{"id":11227,"date":"2024-12-16T10:00:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T15:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=11227"},"modified":"2024-12-16T10:01:18","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T15:01:18","slug":"reflections-from-the-reading-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=11227","title":{"rendered":"Reflections from the Reading Room"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As the Research Services Coordinator, I have the unique privilege of engaging with a diverse mix of archival collections and people who visit our Reading Room on the Fairfax campus. In my role, I\u2019m able to learn new things about history and how people continue to use these records. <\/span>It\u2019s inspiring to see the range of visitors who come through our doors\u2014some are exploring archival collections for the very first time, while others are \u201cseasoned\u201d researchers eager to uncover hidden treasures related to their focused topics. <\/span>This semester alone, we hosted 143 appointments in our reading room. <\/span>Our patrons traveled from across the United States, including Minnesota, New Jersey, and Arizona, as well as internationally from Italy, Poland, and Germany.<\/span><\/p>\n

The research conducted in our Reading Room this fall served a multitude of purposes. Whether patrons were crafting exhibitions, penning scholarly publications\/broadcasts, working on academic assignments – including thesis\/dissertations, or digging into personal passions, our materials supported a wide range of inquiries.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using data from appointment requests, I created a chart showing the percentage of research purposes indicated by researchers visiting the reading room during Fall 2024 (August to early December).<\/div>\n
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\"Chart

Research Purposes Chart<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"Carts

Carts returned from reading room appointments<\/p><\/div>\n

Collections Used\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This semester, some of the most frequently accessed collections were the James M. Buchanan papers, Arena Stage records, the Federal Theatre Project collection, and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Records. The consistent interest in these collections underscores the valuable research material these collections provide. Other noteworthy collections that had consistent use include the Dulles Corridor Rail Association (DCRA) records, Emilie Miller papers, George Mason University Office of the President records, and the East German Poster collection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To look through these collections, and others, search our collections database: <\/span>Aspace<\/span><\/a>. As a note, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy records, are currently unprocessed, which means they are not properly organized, making them more challenging to navigate, but we are dedicated to offering limited access to these important documents. For more information on accessing these records, please don\u2019t hesitate to reach out to us at <\/span>speccoll@gmu.edu<\/span><\/a>. To schedule an appointment, please fill out our Appointment Request form<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Duplication Services<\/h3>\n

In addition to welcoming visitors to our reading room, our team is dedicated to assisting patrons who request materials remotely. This semester, we received 22 digitization requests, and we successfully scanned 1700 individual items for remote access. This included photographs for publication and exhibits, as well as written documents for further study and many reunions of GMU dissertations with their original authors! We are glad to provide services that create better accessibility to our collections. Below is a snippet of the materials we scanned for individuals over the semester.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t