W&M Libraries Blog

Exterior and interior of a greeting card, which reads, "Happy Kwanzaa" in gold text. A drawing of Africa (colored in shades of green and brown) is in the center of the card. Superimposed on the continent is a fully-lit Kinara.

Celebrating the Principles

December 19, 2019

Shayna Gutcho, W&M Libraries Mosaic Fellow, offers an introduction to Kwanzaa, explaining the history, significance, and symbolism of this pan-African celebration through resources available at the Special Collections Research Center.

The phrase "Harambee," Swahili for "all pull together," emphasizes the values of unity and determination principal to Kwanzaa

Some people may assume that December 26 signifies an end to the holiday festivities, but for many people the celebration has only just begun. Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration that begins yearly on...

Jun 2018

A New Guide for the Budding Genealogist

June 28, 2018

There is no doubt that the Williamsburg area is steeped in history. From the first permanent British settlement in the U.S. at Jamestown to the battlefield at Yorktown, and of course Colonial Williamsburg right next to the William & Mary campus, the area it is truly America’s Historic Triangle.
What does a digital scholarship librarian do anyway?

June 20, 2018

When people meet me, they often ask what I do, and when I give them my title, Digital Scholarship Librarian, they are just as unclear on my job duties as before they asked. Then, I flesh out the role a bit more. Essentially, I work to promote and support scholarship which goes on around campus.
What Happens in a Research Appointment? (RA Series #1)

June 13, 2018

Many students are intimidated by making a research appointment because they don't know what will or can happen. I'm here to dispel the myths and rumors around the conundrum that is the Research Appointment. This blog post will be the first in a series about how we conduct our Research Appointments.

May 2018

Must Love Dogs: Royal Pooches

May 31, 2018

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet HRH Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester and show him some of the rich materials held in Special Collections. I wanted to make sure to highlight the dog book collection, and I came across titles related to HRH's grandfather, King George V, as well as his first cousin, Queen Elizabeth II. Of the ones I chose to display, the following titles are my favorites.
A Research Librarian's Road trip to Radford

May 24, 2018

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a conference at Radford University called The Innovative Library Classroom, or TILC. Radford University which is in, yep, you guessed it, Radford, Virginia, is about 270 miles from Williamsburg; therefore, road trip! The route from Williamsburg went along Interstate 64 and then south on Interstate 81.
What can photographers find at Swem?

May 18, 2018

Did you know that May is National Photography month? Well if you didn’t, now you do! William & Mary's first art photography class was launched just a few years ago in 2015.
Student Voices: Nic DeAngio

May 11, 2018

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.
“[W]hy must I always suffer every misfortune which happens”: An eyewitness account of revolution in the streets

May 9, 2018

The quotation in the title of this post is from a letter about an 1890 revolution in Buenos Aires known as The Revolution of the Park.
Student Voices: Elisabeth Merrifield

May 9, 2018

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: Shana Merker

May 1, 2018

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