Alexander “Sandy” G. Gilliam, Jr., who died on June 8, 2024, was something of a UVA institution, having spent more than half of his life at the University in a number of roles, including as secretary to the Board of Visitors and special assistant to four presidents. He was also a storyteller, and in 2012 — when Gilliam was the University Protocol and History Officer — he sat down with Sheree Scarborough of the University of Virginia Oral History Project in his office in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library to talk about his career and all things UVA.
As the end of the year approaches, we asked UVA Library staff to recommend their favorite books they read in 2024. The books could be any genre, published in any year, so long as they were available in UVA Library’s or the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library’s collections.
Take a look at our extensive list below and check some books out for the holidays (members of the UVA community can even request books ahead of time for easy access). Please note: the publication years listed correspond with the editions in our collections, not necessarily the original publication dates.
Happy reading, and come visit us at any of our six locations before we close for winter break on Dec. 20 … or after we reopen January 2!
Juggling childcare and academia can be hard! The University of Virginia Library wants to make it easier.
Beginning in fall 2024, the UVA Library is offering Childcare Fun Packs for check out at Shannon Library. The Fun Packs are sets of age-appropriate entertainment materials, available to caregivers of all kinds.
The UVA Library, in collaboration with the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education, is embarking on a new IMLS-funded project to develop a collaborative community hub, designed as a dynamic resource to support librarians, educators, and technologists in navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of AI and open educational resources (OER).
The project will feature:
a comprehensive knowledge base,
a curated resource repository,
and a platform for ongoing discussions on technical, ethical, and legal issues.
The project will also include an AI-OER Fellowship Program, which will convene practitioners to test AI tools, share insights, and contribute to establishing best practices in the field.
We are pleased to announce that Carmelita Pickett, Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources and Content Strategy at UVA Library, has been elected to a three-year term with the HathiTrust Board of Governors. Pickett has been active with HathiTrust for many years, serving in the Program Steering Committee and functioning as the Shared Print Program Liaison. Read the full announcement from HathiTrust.
HathiTrust was founded in 2008 as a collaborative of academic and research libraries. The HathiTrust Digital Library preserves and offers access to more than 18 million digitized items, and HathiTrust programs seek to protect and expand access to library materials.
November is Native American Heritage Month – a perfect time to honor Indigenous traditions, cultures, and histories. At UVA Library, we’re highlighting work created by and about Native Americans.
Thanks to Librarian for History and Religious Studies Keith Weimer, and Curator of Material Culture Meg Kennedy for the book recommendations below.
It’s nearly Halloween, and to celebrate the holiday we’ve put together this compilation of chilling stories about UVA Library covering supposed spirits in the stacks, creepy items found in Special Collections, and recommended horror reading from two of our librarians. Stop by one of our six locations to check out a book, pick up a specialized sticker, or perhaps hunt for a ghost.
The 2024 Open Access theme of Community over Commercialization continues last year’s theme prioritizing approaches to open scholarship that serve the best interests of the public and the academic community.
Dr. Amanda Wyatt Visconti, Scholars' Lab Director, manages the Scholars' Lab Zine Bakery, a collection of zines available to students located on the third floor of Shannon Library. The Zine Bakery offers a space for connection through art, politics, and identity, in a way that is accessible to all students.
When Andrew Spencer and SuLing Llanes-Trexler met, it wasn’t quite a meet-cute.
The fourth-year students at the University of Virginia met while working in the UVA Library’s Digital Production Group. Although their supervisor, Rob Smith, nudged Spencer to introduce himself, their friendship took time to develop.
The University itself also has a noteworthy space to learn more about zines — the Zine Bakery project within the Scholar’s Lab, on the third floor of Shannon Library.
Alexander “Sandy” G. Gilliam, Jr., who died on June 8, 2024, was something of a UVA institution, having spent more than half of his life at the University in a number of roles, including as secretary to the Board of Visitors and special assistant to four presidents. He was also 