When the Internet was introduced to the world, untold possibilities came to life. No longer did a person have to do research simply from archives or monographs in libraries. Now they could get onto a computer and look up information. This was not just for the everyday person though. Scholars could also use the web to disseminate their findings, whether it be through online scholarly articles or through more informal blogs and digital exhibitions. On top of this a technology was born to research history in a whole new way. Continue reading
Author Archives: jg5tc
The Library as the Center of Community
When I walked into the Library of Virginia a few weeks ago, the first thing I noticed was not the books, or exhibition signs but rather, the people themselves. They were both people who had come in from the street to use the atrium as a place to sit and talk and get out of the cold and people there to check out books and review records. When I have always thought of a library I have always thought about scholars finding their materials to write about or the young kid checking out his first library book. What I saw before me that day though was not just that, it was actually so much more. But what was this something more? Why did it strike me as it did? Continue reading