Learn more about library archivist Jacqueline Silver-Morillo

Jacqueline Silver-Morillo is the Senior Librarian and Archivist for the Atlantic City Free Public Library and its AC Heritage Collections Archive, a unique archive that includes information and research materials about Atlantic City's cultural, economic, social, and historical development.

She has been the Archivist for the last seven years. During those years, she has been able to work with a diverse group of researchers around the world on the subject of Atlantic City as well as create a digital repository for the archive. She was promoted to Senior Librarian in 2023. She is also a curator for The Atlantic City Experience located in Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.

She received her MA in Museology from Johns Hopkins University in 2012 and MS in Library and Information Science with a concentration in Archives Management from Simmons University in 2019. While getting through the pandemic, she became a Certified Archivist with The Academy of Certified Archivists (ACA) in 2020.

What are some of your library accomplishments you’re most proud of?
• Atlantic City Heritage Collections Digital Repository
• AC Research Club
• Opening of The Atlantic City Experience at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
• New Jersey Council for the Humanities Community History Grant
• Atlantic City Black History Month Poster Exhibit

What does an archivist do? What does a typical day look like for you?
Archivists preserve and manage historical and cultural records, and make them available to the public and researchers.
Their responsibilities include:
• Preservation: Safeguarding original materials, such as documents, photographs, maps, films, and computer records
• Organization: Classifying and arranging archival materials, and creating guidelines for each collection piece
• Accessibility: Setting policies for public access to materials, and helping people access records
• Acquisition: Finding and acquiring new materials for the archives
• Maintenance: Creating and managing systems for preserving electronic records, and updating archival databases
• Appraisal: Authenticating and appraising historical documents and materials
• Description: Creating descriptions for each collection piece

What made you interested in becoming an archivist?
So, I decided to go to graduate school and pursue museology (museum studies). I received my master of arts (M.A.) in museology from Johns Hopkins University in 2012. While I was taking my seminar, I discovered what an archive was and what it could be used for. It was a combination of everything I loved from research, history, museums, libraries, organization, etc.

What information and items are part of the library’s Atlantic City Heritage Collections archives?
The Atlantic City Heritage Collections include information and research materials about Atlantic City’s unique cultural, economic, social and historical development. The collections include both published and unpublished works. The archive is about 2,200 square feet which is located on the first floor of the Library. We also have a storage area that is on the second floor as well as two off-site storage containers. The archive contains photos, postcards, documents, books, directories, yearbooks, maps, newspapers (dating back to 1873), artifacts, a digital repository and more..

What is the coolest thing that the library has in its archives?
A cannonball from the Civil War that we believe was donated by the historian Alfred M. Heston.

Who reaches out to you for research assistance?
We get all types of visitors from students, authors, documentarians, architectural historians, patrons looking for information about their family or the history of the city, and genealogists.

What is one of the most popular topics that people come to you about?
Trying to search their family history

What are your favorite things about your job?
My co-workers are all awesome. I could not do my job if it were not for them. I also love it when I help a researcher or find something that they could not find, and you hear the joy in their voices or see it on their faces. It just makes my day.