Works at... I'm Processing Archivist in Swem's Special Collections Research Center. I'm going to be working with Afua Ferdnance to identify, prioritize, and process Manuscript and University Archives collections!
Background... I've lived in various parts of Virginia all my life. I'm originally from a small town called Glasgow in Rockbridge County, VA with just under 1000 residents. I lived in Harrisonburg during my college career, and I've lived in Richmond since completing my Master's where I worked at VCU Libraries before coming to W&M Libraries. I'm still living in Richmond at the moment, so wish me luck in the commute lifestyle! I love the typical nerd things you'd expect from a librarian like video games, tabletop roleplaying, reading. I also love to cook and create new recipes (ask me about my chili recipe), hike, write, paint miniatures, try local breweries, and play trombone (though, I'm horribly out of practice).
Studied at... I graduated from James Madison University in 2017 with a Bachelor's in Public History and a minor in Classics. While there, I interned at JMU's Special Collections (if I'm honest, it was on a whim) and fell in love with archival work. Because of that experience, I immediately enrolled in the MSIS program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. My love of history intersected with my love of organization, making archival work the absolute perfect fit. I managed to have an amazing practicum experience at Washington and Lee University Special Collections. All of this really prepared me for diving into the field as soon as I was finished with my program in 2018.
Why W&M? William & Mary absolutely attracted me due to its prestigious reputation in the area and nation at large. However, the collections themselves drew me most heavily. The materials house in the Special Collections Research Center presented an absolute dream come true for me. The heavy support W&M at large provided for the SCRC played a large role as well. Additionally, I have friends and former coworkers who have given nothing but glowing praise for W&M as a workplace.
Fun Facts: I played trombone in the JMU marching band for five years with a band of over 500 people; I try to return every year for their annual alumni band game. I have been the Dungeon Master of an ongoing Dungeons & Dragons campaign for the last 3 years with multiple spinoff campaigns set in the same world. My favorite candy is black licorice. I volunteer to eat any surplus that haters have.
Most frequently checked out library book: All of the books from The Expanse series of novels. It's an amazing, realistic, and wonderfully written sci-fi series that examines ideas of technology, colonialism, and human nature through the lens of humanity settling the solar system. I've read all nine books a dozen times over and will never be bored of them.
Listening to right now: My eternal go-to artists are MARINA, Nickel Creek, and Florence + the Machine; they're always peaking in some form on my Spotify wrapped. But right now, I'm actually (re)discovering Haim, and am lowkey obsessed with their debut album Days Are Gone.