William & Mary Libraries created the Faculty Scholar position in 2016 to support a tenured W&M faculty working full-time to advance a digital project while furthering library and institutional priorities. The Faculty Scholar works closely with library staff to advance new or existing research and make it openly accessible. W&M Libraries believes access to information is a human right. We advocate to remove barriers to information and create new pathways to discovery, and have created this program to put our values into action. Furthermore, the program gives us opportunities to practice emerging skills and areas of expertise being developed in academic libraries to support digital research.
Additionally, the Scholar supports the Dean of University Libraries and her cabinet to advance faculty-librarian partnerships, enhance collections, expand alumni relationships, and promote W&M Libraries to multiple constituencies.
The Scholar serves up to three academic years, during which W&M Libraries contributes to the cost of replacing the instructor while they are on reassignment in the Library. Read more and apply here.
Information Session March 29, 2023
W&M Libraries held a virtual information session about the Faculty Scholar position with Dean Carrie Cooper and past Faculty Scholars, Ann Marie Stock and Larry Leemis, on March 29, 2023. View the recording of the session above.
2019 Faculty Scholar
Dr. Lawrence Leemis
Professor of mathematics
As Faculty Scholar, Leemis' principal project was the creation of an open textbook for applied statistics. The textbook will be used by undergraduates and graduate students in the Computational and Applied Mathematics and Statistics program and data science majors. Although not new to publishing – Leemis has had seven textbooks published – this open textbook will be his first experience publishing under a creative commons license and writing with open principles as a goal. For the publishing phase, Leemis worked closely with the Libraries’ publishing and open-access librarian to select and implement an online platform to host the textbook.
2016 Faculty Scholar
Dr. Ann Marie Stock
Professor of Hispanic studies and film and media studies
As the inaugural Faculty Scholar, Stock partnered with library colleagues on several initiatives. Principal among them is the creation of a digital archive to inventory and make accessible the Cuban film materials she has compiled and created for some 30 years. One component of this digital humanities project is an online exhibit of Cuban film posters. A physical exhibit, “UnMade in Cuba: Carteles de Cine,” is on display in the Botetourt Gallery in Swem through the fall semester. More about the project is available on the Libraries' website. Additionally, Stock was tasked with helping the Studio for Teaching and Research take shape.