Wolfe Undergraduate Docent Program
About the Program | Previous Awardees
About the Program
The Wolfe Docent Program offers undergraduate students an introduction to the Special Collections Library and the opportunity to develop an outreach project that promotes the library’s resources to the university community and wider public.
The term docent is derived from the Latin verb docere (to teach). In the spirit of the educational mission of the Harrison Institute, the undergraduate docents selected for this program will become teachers for their peers and others in the academic community on topics relating to the collections of rare and unique materials held in the Special Collections Library.
U.Va. undergraduates who demonstrate a commitment to the humanities and/or social sciences, interest in learning about careers in libraries and/or museums, and a desire to develop strong research and communication skills, are encouraged to apply for the program.
The approximate time commitment for participation in this program is three hours per week during the spring semester. Awards will be accompanied by a $500 prize and may be renewed from year to year.
The experience of working in the Special Collections Library and Harrison Institute may inspire ideas for a research project that could form the basis of a proposal for a Harrison Undergraduate Research Award administered by the Center for Undergraduate Excellence.
The Wolfe Docent Program is sponsored by Mary Lacey Long Wolfe (College ’88) and her husband, Michael.
Please send a one-two page application letter with details of your interests in the Wolfe Docent program to Hoke Perkins, Director of the Harrison Institute
Email: hp8n@virginia.edu
Deadline for application letter: November 30, 2012.
2012
Catherine Zucker is a second year student who serves as a docent in the Harrison Institute/Small Special Collections Library. She is helping with communications with other volunteer docents, and with the restructuring and management of the Wolfe Docent Program.
2011
Anna Bninski is a second-year student with an undeclared major, but she has very strong interests in history and literature. She is also employed in the Rare Book School and is on the staff of the Virginia Literary Review.
Theresa (Tess) Goodman is a third-year student majoring in French and English with a minor in Classics. She is currently working in the Rare Book School as a Collections Assistant and has taken Rare Book School courses on the history of the book, book illustration, bookbindings, and bibliographical description.
Margaret (Maggie) Moriarty is a second-year student majoring in French Language and Literature with a possible second major in Economics. She is currently serving on the Second Year Council.
Emerson Prebil is a fourth-year student majoring in Systems and Information Engineering with a minor in History. She is currently enrolled in EDIS 5860, "Museums and Education" and has also taken HIST 320, "History, Museums, and Interpretation."
2010
Katie Croghan is a fourth-year student majoring in History and Psychology. She is a recipient of the Finger Award for Undergraduate Independent Research, which is administered by the Center for Undergraduate Excellence.
The award allowed her the opportunity to visit archives in England this past summer. In 2009, she also interned at the Army Historical Foundation. In her spare time, Katie serves as Membership Chair of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society.
Natalie Eller is a second-year student majoring in American Studies and Sociology with a minor in Media Studies. She is currently working as a Manuscript Processing Assistant in the Small Special Collections Library. In her spare time, she serves on U.Va.’s First Year and Second Year Council.
Michelle Rahman is a fourth-year student majoring in History and Commerce with a concentration in Accounting. In her spare time, she writes articles for the Cville Niche Online Magazine. She has volunteered at the Madison House and the Virginia Discovery Museum.
Michelle Rehme is a third-year student majoring in English and Environmental Thought and Practice. She recently returned from a semester abroad in Iceland, and she is an active member of the U.Va. Equestrian Team. Michelle is also a founding member and student manager of U.Va.’s Community Garden.
Alexandra Shaw is a fourth-year student majoring in English and American Studies. She graduated from St. Anne’s Belfield School here in Charlottesville, Virginia. In the summer of 2009, Alexandra held an internship at the Henry W. And Albert Berg Collection of English and American Literature at the New York Public Library, where she worked on the archives of HIlda Morley and Annie Proulx.
2009
Jennifer Eaton is a second-year student, who intends to enter the Commerce School with a focus on Finance and Marketing. She is a member of the Resident Staff, the University Judicial Committee, and the McIntire Women’s Business Forum.
Nicole Gates is a fourth-year student and Echols Scholar majoring in Art History. She is a volunteer intern for the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection and is considering graduate studies in art management and museum studies.
Katherine Vorhis is a third-year student, Echols Scholar, and recipient of the McCrickard Scholarship. She is double-majoring in Neuroscience and History.
