Bodeene Amyot Cairdeas

About me

I am responsible for managing born-digital and audiovisual collections in Special Collections, accessioning, arranging, describing, preserving, and ensuring accessibility for new and legacy digitized AV materials and digital objects. I work closely and collaboratively with colleagues in Digital Scholarship and Distinctive Collections, and Digital Assets. I joined JMU Libraries in 2019, after working as Hub Manager for the Mukurtu post-custodial and community archive project at the University of Oregon Libraries in partnership with Indigenous nations in what is now Oregon. My documentary storytelling work is on display at the University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History, the Oregon Folklife Network, and the Deschutes Historical Museum.

Education: Master of Library & Information Science (Louisiana State University, 2024); Graduate certificate in Archival Studies (Louisiana State University, 2022);  Arrangement & Description certificate (Society of American Archivists, 2022); Digital Archives Specialist certificate (Society of American Archivists, 2020); Master’s in Education, Montessori concentration (University of Hartford, 2018);  Information and Library Science certificate (University of Maine, 2015); Documentary Production graduate diploma (Algonquin College, 2010); BA History (Carleton University, 2008)

About Academic Engagement Unit

We welcome people to the Libraries and help facilitate their experience by staffing the Libraries’ buildings and supporting people on their journey of inquiry. We answer and refer questions via Ask the Library, provide instruction sessions and consultations, and leverage our expertise to develop and provide access to scholarly collections, including special collections. Departments include Access & User Services, Digital Scholarship & Distinctive Collections, and Research & Education Services.

About Digital Scholarship & Distinctive Collections Department

We encourage exploration of history and cultural heritage through unique resources and innovative research methods. We collect, preserve, and share rare books, manuscripts, and archives in tangible and digital formats. We partner with students, educators, scholars, and communities to record, engage, and understand the past. We foster active learning with the oldest sources of knowledge and the newest technologies. Balancing responsible stewardship with inquiry and experimentation, DSDC is a site of curiosity and creativity at JMU, open to all.