NYPL Researcher Spotlight: Melissa Hope Ditmore

This profile is part of a series of interviews chronicling the experiences of researchers who use The New York Public Library's collections for the development of their work

Melissa Ditmore is the author of Unbroken Chains: The Hidden Role of Human Trafficking in the American Economy and the editor of Encyclopedia of Prostitution and Sex Work. She is a research consultant on gender, migration, health, and human rights. She has been a sex workers’ rights activist for 25 years.

Tell us about your research project.

I’m working on a history of NYC’s Committee of Fourteen. The Committee started as a temperance group at the end of the 19th century and then in 1905 broadened its focus to morality, especially sexual morality. 

When did you first get the idea for your research project? 

A friend and I were discussing sex work in NYC history, so the Committee of Fourteen came up. She pointed out that even though the Committee of Fourteen is an important part of many books, there is no single book about the Committee of Fourteen itself. 

What brought you to NYPL? 

No matter who you are, the library is for you, even if you are so young you can’t see the top of the librarian’s desk. I’ve been coming to the library since my first-grade teacher assigned getting a library card for homework. Today, the holdings bring me to NYPL. NYPL holds the Committee of Fourteen records, alongside the Women's Prison Association of New York records, and many additional relevant materials. I had been spending approximately a day each week in Manuscripts and Archives. My friend Jo Weldon was researching her next book in the Center for Research in the Humanities shared research study rooms. She told me about them and encouraged me to apply, and now I’m here in a study room. 

What's your favorite spot in the library?

It’s hard to pick just one. In the study room, resources arrive on my shelf without personal interaction, as if delivered by elves or brownies, but it was the Manuscripts and Archives staff that made me love working at NYPL. M&A staff helped and encouraged me in my first use of the archives, and of course all the library staff in other rooms have been as helpful. The Treasures exhibition on the ground floor makes for a lovely break from work. The Rose Main Reading Room is exceptionally beautiful. My favorite spots will change as I explore more of the library.

Describe your research routine.

The only fixed parts of my routine are bicycling to the library and back downtown. Otherwise, every day is different. I use different resources in multiple places. I go upstairs to look at the books I have on my shelf, taking notes on my laptop as I go. Having the materials at hand is a great luxury. My computer holds all my notes and pictures of archival material. When I have a list of names of individuals involved with or affected by the Committee, I look them up in census and other databases in another room of the library. The Photography Collection contains jewels! I look forward to exploring early 20th-century NYC maps, too. 

What research tools could you not live without?

NYPL librarians are the greatest resource! They show me all the tools I use. Now I am using the census records, but there will be more that will help me later on. I had no idea of the vastness of NYPL's holdings, and I could not navigate them without professional help.

How do you maintain your research momentum?

Chocolate helps. I have a number of other projects that take me away from the library. In the interim, I plan my next visit. I am always eager when I get back to NYPL. 

What's your favorite distraction?

People watching at the library. The ever-changing constant flow of people—tourists, children, people looking for Winnie-the-Pooh, librarians, guards, event-goers, people looking for a book, researchers, people looking for a water fountain—it’s like Grand Central Terminal! The whole world and her uncle come through. 

What tabs do you currently have open on your computer?

Which hundred would you like to know about? A search of NYPL digitized photographs, Tracy Quan’s latest radio interview, a podcast featuring scholar Lauren Levitt on sex work and feminism, and my latest pre-print.

Is there anything you'd like to tell someone looking to get started?

Research a topic you never tire of, because it can be a long process. You will become obsessed with your topic. Don’t get discouraged when you can’t find something, or if archival items are lost. There will be more to find. 

Have we left anything out that you’d like to tell other researchers?

• Avail yourself of all the resources. There are more than you know! 
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The librarians will find things far more quickly. 
• If NYPL doesn’t have it, the staff knows how to access it.
• Go down rabbit holes (but choose them wisely). You will learn and you may find something important.
• Keep listening to others, especially if you become totally focused on your research. Unexpected sources offer fascinating information and insight.