ANNUAL REFLECTION
The end of the year -- time for looking back, taking stock of all we’ve accomplished, and practicing gratitude. I’ve been doing a lot of that lately. I’m grateful in particular to be here at the University of Richmond, writing these words as your new University Librarian and Vice President of Provost for Library Affairs. Since my first week on the job in August, the same week our newest class of Spiders arrived on campus, I’ve been continually reminded of how much there is to be grateful for.
THE MISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IS TO PROVIDE UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND STUDENTS WITH INFORMATION RESOURCES AND SERVICES THAT ENABLE THEM TO SUCCEED IN THEIR ACADEMIC PURSUITS.
THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES WILL WORK TOGETHER WITH OUR CAMPUS TO EMPOWER AND SUSTAIN A RESEARCH AND LEARNING COMMUNITY THAT IS INCLUSIVE, INTERCULTURAL, AND INNOVATIVE.
SERVING ALL SPIDERS
Access Services
Access services personnel should be aware of all services provided by the library in order to answer questions, promote services, and educate users. Questions may include where to find an item, where a specific space is located, or where to find a reference librarian. Personnel may also be charged with creating handouts, posters, or other marketing materials to enhance promotion on the front lines.
As Access Services employees are often the first individuals users interact with, personnel have a great opportunity to educate users about all the library offers, from promoting interlibrary loan services to making suggestions for collection purchases to taking in feedback on what events or services in which users are interested.
COUNT THE WAYS WE SERVE
making changes in our catalog
BUDGET, ACQUISITIONS, AND DISCOVERY
Removal & resistance: The Legacy of Wounded KneE
In Cataloging and Metadata we’re trying to work, like many other libraries, on making sure our subject vocabularies and records use ‘people-centered headings’ – using the language and terminologies that groups would use for themselves. So far one project focusing on American indigenous terms has involved changing headings to preferred alternatives that are either already in Library of Congress Subject Headings (i.e.,Indian women to Indigenous women) or creating local headings that we are planning to form into a local list of SHaccess points (i.e., Indians, Treatment of to Indigenous people,Treatment of). The latter especially applies to names of individual tribes and ethnic groups, which almost all still contain ‘Indians’ in LCSH.
This ongoing work was highlighted in a December-January display centered around the library's materials related to Wounded Knee. This included the Wounded Knee Massacre, (December 29, 1890), the American Indian Movement's renewed public attention to the massacre during a 1973 occupation of the site, and the September 2022 acquisition of the massacre site in a combined effort by the Oglala Lakota of Pine Ridge Reservation and the Cheyenne River Lakota.
Rare Books & Archive
The Galvin Rare Book Room is currently open for research by appointment only. Rare book and archival materials are made available to researchers but cannot be checked out or removed from the room. Researchers will be required to read and sign are searcher use form. Depending on the condition of the materials, in many cases digital cameras may be used, but arrangements can be made for digital reproductions as well.
Located on level B-1, the Galvin Rare Book Room houses some15,000 books, broadsides, manuscripts, maps, newspapers, music scores, facsimiles, and photographs, including manuscript and print materials dating from 1470 to the present. The eclectic and wide-ranging nature of the collection offers extensive opportunities for students and faculty to explore across the curriculum and for researchers to explore a tremendous variety of topics and resources. Areas of particular strength include: Richmond and Virginia history; the CivilWar; historic children’s literature; travel and exploration works; historic cookbooks and domestic guides; and works pertaining to the history of the book. Information concerning specific rare book materials and artists’ books can be located in the library catalog.
BOOK ARTS STUDIO
During 2012–2013, Boatwright Memorial Library at theUniversity of Richmond received a generous donation of the equipment and supplies of Shiu-Min Block, a professional bookbinder previously located in Connecticut. In September of2014, the library added a platen press, several cabinets of type, and letterpress equipment from local printer and print historian, David M. Clinger. These donations became the foundation of the University of Richmond’s growing Book Arts Studio
Designed to support our Book Arts studio, the Book Arts collection combines technical manuals, descriptive and historical works, and artists' books and creations. Artists' books are housed within the Galvin Rare Book room; more technical manuals and project guides are housed in the BookArts Studio, and more general descriptive works are located in the circulating collection. More information on individual items is available in the library catalog, and all are noted aspart of the Book Arts Collection, so that the collection may be searched as a whole.
Mapping Inequality
Digital Scholarship Lab
Redlining in New Deal America
The Digital Scholarship Lab has revolutionized access to historical information with its Mapping Inequality project. The online platform provides unprecedented visibility into the redlining maps produced between 1935 to 1940 by the HomeOwner’s Loan Corporation, the New Deal's most prominent agency.
The practice of redlining involves systematically denying service to residents of certain areas based on their race or ethnicity, such as mortgages, insurance loans, and other financial services. Eight decades later, redlining has had long-term effects on wealth, health, & environmental inequities. This project allows learners to explore the widespread effects of redlining in America.
This initiative has had a significant impact on scientists and journalists researching contemporary inequities, particularly environmental and health disparities rooted in systemic racism from the twentieth century. The lab’s collaboration with an epidemiologist to study racial disparities in health further demonstrates its commitment to advancing research.With a $250K grant from the National Institutes of Health fora project focused on twentieth-century health disparities caused by redlining, DSL is at the forefront of addressing environmental and health inequality issues still prevalent today.
The third version of Mapping Inequality will offer even more content, context, and tools for students, scholars, journalists, policymakers -- anyone interested in studying history through this lens can benefit greatly from it!
digitizing richmond's history
DIGITAL COLLECTIONS
THE RACE AND RACISM PROJECT
The Race and Racism Project at the University of Richmond is an interdisciplinary research program that acknowledges equality and community. It examines historical sources linked to racism and race in the institution, offering additional facts that make previous narratives more complex, and sparking dialogues in the community. The Digital Collections re-designed users' online experience when exploring The Race and Racism Project website.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES RECORDS: 1840-1870
Robert Ryland was responsible for constructing what is now known as the University of Richmond. He served as the superintendent of the Virginia Baptist Seminary and was later appointed as the first president of Richmond College. As part of an extensive research project into the life and works of President Robert Ryland, the Digital Collections team has digitize board minutes from Ryland's time as both president and trustee.
PARSONS MUSIC LIBRARY
The Music Library is a resource for all UR students, faculty, and staff; members of the community are also welcome to visit.Our recent renovation created a greatly enlarged study area with many options for seating. We have over 13,000 CDs,18,000 scores, and 12,000 books about all types of music and dance. Our DVD collection includes operas, musicals, dance performances, concerts, instructional programs, and documentaries. Also available are laptop computers, iPads, a printer, a photocopier, and a scanner.
When analyzing each of the Beatles independently, their lives, and their careers, I often always associate each of the members with each other. I find comfort in coming back to their time as the Beatles. I rarely step out of the Beatles discography and engage with the solo art of each of the four. If you are an avid music listener, this is where you can place your condemnation upon me. Because, I must admit, I have missed out on a lot of music by these four. All four Beatles had taken solo careers and were highly successful.
Thank You For Being a Friend
THE FRIENDS OF BOATWRIGHT MEMORIAL LIBRARIES
The Friends of Boatwright Memorial Library was founded in 1971 by alumni, faculty, staff, and supporters of the University of Richmond. The Friends celebrate the central importance of the Libraries to the intellectual and cultural life of theUniversity of Richmond.
Friends gifts and memberships sponsor lectures, events, and recognition of staff and students. The Friends' charitable giving gave the opportunity for several best-selling authors to visit the University.
THE WEINSTEIN LEARNING CENTER
The recent announcement of a new learning center has sent waves throughout the education community. Thanks to a generous donation of $25 million by Carole and Marcus Weinstein, this state-of-the-art facility will be the second-largest donation ever made to the University of Richmond. The learning center will unite existing entities on campus that support public speaking, writing, and peer tutoring. With cutting-edge technology, students will have access to a comprehensive suite of resources that will help them develop critical skills for success both inside and outside the classroom.
"THE NEW LEARNING CENTER WILL USE THE LIBRARY’S CENTRALIZED SPACE TO OFFER CUTTING-EDGE PRACTICES AND SUPPORT NEW SKILLS STUDENTS NEED NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE." - CAROLE WEINSTEIN
The Weinstein generous donation will undoubtedly make a significant impact on future generations of learners who want to achieve their full potential.