The Greek American Folklore Society (Astoria, NY) is home to the extensive and as-yet uncatalogued Paul Ginis Costume Collection. Approximately 250 traditional Greek folk costumes, in addition to a trove of scholarly literature and cultural artifacts, comprise the collection. This research examines what a long-awaited catalog for the Ginis collection might look like; this project is the product of a design exercise in the conceptualization of such a catalog. It does not endeavor to produce such a catalog, nor to even begin the cataloging process. Rather, it aims to identify essential features of a future Ginis catalog, prepare for likely challenges in creating it, and locate sources of inspiration/precedent and extant classification resources. The principle of cultural warrant is central to the project and, I argue, will likewise be central to the eventual cataloging of the Ginis collection. This design exercise and the resulting deliverables were undertaken with the intention of continuing this research throughout and beyond my LIS education at Pratt Institute.

Sophie Albanis

Sophie Albanis

Sophie Albanis is a student librarian, an editor, and a researcher of translated and comparative literature, cultural heritage, and linguistics. She holds a BA in gender studies and English literature from the University of Oregon and, upon finishing her MLIS at Pratt School of Information, hopes to pursue subject or reference librarianship, special collections, digital humanities, bibliography, and genealogy. When away from work and school, she reads novels, learns languages, and collects Betty Boop memorabilia.