Thomas Jefferson conceived the University of Virginia between 1814 and 1826 as a village, a self-contained unit with a total population of approximately 400. The University’s architecture from that period uniquely represented the essential ideals of Jefferson’s educational and political philosophies and served as an integral part of the students’ education.
How did readers annotate, mark, and customize their books in an age when the book was king? And what are we to make of those unique volumes now? The Book Traces project is an attempt to answer those questions by looking at individual copies of 19th and early 20th-century books on the shelves of libraries. Over the past two years, here at the University of Virginia, the Book Traces team has examined over 100,000 books from Alderman and other libraries on Grounds, looking for evidence of use by their original owners.
The exhibition, presented in partnership with the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, highlights the ecological disaster created by abandoned and discarded fishing nets off the coast of northeastern Australia. These “ghost nets” are a by-product of the commercial fishing industry: ghost nets drift on the ocean currents, trapping a rich array of marine life and eventually drifting to the ocean floor, suffocating marine animals and coral reefs and creating long term damage to the marine environment.
Inspired by the recent conservation treatment of a portrait of Burroughs painted by Orlando Rouland, this exhibition brings an important American naturalist back to light. The painting serves as the focal point of the exhibition, tying together writer, artist, collector, and library. The exhibition showcases books, manuscripts, and other materials from the Burroughs collection. John Burroughs’ (1837-1921) essays on nature were widely read by both scholars and the reading public during his lifetime.
As the University of Virginia's oldest student organization, the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society counts the likes of 28th President of the United States Woodrow Wilson and author Edgar Allan Poe among its members. Today, nearly two centuries after its founding on July 14, 1825, the Jefferson Society remains one of the largest and most active organizations on Grounds. This exhibition, curated by authors Thomas Howard and Owen Gallogly, adapts portions of Society Ties, the recently-released history of the Jefferson Society and student life at UVA.
Christine Slaughter is the Social Science Research Librarian and the liaison librarian to Politics, Sociology, Psychology, and the Batten School for Public Policy.
The United States Army Judge Advocate General's School was originally established in 1942 during World War II and located at the University of Michigan Law School. Closed in 1946, it was reestablished at Fort Myer, VA in 1950 following the outbreak of the Korean War. It has been located at the University since 1951 when the Army accepted President Colgate Darden's offer to locate the JAG School at UVA.
Barbara is responsible for revenue and gift deposits, labor distribution adjustments and post-award grant accounting.
Eze keeps the Digital Production Group's equipment and software up and running smoothly, and helps maintain an efficient digitization workflow throughout the unit.