Hello, I am Taryn Edwards
and I am a librarian and historian currently working for the Mechanics’ Institute of San Francisco. In addition to my professional duties I spend a lot of private time digging up history of the place and people associated with it. For the last several years I have been working on a biography of Andrew Smith Hallidie – a man most famous for being the “father” of the San Francisco cable car but perhaps should be better known for his contributions to California’s libraries and educational systems.
In addition, my research interests include San Francisco’s early libraries (there were lots!), industrial exhibitions and fairs, mechanics’ institutes worldwide, and the technological innovations that were born in the Bay Area. I am fascinated by the “mechanics” of writing in the digital age: how authors and historians manage their research, design their project’s structure, and use technology to supplement their workflow.