Corrina Gordon

“A mixed background led me to the position of acting Research Librarian, Cartoons. I believe I really learnt to read from Disney comics, later progressing to Mad magazine and Tintin. I began to explore cartoonists such as Larson and Leunig in my teen years, and of course was familiar with ‘Footrot Flats’ from a fairly early age. But I really only came to know the collection held in the New Zealand Cartoon Archive once I began work in the Alexander Turnbull Library.

“My working background before becoming a librarian was first as a very part-time actor and then as a massage therapist, so quite a jump from there to here.

“My involvement in the Alexander Turnbull Library research enquiries team has been invaluable in dealing with researchers of cartoons, both with distance enquiries and face-to-face. In describing cartoons from the website I really drew on the research skills used when I was cataloguing an ephemera collection at the Auckland Museum library, to find a context for current cartoons.

“However, what I will most treasure about my time in this role is my interactions with the donors, the Drawings, Paintings and Prints team and the Arrangement and Description team. Cartoons are all about people – with such a great working group and the feedback from the cartoonists it considerably enriched the experience.”