08/29/2026
We're sharing an important event happening on November 6 from 3-6 pm in Swem Library. Register at https://events.wm.edu/event/view/facultydevelopment/374586
Reach out to Rachel Hogan with any questions!
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Join W&M Libraries for the launch of the Black Women's Diaries Project, founded by Dr. Jennifer Putzi, W&M Libraries 2024 Faculty Scholar and Sara and Jess Cloud Professor of English & Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies. This digital archive launches with the 1902 Florence Barber Diary. Still, it will eventually contain approximately ten diaries by nineteenth-century African American women, most of which have not been transcribed and made available to researchers and students before. Working with partners in Swem Library, community partners, and W&M undergraduates, co-directors Dr. Jennifer Putzi and Dr. Kirsten Lee (Auburn University) have created a site that contains a transcribed, encoded, and annotated edition of the diary, as well as introductory and pedagogical materials.
From 3-5 p.m. in the Glenna Bowman MacKenzie Theatre, the project team will introduce the project, our brand-new website, and host a panel with our student research team.
From 5-6 p.m. in the Swem Lobby, enjoy refreshments, chat with the project team, and view the exhibit accompanying the website launch, featuring the 1902 Florence Barber Diary from W&M Special Collections, materials from the Sargeant Memorial Collection at Norfolk Public Library, and records from the historic St. John's AME Church in Norfolk.
Sponsored by: W&M Libraries
