Melissa brings a wealth of specialized knowledge and experiences to Davidson. She is a native of western North Carolina and graduate of the MLIS program at the University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies (UA SLIS) where she received a Certificate in Archival Studies with additional concentrations in metadata, cataloging, digital libraries, and user services. She holds additional graduate degrees in American Studies (Cal State) and Liberal Arts (Emory) and has subject expertise in American history and American studies, liberal arts and interdisciplinary studies, English language and literature, composition and rhetoric, women’s and gender studies, disability studies, and health science humanities. Prior to joining Davidson, Melissa worked as the electronic resources librarian at Birmingham-Southern College (BSC). Her professional ethics focuses on comprehensive and sustainable preservation of cultural heritage, transparency and accountability in records management, the provision of meaningful long-term access, user-centered design of search and discovery tools, inclusivity in the service of social justice. Her mission is to maximize discovery of and access to library resources via existing and emergent technologies. 

The next time you’re in the library, please stop by and say hi! Melissa’s office can be found in the back area of the library, near ILL services (just ask Joe for direction). No doubt, you will also catch her out and about at campus events this fall. We’re go glad you’ve joined us, Melissa!

Please note: If you would prefer to peruse the Dewey Reference before the scheduled open hours, reach out to us. Directions and review slips are located near the Dewey Reference stacks on the first floor of the library. 

As you might recall from the Library of the Future Task Force report, one of the short-term recommendations for the library was to address the library’s 15-year history of using two classification systems. Importantly, the Dewey Reference collection has already been reviewed by faculty several years ago, and what remains was deemed in need of further evaluation. Over the past several months, librarians and archivists have been working on identifying books from this collection to be reclassified and moved to Archives and Special Collections or to our Library of Congress classified stacks; but a significant number of Dewey reference books remain for faculty review. 

Your participation in this process will guide us in our next step, which is to review the 180K Dewey volumes on the library’s second floor. A comprehensive review of these books will be a large endeavor, but a necessary one as we continue to prepare for our library of the future (it’s on the horizon)!

Photo by Jess Watters on StockSnap.

James will play a critical role in helping to define and implement strategies to support Davidson’s library of the future, including the review and development of policies, procedures, and workflows for the lifecycle management of collections and the systems that provide access to them. A truly kind, capable, and collaborative leader, he will guide the collections team in providing excellent services in the areas of collection development, discovery, e-resource licensing, acquisitions, and the organization of library materials. We’re thrilled by the unique experiences that James brings to Davidson, particularly around collaborative collection building and his focus on open and equitable access to information. Library of the the future…here we come!

Please stop by the library and say hello: Most days, you’ll find James in the back office area near InterLibrary Loan or perusing the stacks. Welcome to Davidson, James!

If you currently do not have an account, please see “Davidson College Instructions to Redeem Complimentary NYTimes.com Subscription” to set up new access. Kudos to Kelly Denzer, our talented e-resources librarian for helping to get this set up and for creating the help guide!

If you are already signed up for a NYT account using your Davidson email, you will be getting notice from the NYT with steps to take to reactivate your current account. Here is the message that the NYT sent to all current subscribers using a davidson.edu account:

As of today, Wednesday, December 21, 2022, Davidson College will be expanding access to The New York Times to all current faculty, students, and staff. Due to this change, your current New York Times digital access will stop on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, and you will need to reactivate your account. 

Please follow the instructions below to continue your access:

1.       Log out of nytimes.com on all your devices.

2.       Go to accessnyt.com.

3.       Type and select “Davidson College “in the box.

4.       Click “Already have an account? Log in here.”

5.       Input your existing New York Times login credentials

6.       Select your status as “student” (enter graduation date) or “faculty/staff.”

7.       Click “Login” and you will be directed to www.nytimes.com

Davidson College faculty: Have you recently published a book or chapter within a book? Please remember to share your publishing accomplishments (via this form) with the library. We will gladly accept or purchase a copy to add to the library’s collection, and showcase print copies in our “Faculty Books and Monographs” display.

We strive to build a vibrant collection based around curricular needs and research interests of our students and faculty. If you have suggestions for items that would contribute to a relevant and well-rounded collection, we encourage you to suggest a purchase.

CRL functions as a “branch library” for members and includes quick turnaround of loan requests and project-length loan privileges from CRL’s five million items. For more information on CRL collections, please see CRL’s online catalog http://catalog.crl.edu/. Questions about getting started? Please email us at library@davidson.edu.