Christopher Welte

As Director of User Experience, Christopher is dedicated to creating meaningful, barrier-free experiences for all library users (current and future). Grounded in accessibility, human-centered design, and proven best practices, he leads with a core UX principle: we are not our users, and that distinction drives everything. 

Christopher collaborates closely with the Assessment and Content teams to ensure that design decisions are informed by solid data and expressed through consistent, purposeful messaging.

Erich Purpur

Erich uses his background in geography, his GIS expertise, and his MLS to provide department liaison support and outreach to science and engineering disciplines, including subject and information databases, data management and use, and information literacy and spatial methods. As part of the Social, Natural, and Engineering Sciences team, Erich serves as the liaison to Civil & Environmental Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Statistics, and Systems & Information Engineering.

Brenda Gunn

Brenda is director of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library and of the Harrison Institute for American History, Literature, and Culture. She leads a team who engages users in reference and public service, educates using primary sources for instruction, elevates discovery of our collections, and excites visitors with our rotating exhibitions.

Shane Lin

Shane writes codes for Scholars' Lab, makes coffee, and teaches the Code Lab introductory programming course for the Praxis Fellowship. He has an MA in history from UVA. His scholarly interests are the history of computing and digital privacy. He was previously a Praxis Fellow (2012), Makerspace Technologist (2014-2017), Digital Humanities Fellow (2016), and the sole recipient of the Scholars’ Lab’s prestigious Shane Lin Memorial Fellowship (2013). Before all that, he worked for Big Tech and felt bad about it.

The Tools of Preservation Services

By ss5u |

The variety of tools, materials, equipment, and supplies (not to mention the knowledge, skills, training, and techniques) required for the preservation of UVA Library objects is impressive. This exhibit showcases a few of the tools found in Preservation Services in Alderman, the Audio and Film Labs in Clemons, and the Dell Conservation Lab.

The physical exhibit is on view in the Stettinius Gallery of the second floor hallway in Alderman Library.

Thomas Jefferson Revealed

By ss5u |

"Thomas Jefferson Revealed" is an mini-exhibition of spectacular treasures pertaining to Jefferson, all drawn from the collections of the University of Virginia Library. Items include a ticket from the "Jefferson Lottery," a letter from Jefferson to Maria Cosgrove, one of Jefferson's engraved calling cards, and even a lock of his hair.

Embracing Equality: Before and Beyond Brown v. Board of Education, 1950-1969: An American Civil Rights Exhibition

By ss5u |

Racism and discrimination, traditionally oppressive institutions in American history and culture, were challenged by the Civil Rights Movement (1945-1970). The "Jim Crow" system remained in place for nearly seventy years, until the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision re-energized equal rights activism.

The Most of Special Collections

By ss5u |

For "The Most of Special Collections," UVA Library staff and friends identified twenty one categories that would provide superlative examples of the Library's collections, and within each category they made appropriate selections for display. The description of each item in the exhibition was written by the person who chose the item.

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