Searching for a Name, Finding a Community
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Identifying authorship of anything is always a long and arduous process, but it is made increasingly difficult when the author is not a famous member of the community. Norfolk, Virginia, was a bustling town at the start of the twentieth century and had an African American population thirsty for rights and acceptance. One such person was the author of the 1902 diary.
Check Please!
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In my current project at the SCRC, I have the good fortune of being able to check transcriptions from our Civil War Transcription Project that have recently been uploaded to our Digital Collections database. I am thrilled to be able to participate in this auspicious undertaking.
Connecting with the past
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When I started my work in the Special Collections Research Center here at Swem Library in August, one of my first projects entailed uploading metadata to our online database for the Nathaniel V. Watkins Family Papers, 1846-1889.
New SCRC Guides
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The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) at Swem Library contains numerous sources on a wide range of topics. For the past few months, I have been creating Guides that organize a number of these sources into specific categories. Essentially, the Guides are supposed to highlight those sources that might be of some relevance to particular topics.
SCRC's Civil War Transcription Project: The Tucker-Coleman Papers
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The Special Collections Research Center at Swem Library is currently working on a transcription initiative as part of the "From Fights to Rights: The Long Road to a More Perfect Union" project. The transcription work is a massive effort by volunteers to transcribe selected documents such as diaries and letters and make them available online for current and future researchers.
New Material, 2011.001-2011.050
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Well, I have gotten pretty far behind on updating you all on the new and exciting materials that have recently come into the Special Collections Research Center. But no more! In a few quick posts, I shall updated you on all of these wonderful new materials.
The Sixty-Year Diary
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George Fetterman, a western New York farmer, did something remarkable. He wrote a diary entry every day. Every day--for sixty years. 1890-1950, the period Fetterman's diaries cover, saw the rise of corporations and industry, the women's suffrage movement, a Great Depression, and two World Wars. But to read his diary, you would hardly know it.
Dreaming of Returning to France
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Five years ago, I took my first and only trip out of the United States, spending 10 days in France on a trip with my AP French class. Before splitting off into the suburban homes of our host families, we visited Paris and parts of the Loire Valley, where we toured numerous castles, cathedrals, and historic towns. Since then, I have often dreamed of returning to France and seeing other European countries for the first time.
SCRC's Civil War Transcription Project: The Diary of Asa John Wyatt, 1861-1862
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The Special Collections Research Center at Swem Library has begun a transcription initiative as part of the "From Fights to Rights: The Long Road to a More Perfect Union" project. The transcription work is a massive effort by volunteers to transcribe selected documents such as diaries and letters and make them available online.
Sealed in Wax and Wrapped in Vellum
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One of the intriguing features of working at the Special Collections Research Center is the variety of material that I have had the opportunity to work with over the course of my time here.
Applying Organization and Discovering Significance
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Following my work on the Johnson-Nance Papers which I discussed in my last post, I began processing the Georgia Ragsdale Curtis Papers which I worked on during the months of November and December 2010. After this I organized a couple smaller collections before beginning work on the William Welling Papers.
Treasure Hunter and Path Maker
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In the fall of 2009, I began volunteering three to four hours per week in the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) of Earl Gregg Swem Library at William & Mary.
Processing a Collection
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One of the neat things about working at the SCRC is the sheer variety of projects we oversee. Last time, I told you a bit about the rewards and challenges of putting together an exhibit, but, recently, I got to try my hand at another major part of archival work: processing a collection.
"Why can't everything just be online?!?!"
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Why can't everything just be online? At some point most of us have pondered this question.
New Accessions, 11/15/2010-11/30/2010
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Well, I have gotten pretty far behind on updating you all on the new and exciting materials that have recently come into the Special Collections Research Center. But no more! In a few quick posts, I shall updated you on all of these wonderful new materials.
New Accessions, 12/1/2010-12/30/2010
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Here are the new accessions for 12/1/2010 through 12/30/2010, a little longer than normal due to the holiday rush:
The Challenge of Designing Exhibits
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Do you ever stop to ogle the contents of the numerous display cases spread throughout Swem Library? Me neither. Or, at least, I didn't. Now, every so often when I'm hunting for a book on the third floor, I venture over to the small flat case outside the Brown Board Room, just to check that everything is how I left it.
New Accessions, 11/8/2010-11/12/2010
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Here are the new collections accessioned by the Special Collections Research Center from 11/8/2010 to 11/12/2010:
I am a self-proclaimed craft nerd
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I freely admit: I am a self-proclaimed craft nerd. In kindergarten, I was the kid who truly enjoyed gluing sticks into haphazardly-formed structures and insisted that every painting my little fingers lovingly created be prominently displayed on the family refrigerator. This creative passion has continued into adulthood as I thoughtfully knit gifts for friends and family and scrapbook every vacation taken.
My time in Special Collections
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Throughout the past month, as a part of my graduate apprenticeship I have been working with the Johnson-Nance Family Papers, a manuscript collection from the early twentieth century at Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, at William & Mary.