This post was written by Regan Chancellor, Special Collections Research Coordinator and our newest staff member in UMW’s Special Collections and University Archives. We’re so excited to have her here!
Not a Devil nor a goat. If you had asked me if I were a devil or a goat a month ago, I would have thought you were making a joke. Since my starting week lined up with Alumni reunion weekend I had enough of the 1908 society members to explain. In a lot of ways, I was excited to begin my work as Special Collections Research Coordinator for the Special Collections & University Archives because it gave me a crash course in University of Mary Washington history.
People learn in diverse ways and as much as I loved sitting in a classroom, I thrive in an institution that proved alternative forms of learning. Such as museums, galleries, libraries, and of course archives. Growing up I always wanted to do something with history. I blame movies such as The Mummy, Page Master, and the original Indiana Jones for planting those seeds. Like so many others I had no other guidelines when it came to higher education so I picked a school that offered me the most scholarships and had a program I thought I would enjoy. That was Radford University where I studied Art History and Museum Studies and minored in Cinematic arts. My time at RU gave me the opportunity to explore the academic world more than just Harrison Ford made it out to be. I became incredibly involved in campus activities and had several student worker jobs while there. Resident assistant, food services, tour guide, tutor, art gallery assistant but the ultimate was working in the Archives and Special Collections at McConnell Library.
While I was there, I worked under the then Head of the Archives and Special Collections Aaron Spelbring and the now Archives Supervisor & Appalachian Music Specialist Bud Bennett. Both were supportive mentors and supervisors. They understood that I was a student but that I wanted to explore the potential of working in a university archive. They encouraged questions and included students in large projects. This time in the archives help me focus my studies and my goals to work in an archive.
Post RU I tried to soak up any historical, museum or archival experience I could. As I made my way around the museum world of Richmond, Virginia I set my mind on making sure that I would end up in an archival setting. I was ready to go back to school, move, get a new job, you name it, I was willing to do it. When I was starting to get that ball rolling a pandemic hit the world and made it stop spinning. Like so many others I was not left untouched by Covid-19. Throwing a wrench in my career plans was only one fraction of how it turned my world upside down.
Slowly turning my life right-side up again, I found a particularly good state job that I enjoyed but that left something missing. This led me to hope back on my career path and search for a job that would take me closer to an archival environment. As luck would have it the amazing people in Simpson Library needed a hand in their Special Collections & University Archives. As someone close to me kept pointing out, the job description fit my resume almost perfectly. Lucky for me Special Collections & University Archives thought so too.
Not a Devil nor a goat but I am elated to be a part of the University of Mary Washington as the new Special Collection Research Coordinator for the Special Collections & University Archives.
Bibliography
- University of Mary Washington, Battlefield (Fredericksburg, Virginia, 1941), Simpson Library Special Collections & University Archives., https://umw.access.preservica.com/IO_0e10a021-e152-4676-a576-42dcbbc96bd1/, June 10th, 2024.
- University of Mary Washington, The Bayonet – Student’s Handbook (1936-1937) (Fredericksburg, Virginia, 1936), Simpson Library Special Collections & University Archives., https://umw.access.preservica.com/IO_76e73bce-e1d7-488d-9f1e-0ddec9b6887e/, June 10th, 2024.
- University of Mary Washington, Students Handbook (1933-1934) (Fredericksburg, ,Virginia, 1933), Simpson Library Special Collections & University Archives., https://umw.access.preservica.com/IO_cdd3dc71-e824-45f0-9727-4e0396d18a58/, June 10th, 2024.
What a wonderful introduction to a new team member! Great job Regan! UMW is so lucky to have you on their team!