harm reduction supplies such as hygiene products, condoms, and NARCAN. Alongside the efforts of other departments at CBH, the Welcome Services team strives to make this space accessible and comfortable for all visitors. As Kolinski remarked at the end of his interview: “The Society is about the people of Brooklyn; people should feel welcome in the halls of their own lives.” And we couldn’t agree more. 

The Brooklyn Historical Society Institutional Archive Project is generously funded by the Leon Levy Foundation. 

Interested in seeing more photos from CBH’s collections? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images, or the digital collections portal of Brooklyn Public Library. We welcome appointments to research our entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections. Our reference staff is available to help with your research! You can reach us at cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org.