Tiffany Cole

About me

Responsibilities:
Manages the organization and processing of manuscript collections and university archives including new and legacy arrangement and (re)description. Ensures quality access to those collections. Facilitates collection discoverability through the use of ArchivesSpace, a web-based archives information management system, and by contributing finding aids to Archival Resources of the Virginias (ARVAS). Contributes to and facilitates university and community outreach initiatives via social media, blogs, and the Special Collections Speaker Series. Assists in collection development efforts including donor relations, university transfers, and acquisitions.

Education:
Arrangement & Description Certificate, Society of American Archivists, 2020
Academy of Certified Archivists, 2018
Master of Arts, History (Concentration: Local/Regional/Public History), James Madison University, 2010
Bachelor of Science, History, Eastern Mennonite University, 2005

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 and Distinctive Collections, and Research & Education Services.

About Digital Scholarship and Distinctive Collections Department

We partner across JMU and in the surrounding communities to create, collect, steward, and imaginatively share unique collections in a variety of media types. We leverage the latest technologies and best practices in digital scholarship to support the exploration and understanding of our shared cultural heritage. Our expertise includes rare books, manuscripts, archives, digital archives, primary source instruction, preservation, conservation, digitization, digital pedagogy, and digital and immersive projects. The Digital Scholarship and Distinctive Collections (DSDC) department combines the Digital Projects and Special Collections teams.

About Special Collections Team

We collect, steward, and preserve materials that document the Central Shenandoah Valley as well as the institutional history of James Madison University. Special Collections also serves as the Libraries’ repository for rare and unique materials. The Preservation office within Special Collections provides book and paper conservation for rare and archival collections as well as book repair for the Libraries’ circulating collections.

Our team works to support teaching and scholarship with primary source materials. We also promote primary source literacy within teaching and learning at JMU and in the wider community of researchers.

Special Collections’ materials and services are available to the public.