When it comes to career opportunities, January has often been a month of exciting transitions for me.  In I995, I returned in January to my alma mater to work in the Reference Department at Simpson Library, and later in 2003, again in January, accepted a new position in Special Collections & University Archives. For almost two decades, I’ve had the privilege to work with students, faculty and colleagues on many interesting projects that showcase and make accessible the Library’s unique collections. Much of that work I have shared here with you in our Departmental blog.

As January of this year approached so did a new opportunity—the position of Interim University Librarian. With the recent retirement of former director, Rosemary Arneson, came the offer to lead the Library and its staff in our mission to provide excellent service and resources to the UMW community. Angie Kemp, who many of you know from her postings here and work on digital projects, has been appointed the new Interim Head of Special Collections & University Archives. You will hear more from Angie, as she takes on the leadership of the Department.

I am grateful for the time I spent in Special Collections & University Archives and look back with pride at how much the Department has grown and evolved, providing more access, instruction, mentoring, outreach, preservation, and services.

Select highlights include:

Expansion of our digital presence from a single collection of photographs created during the 2008 Centennial Celebration

to our current digital presence which spans content across three repositories:

Initiating the Special Collections & University Archives Internship program:

Numerous exhibitions and preservation projects:

Teaching the Historic Preservation Department’s Archives & Society class and collaborating  with faculty to engage students across the curriculum with our unique collections:

And best of all working with wonderful students, faculty, researchers, and colleagues!!!

As I embark on my new position, I look forward to still working with Special Collections & University Archives and fostering its continued development—partnering in this new chapter together!

 

Welcome back to the start of another semester in These Unprecedented Times.  

Many of us are anxious, depressed, confused, angry, hurt, stressed, lonely, or all the above. We are all very tired. But amid so much pressing and constant uncertainty, sometimes hopeful conversations emerge. Folks talk about how to help, how to change, and how to move forward to something better. 

In the University Archives, we spend a lot of time looking back. Scholars, historians, and other researchers who use our collections tend to look at our place in a historical context. When I started thinking about this blog, I did the same; I looked back at our history. I wanted to take a look back at the way we moved forward once before.

100 years ago, our country and the world found themselves emerging from the dual tragedies of a crippling World War and a different global pandemic. Our community likely had to grapple with a new normal then, and had to determine how they would adapt to the change. While we here in 2021 think about what our future might look like, we can also take a moment to turn back and consider what we looked like emerging into the twenties of last century. 

It’s remarkable to see the differences, and yet still notice how some things stay so familiar. 

A student alone in her room in 1920 strikes a recognizable pose for those of us here on the other side of 2020. We’re continuing to distance to keep each other safe, which means a lot of alone time for many of us. Depending on your situation, however, time alone might be a luxury.

Whether distancing alone or safely with family or “pods,” many of our students today stay active as a means of managing stress and finding some fun. Group sports might be a little complicated these days, but Mary Washington students have always found joy in play, whether it’s wearing a mask to work out in the Fitness Center, attending a group fitness class over Zoom, or donning a full calf-length dress for a basketball game. 

Those of us on campus in Fredericksburg might see some shades of the familiar in the photo below. Campus might have fewer Model-T Fords driving by these days, but the steps of Monroe Hall coated in snow is a sight you could see right now. However, now that we’ve adapted so well to virtual learning and working environments, the traditional snow day might be a thing of the past!

Campus today is blanketed with snow but few students. But if you happen to be here, and you should find yourself considering picking up a sled and hitting Trench Hill between remote learning sessions and Zoom meetings, remember that your mask doubles as a face-warmer!

If you’ve been on campus recently, in addition to the recent snowfall, you may have also noticed a few changes around Virginia Hall. Mary Washington’s second-oldest residence hall is undergoing renovation to modernize the facilities for our residential students while preserving the architectural legacy of the building.  

Virginia Hall has been an adaptable building since its first phase of construction in 1914. As shown in the image above, it once housed the library. We’re looking forward to seeing the newest iteration of Virginia Hall and all it can offer to a new generation of students when it reopens in the near future.

100 years from now, I wonder what we will see. What changes are we making in our community today that will make an impact for tomorrow?

All images courtesy of The Centennial Image Collection, University of Mary Washington Special Collections and University Archives.

The fall semester is just around the corner and Special Collections & University Archives staff have been busy working on plans to safely welcome you back to the Digital Archiving Lab (DAL). While these plans are subject to change in accordance with campus policies, you can always stay up-to-date on our operating status by visiting our departmental webpage, or simply reach out to us via email or phone (540-654-1756). Although appointments and consultations will look different this year, staff are still available to help you with your projects through a variety of methods.

The DAL will continue to offer a variety of hardware and software to help you complete digitization projects. Available equipment includes two flatbed scanners for the high-resolution digitization of documents, prints, and film, as well as an overhead rare book scanner for fragile, bound materials. The full Adobe Creative Cloud suite is available on multiple computers (Mac and Windows) in the DAL, providing access to software like Photoshop, Acrobat DC, and Premiere Pro.  

 

In an effort to provide as safe a workspace as possible, we have implemented several new procedures for using the DAL this year:

• Beginning August 24^th, the DAL will be open to UMW faculty, staff, and students by appointment only. Drop-in open hours will not be available this fall.
• Adherence to UMW’s COVID-19 Face Coverings/Masks Policy is required.
• Only one person may be in the DAL at a time, unless assistance from library staff is needed.
• Before your first appointment, completion of a brief orientation is required.  
• When possible, staff will provide training on software and equipment virtually. If needed, in-person training will be provided at a safe social distance in the DAL.
• There will be disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer available in the lab at all times.
• A key is still required for access to the lab. The key will be sanitized each time it is returned to the Circulation desk in Simpson Library.

Orientation and/or training videos will be provided as needed once an appointment is scheduled. You can book your appointment with the Digital Resources Librarian online, or by sending an email. As always, please let us know if you have any questions!

As Special Collections & University Archives staff enter the 12th week of working remotely during this global pandemic, I wanted to aggregate and share the digital repositories and collections that you can explore online to gain access to our many unique materials. With so much available content, it can often be confusing deciding where to begin your search.

Frequently when I get a research question, I start by going to this listing of our digital collections. You can use this page as a portal to access our more specific digitized collections. For instance, if your question is related to the earlier history of the University, start with a search in Eagle Explorer, an interactive full-text search tool of many of the University’s publications. You can discover student newspaper articles as well as yearbooks and academic catalogs through the years.

Much of UMW’s recent history is now published online and can be found by searching through UMW’s Web Archives. For the last six years, the SC&UA Department has been archiving the University’s online content in accordance with our mission to preserve UMW’s history. This includes the University’s main website, athletics sites, social media accounts and more.

If you are looking for specific digitized collections, like the James L. Farmer Collection  or UMW Blogs, or are searching for oral histories and extensive visual materials, our Digital Collections repository is the stop.

Curious about the latest student and faculty scholarship? Check out  Eagle Scholar. This repository is home to over 2,500 creative and scholarly open-access works by the UMW community. Quick links are provided to the most downloaded items in the collection as well as to recent additions. Eagle Scholar is also the repository for UMW’s 5,000+ herbarium collection. A wonderful collection of digitized specimens to peruse during your days inside.

Finally an oft-overlooked resource and one of my favorites, our Online Exhibits and Projects site which includes Artifacts in the University Archives, as well as various thematic exhibits created from our collection materials.

Lots of online sources to navigate and explore!  If there are resources you need to access that are not available here, contact us at 540-654-1752 or email archives@umw.edu. The SC&UA team is continuing to work remotely and here to assist you. We also have an Accessing Special Collections & University Archives Materials During the COVID-19 Pandemic guide detailing collection access during this period.

We miss seeing everyone in the Research Room. Stay healthy and stay safe!

Written by  Caitlin DeMarco, Library Assistant

Many people come to Special Collections & University Archives (SC&UA) with questions of all shapes and sizes. Over the years, we have begun noticing that some questions come up more than others. So I would like to answer some of our Frequently Asked Questions! 

Can I look through things in the Special Collections & University Archives room? 

You absolutely can! Check out the hours we are open here. You can also call or email us to set up a longer research appointment. The usage rules are a little different from the rest of the library, because of the value, uniqueness, and condition of some of the items in the collection – for example, a member of the library staff will bring your requested item to you at the research table. 

 

Where are the undergraduate departmental honors papers? 

While we have many bound honors papers in SC&UA, you can find most post-2008 papers online at Eagle Scholar! Eagle Scholar is the library’s digital repository, holding both faculty and student research projects. You can locate undergraduate and graduate student research projects here.  

When did Mary Washington become coed? 
While a small number of men attended Mary Washington previously (particularly right after WWII), Mary Washington College for a time was considered the female campus integrated with the University of Virginia. In September 1969, the U.S. District Court outlawed gender discrimination in admissions policy at both schools. Mary Washington College officially became coeducational with the enrollment of 22 male transfer students in the 1970-1971 school year. The first male students graduated in 1972.

Do we have to wear white gloves to handle things? 
Usually not! Though you may see them on TV, white gloves can cause small amounts of damage to paper and other materials. We ask that you diligently wash your hands with soap and water, and dry them well, before coming to Special Collections to handle something. The only time you may be asked to wear gloves is when handling photographs or metal objects (which are more susceptible to the oils on your hands).

Do you have [insert object here]? 
We may have it, but your first place to check is our search box at libraries.umw.edu/specialcollections/. You can also check the links to the right side of that page. If you need help, you can email or call us using the information in the ‘Contact Us’ box.

What is the coolest thing you have in the collection? 
It’s impossible to choose! We have beanie hats, Devil–Goat Day memorabilia, the James Joyce collection, and student newspapers and yearbooks…there are too many things to choose from! You will just have to drop by Special Collections and University Archives to see if you can find your coolest thing.

UMW’s Records Management program has a new home here in Special Collections and University Archives! 

So, what does that mean? 

As an agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia, UMW is required to follow the guidelines set forward by the Virginia Public Records Act. The Library of Virginia establishes retention and disposition schedules for different types of records based on their content, and agency records officers (like me!) help make sure our records are maintained by their standards and process the necessary forms. 

Essentially, our records management program assists records custodians across UMW with maintaining their records. This includes figuring out what we have and where we have it, where and how we should keep records, and what to do with the things we don’t need any more.  

That’s right—you can get rid of stuff! 

Lots of us have the “better safe than sorry” mentality when it comes to our records. It makes sense that we would want to keep all available documentation to prove something—like a purchase or an action—that we might be called on to justify years down the road. However, this isn’t always the case, and can sometimes even be a liability. While some records are permanently retained, many materials governed by state retention schedules can and should be destroyed at the expiration of the retention period. This might mean shredding, incinerating, permanent deletion, or some other method, depending on the nature of the record.  

At this point, you may be wondering: What is a record? Good question! 

The technical definition goes something like this: a record is recorded information documenting a transaction or activity by or with any agent of the commonwealth (if you work for UMW, you are an agent of the commonwealth). Regardless of physical form or characteristics, the information is a public record if it is produced, collected, received, or retained in connection with the transaction of public business. This generally means that the recorded information can be anything on paper, audio, video, or digital/electronic. If it’s part of state business, it’s a record! 

For further clarification, the LVA created a handy flowchart to help determine when a document is a public record.

We hope to have lots of new, helpful resources for our UMW community available soon as we work on building up our Records Management program, but there are several useful links throughout this blog if you’re curious to learn more. Check our Special Collections and University Archives website for any updates and announcements. You’re also always welcome to reach out to us at records@umw.edu if you have any questions!