In honor of National Volunteer Week, Swem Library and the Special Collections Research Center would like to thank all of our volunteers for their over 2,100 hours of tireless work, which is more hours than it takes to walk from Williamsburg to California. In addition to the wonderful volunteers who work on the From Fights to Rights Transcription Project, we also have 25 volunteers who come into the library and help us with a variety of tasks. One key duty some of our volunteers perform is to staff our front desk, making them the first friendly face you see when you enter. So if you see Daina, Jan, Marty, Kathleen, or Charles at the front desk, make sure to thank them for the great job they are doing.
Our volunteers also process new collections, making descriptions available to researchers from William & Mary and beyond. For example, our volunteer Joe is currently working on our map collection, Mindy is processing the papers of actress and musician Claudia Stevens, Susan is working with records from the Alumni Association, and Bill is rehousing our newspaper collection. We also have volunteers like Kathleen and Jerry cataloging and rehousing our artifact collections.
Volunteers also help mount and install Swem’s exhibits. Undergraduates Zara and Zach insure that there are new and exciting exhibits throughout the year. If you know someone who volunteers in Swem Library or see one of them while on duty, thank them for donating their time and effort to make the library a better place!
--Ben Bromley, Special Collections Research Center