April 19, 2024

Andrea Meckley named January’s Excellent Eagle Employee!

Congratulations to Andrea Meckley! Andrea is USC’s Excellent Eagle Employee for the month of January. Below is what James Pape, UMW Libraries’ access services and outreach librarian, had to say about Andrea:

“Andrea was instrumental in providing online resources to Faculty and Students during the Spring and Summer semesters of 2020. She was the direct contact for any issues dealing with accessibility of library resources in Canvas, and due to her dedication and continual physical presence on the UMW campus, users were able to access the resources they desperately needed through emailed scans, Canvas course pages, or physical copies of materials. To accomplish this is enough to warrant being given the Excellent Eagle; however, she has also transitioned to a new position within the library during July 2020 due to retirements, and has been able to skillfully navigate how to lend and borrow needed materials to and from other institutions from around the world during the pandemic. It takes a special person and co-worker to being able to not only take on new and more difficult role during a pandemic, but to do it with the professionalism and eagerness to improve is something special!”

Nominate your co-workers for the Excellent Eagle Employee award! It’s easy! Just complete the Excellent Eagle Employee Nomination Form on our website.

Justina Jones named November’s Excellent Eagle Employee!

Congratulations to Justina Jones! Justina is USC’s Excellent Eagle Employee for the month of November. Below is what Shelby Orlando had to say about Justina, UMW’s student employment coordinator:

“Justina has been a tremendous asset to the University. It has been a true pleasure working with her on all of our student hiring needs over the past couple of years. She is prompt in her replies, always kind, helpful, and accurate. In my seven years of hiring students at the University, she has been the absolute best to work with, and I truly appreciate her dedication and her willingness to assist student hiring managers. I know her role is monumental, but she doesn’t make it seem overwhelming. Thank you, Justina, for all you do!”

Nominate your co-workers for the Excellent Eagle Employee award! It’s easy! Just complete the Excellent Eagle Employee Nomination Form on our website.

Kenny Horning named October Excellent Eagle Employee

Klein Theatre Shop Foreman Kenny Horning. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Klein Theatre Shop Foreman Kenny Horning. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Congratulations to Kenny Horning! Kenny is USC’s Excellent Eagle Employee for the month of October. Below is what Gregg Stull had to say about Kenny:

“Kenny is focused on creating an environment in which students are challenged and succeed while also meeting the many deadlines associated with producing theatre at UMW. He is always willing to do whatever is necessary to ensure that we fulfill our mission to our campus and regional communities and can be found in Klein Theatre long after the day has ended and on weekends leading to production openings. Kenny takes on projects beyond the scope of his day-to-day responsibilities because he recognizes that they will help us to reach the excellence we seek. He is always, always eager to help whoever needs him.”

Nominate your co-workers for the Excellent Eagle Employee award! It’s easy!  Just complete the Excellent Eagle Employee Nomination Form on our website.

Nominate Your Colleagues for an Excellent Eagle Award!

Do you have a colleague deserving recognition? Nominate them today for an Excellent Eagle award!  

Winners of the Excellent Eagle award will receive a reserved parking space for ONE MONTH in a parking lot of their choosing on campus.  

If you would like to nominate someone for the Excellent Eagle Employee award, fill out the Excellent Eagle Nomination Form. Be sure to provide the person’s name and department and the reason they should be recognized.

Questions? Contact Sarah Appleby at sappleby@umw.edu

New Process for Records Destruction at UMW

Effective Nov. 16, 2020, all public records destruction at UMW must be documented using the new online form, the eRM-3, created by the Library of Virginia. This form replaces current Word and PDF versions, and those versions will no longer be accepted.

Please keep an eye on University Records Management’s eRM-3 page for instructions, tutorials, and videos to help you transition to the new process. Feel free to contact Sarah Appleby, Records Coordinator, at sappleby@umw.edu with any questions.

As a reminder to all records custodians across UMW, as a state agency we have legal and practical responsibilities to create, manage, and ultimately dispose of records according to established retention and disposition policies. University Records Management is available to answer your questions about these policies and offer guidance for the handling of your records through their life cycle.

UMW Libraries’ Special Collections & University Archives Interviewed on WVTF

UMW librarians Angie Kemp, Carolyn Parsons and Sarah Appleby are assembling a COVID archive for future students and historians.

UMW librarians Angie Kemp, Carolyn Parsons and Sarah Appleby are assembling a COVID archive for future students and historians.

UMW Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives team was recently interviewed by WVTF Radio IQ, an NPR affiliate, about their new initiative, Call to Contribute. The librarians are compiling an archive of COVID-19-related content.

When the school year ends, many teachers and staff take a break, but at the University of Mary Washington, three librarians are busier than ever – creating an archive that will tell the story of COVID-19 on campus. 

As head of UMW’s Special Collections and University Archive, Carolyn Parsons understands how present day documents become history. Read more.

UMW Libraries’ Collection Captures COVID-19 History

UMW Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives team is collecting and digitizing a variety of COVID-19 related materials, from diaries to photos to social media posts. Anna Billingsley, associate vice president for University Relations, submitted a screenshot of her personal blog, “Coronavirus Captivity,” chronicling her experiences working remotely and living during the pandemic.

UMW Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives team is collecting and digitizing a variety of COVID-19 related materials, from diaries to photos to social media posts. Anna Billingsley, associate vice president for University Relations, submitted a screenshot of her personal blog, “Coronavirus Captivity,” chronicling her experiences working remotely and living during the pandemic.

Reference Librarian Peter Catlin was set to get married in Virginia Beach in May. But the state’s COVID-19 stay-at-home order canceling public gatherings put a kink in his wedding plans. Instead, after many attempts, the couple got special permission from Fredericksburg’s clerk of circuit court, who married them on the sidewalk outside the city courthouse.

The nuptials marked the beginning of a life together and, when Catlin typed up his story, something else – a special UMW Libraries initiative named Call to Contribute. “It was a very cool start to the project,” said Records Coordinator Sarah Appleby ’06.

The University’s archiving team likes to dig deep in the past, but its mission is also to gather current experiences so future historians can better understand today. To do that, they are asking the UMW community to help create a record of what lives look like in these days of quarantine, remote learning, hand-sewn masks and Zoom meetings.

“We see history happening, and we have to do something to make sure that doesn’t just go away,” Appleby said of the effort.

The team – Carolyn Parsons ’83, head of Special Collections and University Archives; Angie Kemp ’11, digital resources librarian; and Appleby – will collect and digitize a variety of COVID-19 related materials, from diaries and blogs to artwork and photography. They encourage anyone affiliated with Mary Washington to contribute. Read more.