This post was written by Haley Cotton ’25, Special Collections & University Archives Student Aide
Dr. Bulent Atalay is a distinguished faculty member at the University of Mary Washington. Beginning his career at the University in 1966, he is now Professor Emeritus of Physics, specializing in Theoretical Nuclear Physics. Dr. Atalay has made significant contributions to academic discourse by blending science and art in his work. He has authored both academic research papers and books, and created art that has been displayed in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Dr. Atalay’s latest book, Beyond Genius: A Journey through the Characteristics and Legacies of Transformative Minds, explores the lives of pivotal historical figures such as Leonardo da Vinci, William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Albert Einstein. The book examines how their work has influenced both the arts and sciences. Dr. Atalay delves into why society regards these iconic figures as “geniuses,” exploring what it means to fall into this category and how we define it. If you’re interested in his academic discussion, attend the Great Lives Lecture on Thursday, March 13 for his presentation.
UMW Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) houses a variety of his published works. Books such as Math and the Mona Lisa: The Art and Science of Leonardo Da Vinci (2004) and Leonardo’s Universe: The Renaissance World of Leonardo Da Vinci(2008) are available in both the Simpson Library collection and the SCUA. Other works, including The Lands of Washington: Impressions in Ink (1972) and The Oxford and the English Countryside: Impressions in Ink (1974), are housed in Special Collections. These series of works are compilations of art pieces by Dr. Atalay, depicting scenes of historic Virginia’s countryside and the landscapes around Oxford, England.
You can visit these collections during open hours or by scheduling an appointment to view Dr. Atalay’s art pieces!
Captain James Cook, a renowned British explorer, cartographer, and naval officer, was famous for his extensive voyages in the 18th century. Cook is credited with being the first recorded European to make contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands. During his voyages, he sailed thousands of miles across largely uncharted regions of the globe, mapping lands from New Zealand to Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean with unprecedented detail and on a scale not previously achieved by Western explorers. Cook’s legacy of knowledge significantly influenced the world well into the 20th century. However, due to his role in British colonialism and the exploitation of indigenous peoples, his expeditions and legacy remain controversial.
If you’re interested in learning more about Captain James Cook, stop by the Great Lives lecture on Tuesday evening, February 18, to hear from author Hampton Sides. Sides’ recent book, The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact, and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook, examines Cook’s last journey aboard the HMS Resolution, delving into the “complexities and consequences of the Age of Exploration.” The book is also available to view and borrow from Simpson Library.
An account of the voyagesundertaken in the Southern Hemisphere was originally published in three volumes and SCUA holds a complete set. Like many of the sets in our collection, the condition of each volume varies and it is clear that they were heavily read and used. While fragile, the books are available for gentle use and viewing in the Reading Room during open hours and by appointment. For further reading, you can check out digitized versions of the set available from the Library of Congress and the Internet Archive.
Booker T. Washington was a prominent African American educator, author, and leader in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into slavery in Virginia on April 5, 1856 and liberated during the Civil War, Washington became one of the most influential leaders of the time. Washington graduated from Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia (now Hampton University) and, known for his strong support of and contributions to education, he later helped found and lead the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Alabama. While Washington’s ideas and visions did not go unchallenged or without disagreement, his impact on education and civil rights remains significant.
UMW’s Special Collections & University Archives holds an early copy of one of Washington’s books, “The Man Farthest Down: A Record of Observation and Study in Europe.” Written in collaboration with sociologist Robert Park, The Man Farthest Down documents their travels across Europe in 1910. The book provides a detailed account of the living conditions of the urban poor and working-class individuals in various European cities. Washington and Park aimed to highlight the struggles faced by these marginalized groups, and to draw parallels with the challenges faced by African Americans in the United States. Through their observations, they sought to offer insights into potential solutions for improving the lives of the working class.
The first edition (1912) copy of this book housed in Special Collections has a simple deep red cover with the title embossed in gold lettering at the top. The book itself is in good condition with varied signs of its usage over the last century, including a slightly detached cover that must be handled with care. Another attribute that makes this copy feel so special: it was signed by the author himself, to Lucretia Ferguson Lewis on December 20, 1913. Not only was this book once in the hands of Washington, but it was also inscribed to Dr. James Farmer from Lucretia Ferguson Lewis on September 6, 1941, at the 26th annual Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) Conference.
While books from Special Collections & University Archives don’t circulate, visitors are welcome to view and engage with books, including Washington’s The Man Farthest Down, by stopping by the Reading Room during open hours or by making an appointment. To access more books written by Booker T. Washington, visit the Library’s website.
Bibliography:
Wells, C. J. (2024, May 3). Booker T. Washington (1856–1915). Encyclopedia Virginia. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/washington-booker-t-1856-1915/
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division, The New York Public Library. “Booker T. Washington.” New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed February 4, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-9e0b-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Washington, Booker T. Up from Slavery: An Autobiography (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1963)
This post was written by Natalia Ramirez, Fall 2024 Special Collections & University Archives Intern.
Aiming to highlight the diverse range of rare books that the University of Mary Washington’s Special Collections and Archives has to offer, this exhibition explores the art history collection, providing a global survey from prehistory to contemporary time periods. Spanning from the Americas, Asia, Arabia, Europe, and North Africa, these books seek to highlight the diverse styles, materials, and contents, while also exemplifying the global interconnectedness throughout history. Taking a chronological approach, this exhibition acknowledges the limitations of historical periodization, while appreciating the groundwork for historical understanding that has been laid.
This exhibition, displayed conveniently right outside the Special Collections and Archives’ doors in the Simpson Library, was curated by student Art History major Natalia Ramirez, class of Spring 2025. Supervised by Angie Kemp, the creation of this exhibition spanned the entire Fall 2024 semester, and came together with the Special Collections team as a whole. Excitingly, this exhibition will remain on view until the end of this Spring semester in April, and has an accompanying digital and printed catalog available to the public.
The exhibition catalog is available to view online.
This exhibition has been curated to survey a global Art History utilizing the University of Mary Washington’s collections. For background on its contents, throughout history, a broad range of materials have been used by the hands and minds of innumerable artists to create physical representations of values, ideas, and the worlds around them. Documenting even a fraction of these works in edited collections, facsimiles, and commentary literature has contributed to their preservation and broadening education. Many of these books which document creative histories become part of the creative history themselves, serving as ‘signs of the times’ for the state of art literature since the dawn of written documentation.
The exhibition is available for viewing outside of Special Collections when the Library is open.
This collection’s objects date back as early as the mid-Medieval period (approximately 500 CE through 1400 CE), with original Arabic papyrus inscriptions and Latin illuminated manuscript fragments. These pieces, along with many others show that written artifacts can be appreciated and displayed as artworks for their creative cultural contributions. From linen rag, papyrus, parchment, and vellum, this exhibition’s paper variety exemplifies the range of printing materials and methods that have been used in different places and at different times.
Natalia Ramirez ’25, curator of “Art in Print: Illuminating a Creative History“
This post was written by Sandy Llop, Fall 2024 Special Collections & University Archives Intern.
Intern Sandy Llop using the Cobra Book Scanner
Over the course of this academic year’s fall semester, I had the opportunity to be an intern at the University of Mary Washington’s Special Collections and University Archives. In the four months I spent working there I was able to explore some of Simpson Library’s most interesting resources: the scrapbooks of Mary Washington alumni and student groups of years long past. With the earliest scrapbook dating back to the mid-1910s, this collection is a treasure trove of history and ephemera of their time periods. For my internship, I was tasked with digitizing some of these memory books so that they may be available online for Mary Washington students, researchers, and history buffs alike via the University’s Digital Collections.
Scrapbook by Frances Edmonds Johnson 1928-1931
Although every scrapbook in the collection is fascinating and important in its own way, only a few could be chosen for my particular project. After a few weeks of research, the final contenders for digitization were picked. The first was the scrapbook of alumna, Frances Edmonds Johnson, a student who attended UMW during the years 1928-1931. The second was the scrapbook of the MWC of UVA Defense Program, a program that was sponsored by the university’s Student Government Association during the Second World War that oversaw the buying and selling of war bonds on campus. The third was the scrapbook of the Cotillion Club, a social club which held formal dances for students from the years 1938-1948. The second of the three scrapbooks can be found in the Simpson Library Digital Collections under ‘Scrapbooks’.
Scrapbook by Beverly Munn, 1941-1944
While working with these memory books I not only learned about the ways in which they are preserved but also the kinds of tools and materials used in archival work. For example, the digitization process included steps such as scanning the scrapbooks at the Digital Archiving Lab at the Hurley Convergence Center, editing the scanned images in Adobe software like Photoshop, and creating alternative text that would be applied to the PDF file of the scrapbook for accessibility. In addition to this, I also learned about the other factors that come into play, like copyright and privacy laws, when making objects like these accessible to the public. I was even able to observe the acquisition of the newest addition to the collection, the scrapbook of alumna, Beverly Munn, a student who attended UMW during the years 1941-1944.
Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I learned so much during my internship at Mary Washington’s Special Collections and University Archives. I learned about the history of Mary Washington and its student life, about important events in local history such as the Fredericksburg Flood of 1942, and about the work of students raising money for the war effort. It is amazing the amount information that can be gleaned from a scrapbook. It is a glimpse into the past through the eyes of the person who created the memory book. I hope that the patrons of Mary Washington’s Simpson Library enjoy exploring this collection as much as I did and that the history of these scrapbooks can live on for many more years to come.
Intern Sandy Llop assisting in a tabling event for the 2024 Virginia Archives Month
When we think of archives, we often think of working with printed materials such as letters, scrapbooks, flyers, maps and newspapers. It’s frequently only in futuristic, science-fiction movies where archivists and researchers are depicted working with digital records, such as archive visits that take place in Star Wars and Star Trek. Archivists will of course be responsible for digital records in the future, but in reality, the future is already here – archivists are regularly preserving and providing access to born-digital and digitized records today, and they have been for decades.
Digital records are fragile, and most of us have had a moment where we couldn’t find an image we were looking for on our computer, a webpage we needed had disappeared, or a file wouldn’t open for a variety of reasons. Many of these situations are examples of the risks to digital files: obsolete technologies, damaged storage devices, viruses or other security risks, and even just human error (have you ever accidentally deleted a file?). In addition, digital records are being produced on a massive scale, so the sheer amount of data is a challenge to keep up with. Archivists at UMW and many other institutions are actively working to preserve digital records of historical value so that they are available for research for years to come. Examples of these records can include websites, email, and social media, along with born-digital versions of traditional records, such as PDF documents and digital photos.
The Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC), a UK-based company, charity, and community, defines digital preservation as “the series of managed activities necessary to ensure continued access to digital materials for as long as necessary” and shares a list of “endangered digital species,” describing it as “a community-sourced list of at-risk digital materials which is revised every two years.” DPC provides additional resources like a digital preservation handbook and toolkits, as well as hosting an annual World Digital Preservation Day (WDPD). WDPD is held on the first Thursday of every November, and this year’s theme is Preserving Our Digital Content: Celebrating Communities.
To celebrate WDPD2024, check out UMW’s very own digital collections, which include digitized files of analog originals (digital surrogates) and born-digital files like websites. These files live inside a system that Special Collections & University Archives uses to preserve them – the system enables us to keep multiple copies in different geographic locations, migrate file types as needed, check for viruses and data integrity, and organize the information with descriptive metadata. If you have any questions regarding digital preservation at UMW or for your own records, Special Collections staff are happy to help!
Celebrating 10 years of the Hurley Convergence Center & Digital Archiving Lab
Happy 10 years to the HCC and Digital Archiving Lab! Originally opened as the Information and Technology Convergence Center in 2014, the intention behind this new space was to bring together departments and resources from across campus into a modern, technologically-advanced collaboration space. With Simpson Library right next door and connected by an indoor bridge, the Library was further incorporated into the space with the opening of the Convergence Gallery and the Digital Archiving Lab (DAL). The DAL enables the library to conduct digitization and preservation actions for the items housed in Special Collections & University Archives, while also providing the space and resources for UMW faculty, staff, and students to collaborate with the local community on digital preservation projects.
On Friday, October 25th we celebrated the opening of a new exhibit: “A Decade of Digital Convergence.” This exhibit features artifacts, stories and projects from the HCC’s opening to today. Displays include videos and architectural drawings from the building’s construction, a homage to the Console Living Room project, a student-designed video, light art installation on the Media Wall and a display from the Library’s Digital Archiving Lab.
The DAL is equipped with specialized equipment and software to digitize rare books, manuscripts, photographs, scrapbooks and so much more. One of the most frequently used digitization tools is the Cobra semi-robotic rare book scanner. The V-shape book cradle and glass provide a safe environment for the high-resolution digitization of rare books and other fragile items. Along with the rare book scanner, the DAL has two high-resolution flatbed scanners with film scanning capabilities, a 50MP DSLR and associated photography equipment, and a suite of software applications to assist in digital archive and preservation projects.
Head of Special Collections & Digital Scholarship Angie Kemp celebrating the COBRA Scanner’s 10th birthdayStudent Intern Sandy Llop celebrating the COBRA Scanner’s 10th birthday
Through the digitization of UMW’s archival records, work in the lab enables broader access to the University’s history. These materials are now available for discovery in the Library’s digital collections, and digital versions of original records also provide opportunities for enhanced accessibility that wouldn’t otherwise exist, like full-text searchable documents. Collections include digitized materials such as university publications (newspapers, yearbooks, handbooks, etc.), WWI posters, and important artifacts like the MWC AIDS quilt. In addition to providing the technology for these projects, the Digital Archiving Lab, frequently in collaboration with community partners, provides educational learning experiences for students as well. Through student employment and internship opportunities, students interested in learning technology skills for future careers in libraries, archives, and museums can work with Special Collections & University Archives staff in the lab on projects that have a lasting impact.
Selection of artifacts that have been digitized using the Digital Archiving Lab
If you are interested in using the Digital Archiving Lab, please feel free to email archives@umw.edu to schedule your first appointment! The lab is located in the Hurley Convergence Center (HCC), room 322. The lab can be accessed directly via the HCC, or by crossing the bridge from Simpson Library’s 2nd floor into the HCC.
Archives are RAD!!!!! And that’s why we celebrate them for a whole month in Virginia. Archives are for everyone and we encourage you to come hang out with us on October 22ndfrom 2pm-4pm in the lobby of Simpson Library. We’ll have a selection of unique materials from UMW’s Special Collections & University Archives on display. This year, the Virginia Archives Month theme is “The Art of Self: Expression in the Archives” – stop by to see thematic examples from across UMW’s 116-year history, and discover how archives can be used for self-expression today.
We will also be celebrating #AskAnArchivist Day on October 16th. Stop by in person or check out our Instagram account (@simpsonlibrary) to get your questions answered. Can’t make it? Special Collections & University Archives staff are available throughout the year to help. Stop by during open hours, or make an appointment for a day that works best for you!
Open hours for this semester are Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 1:30pm – 4pm. You can make an appointment by emailing archives@umw.edu.
Want more Virginia Archives Month events? Visit the Library of Virginia website to see what else is going on all over Virginia.
In May, we said congratulations(!!!) to two awesome student employees, Alice McCoy and Caroline Urove, who graduated from Mary Washington and ventured off for their next adventure. During their time as aides with Special Collections & University Archives, Alice and Caroline led important projects for the department. They got us started on the Mutual Assurance Society Policies digital collection in the fall semester by reviewing the policies to see what might be possible. Alice continued this project in the Spring with the help of Haley (another awesome Special Collections student employee, class of 2025!), and Caroline took on the inventory of a newly accessioned collection, the records of Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59. All of the hard work completed by Alice and Caroline laid the foundation for making these collections more accessible to researchers, and we are so appreciative of everything they accomplished! During their last week of work, we asked them to answer the same set of questions posed to our 2023 graduates – check out their responses below!
Top Image from left to right: Haley Cotton ’25, Caroline Urove ’24 and Alice McCoy ’24 stand next to the Cobra Rare Book Scanner. Bottom left image : Caroline Urove ’24 works on an inventory of the Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59 collection. Bottom right image : Alice McCoy ’24 and Haley Cotton ’25 work together on the Mutual Assurance Society Policies digital collection project.
What brought you to work in Special Collections & University Archives?
AM: I was interested in working in Special Collections and University Archives after completing a digitization project for Dr. Turdean’s HISP 315 (Museum Collections Management) course during the Spring 2022 semester. This course initially introduced me to using the digitization equipment in the Digital Archiving Lab, and when the time was right, I applied for the position and was lucky enough to get the opportunity to work here. In addition to this, I knew that working in Special Collections would equip me with specialized skills that were relevant to my Historic Preservation major.
CU: What brought me to work in Special Collections & University Archives was my interest in you guessed it – archives! I am a Historic Preservation major with a Museum Studies minor and have the career goal of working within an archives after I graduate. My first experience within the Digital Archiving Lab was for a Collections Management project and loved the space. I eventually came back to assist with photographing artwork for a class exhibition. Right away I knew I wanted to work here as an official aide.
What was your favorite project that you worked on during your time as a Special Collections & University Archives Student Aide?
AM: My favorite project I worked on during my time as a student aide was the ongoing Mutual Assurance Policy project. In completing this project, I acquired skills in using microfiche, transcribing documents, creating transcriptions, and organizing data into Microsoft excel. I had the ability to sort through thousands of late 18th, early 19th century insurance policies and find out more about buildings from the region in their earliest years. This project has overall heightened my interest in historic documents and archival records.
CU: My favorite thing that I worked on during my time as a Student Aide was my semester assignment of inventorying Irene Piscopo Rodgers’ collection. I got to know Irene pretty well by sorting through her collection of science magazines and published works, her high school yearbooks, and even her MWC yearbooks and senior scrapbook! She seemed like such a sweet lady, and I am so honored I was able to care for her collection that was donated to the Special Collections & University Archives.
What is your favorite item (or collection of items) in UMW Archives and why?
AM: My favorite collection of items in the UMW Archives are the Mary Washington yearbooks. I have always been fascinated in viewing student life here throughout the years, and looking through these allowed me to learn so much about the history of the university and the students here.
CU: My favorite collection of items in the UMW Archives have to be the student scrapbooks. Scrapbooks are such a real, unfiltered look at student life from the 1950s and earlier all the way to the present day. One of the more obscure finds I love in scrapbooks are images of inside students’ dorms. I love seeing how dorm decor and the dorm itself has changed over time! Another thing I love about these scrapbooks is that sometimes old course catalogs, when students would have to pick classes by hand, are taped in there. Definitely some cool finds in scrapbooks!
What is your favorite rare book from the rare book collection and why?
AM: My favorite item from the rare book collection is The Little Review magazine collection. Early in the fall semester, I had the opportunity to explore and research these magazines in relation to the rare book collections’ various copies of Ulysses, and read about reviews of the book from the early 20th century.
CU: My favorite book from the rare book collection isn’t your typical “book.” I love all of the old magazines within the collection. In the Fall, I was able to look through some of the old magazines and the vintage advertisements are definitely my favorite part! One of my favorite advertisements was a back-to-school campaign for Campbell’s soup from the 1950s!
What are your post-Mary Washington plans?
AM: My current post-Mary Washington plans are to attend Virginia Commonwealth University beginning in Fall 2024 to work towards a master’s degree in Art History, and afterwards I plan to begin a Library and Information Studies program to work towards a second master’s degree.
CU: My post Mary Washington plan is finding a job! I am hoping to work in the museum field, either as a curator or within a Special Collections.
What kinds of archival resources do you think researchers will use in the future when looking back at what Mary Washington was like in 2024?
AM: I believe that researchers will use the school newspapers in the future when looking back on what Mary Washington was like in 2024. In addition to this, there is a heightened growth in digital archival resources which would also likely be referenced such as social media and newsletters.
CU: The archival resources I believe researchers will use in the future when looking back at Mary Washington during this year would definitely be the Archives’ online resources such as photographs, newspapers, and even maps to get a sense of layout and recognize what’s missing.
Do you have any favorite Mary Washington memories?
AM: While I do not have any specific memories at Mary Washington that stand out as my favorite, I have had the opportunity to experience a multitude of activities through my Historic Preservation and Art History majors. From getting to conduct hands-on archival research, complete a museum cataloging project, and explore Kenmore’s attic and the basement of the Mary Washington House, to studying abroad in England and Italy, these experiences are those that could be considered once in a lifetime, and I will cherish them forever.
CU: My favorite Mary Washington memory was going on a study abroad trip to London during Spring Break of 2023! My study abroad trip was called “Exploring British Museums” and my museum loving heart was so ecstatic!! A week definitely was not enough; however, I plan on going back soon to see even more!
Special Collections & University Archives staff are so appreciative of all the excellent work Alice and Carolineaccomplished this year, and we can’t wait to see what they do next!
UMW Special Collections and University Archives is excited to announce our newest digital collection, the MWC AIDS Quilt.
Modeled after the national NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, the MWC AIDS Quilt was constructed by members of the Mary Washington community in the mid- to late-nineties to commemorate their many loved ones impacted by HIV and AIDS during the height of the epidemic. Hundreds of colorful and intricate panels offer heartfelt messages to specific individuals lost to the disease alongside notes of encouragement, education, and unity. Illustrations of the iconic red AIDS ribbon appear prominently among recurring depictions of rainbows, flowers, hearts, and tears. The quilt presents devastation and hope in near equal measure.
We invite the Mary Washington community and members of the public to view the quilt and examine each square closely as is now possible through our digitization efforts. Special Collections and University Archives is honored to preserve this historic object and to provide access to these images, helping everyone to remember how deeply the AIDS epidemic affected our world, all the way to our campus.
For those who would like to see the quilt in person, we encourage you to attend the Fredericksburg Area Museum’s Out & About exhibit where the quilt is on loan until July 2025.
Please contact UMW Special Collections and University Archives staff at archives@umw.edu with any questions.
Written by Sarah Appleby. This announcement has also been featured on Eagle Eye: News for Faculty and staff.
