EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT - MEET CLARE BEBBINGTON : Atlantic County Library System

Meet Clare Bebbington

Employee Spotlight

When not working behind the Reference Desk or in her office, Clare Bebbington sometimes participates in medieval reenacting.

Clare is a librarian in our Mays Landing Reference Center and is in charge of the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service. She has worked for the Atlantic County Library System for over 20 years.

In this Employee Spotlight, Clare discusses medieval reenacting.

What is medieval reenacting and how long have you been involved?
Medieval Reenacting is similar to the Civil War reenactors, except we reenact the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages is usually described as the historical period from 1000 - 1300 A.D.

I've been a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) for 10 years.

What is the Society for Creative Anachronism?
The Society for Creative Anachronism is an international organization dedicated to re-creating the arts and skills of the Middle Ages, primarily Europe. Members refer to it as the SCA. It has been around for 45 years.

Are there many SCA members in our area?
There are approximately 75 members in the Atlantic County and Cumberland County area.

Your costumes seem very authentic. Do you buy these or make your own?

Another of my hobbies is sewing, so I make my own. You can purchase garb (costumes) from merchants who specialize in them.

I have seven complete sets of garb - for all types of weather. I also have three capes. In SCA, I am an archer, and made my own quiver for my arrows.

I did purchase my hat and snood. A snood is worn under the hat.

Did you choose to be an archer, or does SCA assign roles to members?

People in the SCA can do whatever interests them. There are brewers, dancers, needleworkers, fighters, archers, thrown weapons, fencers and some who do equestrian sports.

Within the archers, there are 2 groups - target archers and combat archers. Combat archers are on the fighting field with the heavy fighters (the people in armor). I'm target archer. My bow is a 35 pound recurve.

What do you like most about your job as a reference librarian?
I enjoy working with patrons and helping them find answers to their questions. I also like the interaction I have with other libraries around the United States (and sometimes the world) using our interlibrary loan services.