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. The 'Working from Home' edition focuses on how researchers, through the challenges created by COVID-19, continue to use the Library’s resources remotely.

Lisa Kingstone teaches sociology at Montclair State University. Before returning to the United States, she joined the faculty of King’s College London for seven years teaching Race, Privilege and Identity in the Development Department. Lisa is the author of Fading Out Black and White: Racial Ambiguity in American Culture.

What research are you working on?  

I’m working on a mixed methods study of a class of 15 children, the first group to be desegregated from kindergarten through high school. The town of Berkeley, California volunteered to begin bussing students the fall of 1968 after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. I’m tracing how this experience affected the children’s ability to socially integrate across racial lines. I’m currently conducting interviews with the now middle-aged cohort to explore how this affected their adult lives. I’m particularly interested in how racially mixed their adult life has been. I’m asking about the impact of this early experience on their adult identities. Since I was part of that class, I will be a participant observer.

What resources are you using for your research?    

The NYPL is like having a genie in a bottle. Before COVID, I requested books at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building and they would magically appear on my assigned shelf in Scholar Room 217. Now I still have access to Library resources online although I miss sitting with the books. When COVID ends, I plan on looking at protest materials in the Library. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture collections are infinite. 

What tabs do you currently have open on your computer? 

Yoga with Adrienne—16 minutes for flexibility, Berkeley: A History of Disobedience - in pictures, Charles Wollenberg’s Berkeley: A City in History.

Have you discovered a great online resource you've never used before?    

The Berkeley Revolution: A Digital Archive of the East Bay's Transformation in the Late-1960s & 1970s. It has journals from a woman living on the street and beautiful black and white photos of street life in the 1960s by unknown photographers.

What's your working from home set up?    

I have a comfortable chair, legs propped up on a footstool. My computer sits atop a  tower of pillows. I look out longingly at NYC.

What research tools could you not live without?    

I use Cite This For Me to keep track of my books and articles. I love not having to track down citations at the end. Otherwise, I’m pretty low tech.

What's your favorite distraction or snack when working from home?    

Crunchy things like Dang Thai Rice chips or popcorn with sour cherries. Distraction: FlavCity, a father cooking with his two year old.  

Are you using NYPL Library collections to research from home? We’d love to hear about your work! Not familiar with our online collections? Whether you'd like a quick introduction to our newspapers, journals, or e-books, or if you need help with something more specific, our online consultations take advantage of screen-sharing technology so we can show you exactly how and where to find things and recommend titles relevant to your work.

Just let us know what you need help with and we'll be in touch to schedule a time.