Digital Exhibitions from the University Libraries' Special Collections at Virginia Tech
Tamara Kennelly, Virginia Tech, USA
http://spec.lib.vt.edu/

Demonstration: Demonstrations - Session 2

The Digital Library and Archives of the University Libraries of Virginia Tech offer a rich and varied selection of virtual exhibitions. Users can learn about the black history of the university as pioneering black students tell in their own words about their experiences integrating Virginia Tech. The Timeline of Black History at Virginia Tech puts the interviews in a chronological framework with images and documentation. In addition to documenting black history, the Black History at Virginia Tech exhibition helped bring “home” to the university alumni and staff who were disaffected by negative experiences of the past. Faculty, staff, and alumni joined in the project of documenting the university's black history and took ownership of the Timeline of Black History, contributing materials for inclusion to make sure the full story was told. Other virtual exhibitions include collaborations with academic faculty and departments to support instruction and to document university and local history. Virtual exhibitions also showcase some of the jewels in the collections, such as the Civil War letters of a homesick drummer boy, Felix Voltz, and the Bloomsday cards of T. E. Kennelly. The extensive VT Imagebase offers materials for research and instruction and the building blocks for new exhibitions.