Skip to main content

Category: Special Collections News

JMU Libraries and University/Community Partnership Publish 1875 Novel by Harrisonburg Black Educator George A. Newman

Posted May 29, 2025

In the mid-1870s, a young African American educator named George A. Newman arrived in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he wrote a novel about antebellum life in the Shenandoah Valley. Nearly 150 years later, Newman’s work, A Miserable Revenge: A Story of […]

an image of the book, a miserable revenge, and its author, george a. newman sr.

Summer Support for Faculty

Posted May 7, 2025

Congratulations—you’ve made it to the end of the academic year! As you take a breath or turn to what’s next, remember that we’re here to support your research and teaching. You can connect with us online or in person—just be sure to check […]

A New Way to Share Scholarly Audiovisual Materials Online: Announcing Aviary 

Posted May 5, 2025

You now have access to a new tool for sharing your scholarly audiovisual (AV) materials online!  We recently launched Aviary at JMU, an online repository that will host:  Coming soon: Aviary will soon be the home for recordings of musical […]

black and white line drawing icon of video files in a folder by saripah from Noun Project (CC BY 3.0)

Join the George A. Newman Symposium on May 1

Posted April 9, 2025

All members of the JMU and local community are invited to a public symposium honoring the recent publication of a novel written by trailblazing Harrisonburg Black educator George A. Newman just after his 1875 arrival in Harrisonburg. The novel, A […]

an image of the book, a miserable revenge, and its author, george a. newman sr.

Centering and Celebrating Black History

Posted January 28, 2025

February is Black History Month, an opportunity to bring intentional focus to the centering and celebrating of Black history. We’ve compiled this list of local Black history resources, books, films, and other avenues to dig deeper into our local and […]

Pushing the boundaries: New collections document history (just) beyond the central Shenandoah Valley

Posted December 12, 2024

Since its inception in 1983, James Madison University Special Collections has collected historical materials to document the central Shenandoah Valley, specifically Page, Augusta, Shenandoah, and Rockingham Counties. Occasionally, Special Collections staff employ their discretion to acquire collections beyond those geographic […]

How to Use JMU Libraries: 2024-25

Posted August 17, 2024

Carrier Library may be closed for renovation and expansion until we can welcome you back in time for Fall semester 2026, but you can still get library services and resources in four locations and online! Learn more below or in […]

18 Ways We Can Help Advance Faculty Research

Posted June 17, 2024

JMU faculty, if you’re working on scholarship or research projects this summer, take a moment to explore the ways we can help propel your work forward!  More Free Tools to Help with Your Research  We Also Support Your Teaching!   If […]

New collection of UPB scrapbooks document over 50 years of entertainment at JMU

Posted May 20, 2024

James Madison University Special Collections is pleased to announce that the University Program Board (UPB) Records are now fully processed and available for research. The collection comprises 26 scrapbooks of photographs, newspaper clippings, and ephemera as well as posters, fliers, […]