Don’t throw away those old Longwood mementoes in your attic. Greenwood Library Archives wants them. Alumni and others are encouraged to donate such memorabilia to the archives, where they will be lovingly cared for.
“We want people to think of us as a place that can protect and preserve their treasures for years and years, enabling others to see them,” said Benedict Chatelain, archives associate in Greenwood Library.
Anyone wishing to donate memorabilia is urged to contact Chatelain (434-395-2448, chatelainbg@longwood.edu). The library will acknowledge each gift.
In addition to such traditional items as photographs and scrapbooks, the archives include Longwood pennants, pins and “rat caps,” beanies once worn by freshmen. “We want anything that helps us tell the story of Longwood for future generations,” said Chatelain.
The archives are housed in three rooms in Greenwood Library’s lower level and a special collections room on the second floor that is being converted into a reading and research room for those using archive materials. Several display cases on the first floor feature items from the archives and special collections.
Some items in the archives have been digitized, providing easy access. The Digital Commons (http://digitalcommons.longwood.edu) includes yearbooks (dating to the first one in 1898), The Rotunda (including the first issue in 1920), other student publications such as the Colonnade, former alumni magazines, undergraduate catalogs up to 1959 and scrapbooks, including one from 1941 and an autograph book from 1885.
At the Mega Reunion in June, photographs from the 1960s to 2000s were displayed in the library atrium, where attendees made an effort to put names with familiar faces. They identified more than 150 people in 77 photos. Photos will be on display again for the Mega Reunion on May 11-13, 2018.
Longtime Greenwood Library staff member Lydia Williams ’97 oversaw the archives for many years before retiring last summer.
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