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Every year, Swem Library hosts its annual Two-Sentence Horror Story Competition to encourage students, faculty, and alumni to share their scariest short stories. The competition challenges community members to use their creativity to create these bone-chilling tales in the most concise way possible…

  • Student Voices: Nic DeAngio

    Posted

    I started working at Swem in my very first week of freshman year and fell in love with the place immediately. On my first day, I wandered the library to fill out a scavenger-hunt-esque training exercise that introduced me to the labyrinth of books that serves as the cultural capital of our campus. The building really does it all.

  • Student Voices: CeeCee Bishop

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    Hello lovely people! My name is CeeCee and I'm a Student Associate in the Circulation department here at Swem.

  • Student Voices: Carrie Yang

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    Hi everyone! My name is Zihan Yang, most people know me as Carrie. I'm an international student from China and this is my third year at William & Mary (how time flies). Back home, I love to spend my free time at my high school's library and the public library, so when I came to college, the first place I went to check out was the library. I immediately fell in love with our Swem library because it's so beautiful and resourceful.

  • Student Voices: Shana Merker

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    Hiya everybody! I'm Shana Merker, a junior music and biology major, and I work as a student assistant in Content Services.

  • Student Voices: Elisabeth Merrifield

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    My name is Elisabeth Merrifield. Yes, it is spelled with an 's' and not a 'z' mainly because my parents did not want me to be called 'Liz' (it did not work). I am a senior at the College. I am double majoring in government and history. I transferred in the Fall of 2015 and have loved it here. I play for the Gold Women's Club Volleyball team and love my team. They are outstanding and ridiculously smart people.

  • Student Voices: Alexis Vitali

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    Hey, fellow Swem-goers! My name is Alexis and I have been working at Swem Circulation for over a year now. I started out as an assistant, shelving and sorting from the books needed for final papers. Last year, I was able to help deliver books to professors all over campus. And as it turns out, books can bring more excitement when you get to drive them in a golf-cart, trying not to get stuck behind tour groups (otherwise known as flamingos).

  • What Does A Research Librarian Do?

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    I became William & Mary Libraries' Science Librarian on December 25th, 2017. In my first four months of employment I've had several people (including my family members) ask me: "So what exactly does a science librarian do?" It's a great question!

  • World War I in the Everyday Experience

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    As an Exhibit Apprentice in Swem's Special Collections, I had the opportunity to curate a World War I centennial exhibit.

  • Selfie of Alea Al-Aghbari with the Colosseum in the background.

    Student Voices: Alea Al-Aghbari

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    In my first two years at W&M, I rarely went to Swem. It was crowded and busy and stressful, and I preferred the coziness of my own room. But for the past year and a half, I have stepped into Swem hundreds of times, more than my freshman self could have possibly imagined.

  • Must Love Dogs: Cecil Aldin

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    Cecil Aldin (1870-1935) was a British artist and illustrator, famous for his portrayal of dogs.

  • Art + Feminism Wiki Edit-a-thon Returns

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    William & Mary Libraries is proud to bring back the Art+Feminism Wikipedia edit-a-thon on Tuesday, April 10 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesday, April 11 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. during National Library Week.

  • Student Voices: Azana Carr

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    Hi, I'm Azana Carr, and I work as a student assistant for the W&M Libraries External Relations office.  The best way to describe my job is: "You know all the events, workshops, and therapy dogs that happen in Swem? We do that!"

  • Handmade books and the Old Stile Press

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    Our collection of artists' books is ever-growing and teeming with innovative ways to redefine the traditional codex; the Old Stile Press is only a small introduction to the craftsmanship found hidden among our Special Collections.

  • Wide view of three large bookcases of rare books

    Special Collections Research Travel Grant

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    The Special Collections Research Center at Swem Library is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for travel grants! 

  • Student Voices: Grace Aylor

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    Hi! My name is Grace and I've been working at the Swem Circulation desk for a little over a year now. If you come to Swem often enough you might know me as 'the girl with the bangs.' Even though it's only been a year, I am here so often now some of the full-time Swem staff are convinced that I've been here forever!

  • Must Love Dogs: Knitting

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    If you've ever had a dog, you are no doubt aware of the amount of dog hair that accumulates on your floor, furniture, and clothes. There have likely been times when you have said something along the lines of "There's enough hair here to knit a sweater."  Well, if you ever get the desire to gather up all of that hair for such a purpose, the Chapin-Horowitz Collection of Books on Dogs can hook you up with "Knitting with Dog Hair: A Woof-to-Warp

  • "Dean"

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    For many black students who attended William & Mary during the 1980s and 1990s, "Dean" was a term of endearment—a title that demanded respect because it identified the power player in their corner—and only one individual carried that distinction: Dean Carroll Hardy.

  • Founders: The People Behind William & Mary

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    This year's Charter Day marked the 325th anniversary of the founding of William & Mary by William III and Mary II, the first and (to date) only joint-monarchs in British history. An exhibition in the lobby at Swem Library brings the focus to William and Mary – the people, not the university.

  • The Royal Charter: Manuscript and Print

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    On February 8, 1693, the Royal Charter establishing William & Mary in Virginia was written. William & Mary President James Blair brought both English and Latin versions of the twelve page document with him from the Court of William & Mary at Kensington Palace. The original copy of the charter establishing the College was lost about the time of the American Revolution.

  • The Dark Side of College Life

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    In my everlasting search for materials relating to African Americans in Special Collections, I was pointed to the 1921 edition of the Colonial Echo. Within its worn cover, there is a single page spread entitled "The Dark Side of College Life." These are the only words. The rest of the page is filled with several black and white photographs of exactly what one might expect – black employees of the College.