Where the Past and Future Meet

Ever wish that you could turn your life’s interests into a career? JMU alum Mark Purington (Class of 2012), feels that he has done just that. Purington, who joined the Carrier Library in 2000, is the Digital Content Coordinator for JMU libraries’ new Digital Collections unit. A self-described book lover, history buff and technophile, Purington’s regular day at the office allows him to interact with all of his favorite things.   

Digital Collections' mission is to collect, preserve and provide access to current and historic JMU-related digital materials online. "We're tasked with providing online access to everything from the Breeze to JMU theses and dissertations to ‘born digital’ materials such as current student and faculty research," says Purington. The range and scope of these unique digital materials is impressive and always growing.

Digital Collections works closely with the libraries’ Special Collections unit, which houses a rich array of unique JMU- and Shenandoah Valley-related materials, as well as many rare scholarly items. "We might be photographing pages from a 16th century text one day and scanning images from a 1934 issue of the pulp magazine Amazing Stories the next day,” remarks Purington. “How can you top that?"

Digital Collections recently launched JMU Scholarly Commons, an online resource providing access to JMU-related scholarly materials. Students and faculty can upload their research projects to JMU Scholarly Commons, where they will be archived, categorized and made available to scholars around the world. In addition to providing online access to every issue of the Breeze student newspaper since publication began in 1922, JMU Scholarly Commons will soon provide access to digital versions of JMU yearbooks and student handbooks, going back more than a century.

Several years ago, Purington had the opportunity to collaborate with Special Collections on their one-of-a-kind collection: the Shenandoah National Park (SNP) Oral History Collection. The bulk of these materials are audio interviews with more than a hundred people who lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains prior to the establishment of Shenandoah National Park, (SNP), many of whom had been forcibly removed from their homes by the Commonwealth of Virginia to make way for the park in the 1930s. The collection needed additional cataloging to make it more accessible to the public and Purington was tapped for the job.

"As a result, I got to listen to all of these recordings and help edit some of the written transcripts. It’s an incredible trove of local history," says Purington. Because interest in the “Mountain People” remains high in the Shenandoah Valley, he has been asked to speak about this oral history collection to groups around Harrisonburg, including Massanutten Regional Library and WMRA’s Virginia Insight radio program last October.

“Mark has been instrumental to this project”, said Ralph Alberico, Dean of Libraries and Educational Technologies.  “His cataloging acumen and technical skills have made the oral histories much more accessible.  More importantly, his passion for history and his ability to put these stories in a historical context; have helped to make the stories come alive for a much larger audience.”

Purington has witnessed many changes since joining the Carrier Library in 2000. “When I first came here, hundreds of new books, on every imaginable subject, would arrive at my desk every month. It was a bibliophile’s dream job.” By 2005, the library began to expand its collection of electronic books and other digital media, another of Purington’s keen interests. “Today's academic library is rapidly evolving. JMU’s libraries have always been leaders in innovation and I am fortunate to have been a part of it. It's a marvelous experience working with so many talented people and so much cutting-edge technology.”

Purington came to JMU with a degree in computer programing, but soon decided that it was time to go back to school. Purington enrolled in JMU’s Adult Degree Program, (ADP) in 2002. “It was a little scary going back into the classroom after twenty years,” admits Purington, “But those fears were completely unfounded. The ADP team guided me through the enrollment process and my younger classmates really enjoyed having a ‘non-traditional’ student among them. The faculty were welcoming across the board. I can’t recommend the program highly enough!”

After graduating in 2012, Purington took a year off from his studies, but the undergrad experience was so rewarding that he applied to JMU’s School of Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication (WRTC) graduate program in 2013. “Grad school is amazing,” says Purington. “The classes are smaller and more intense, and the technical communication component ties in directly with my work in Digital Collections.”

Looking back over his time at JMU, Purington feels fortunate for the many opportunities he has enjoyed here. "Not everyone gets to do what they love for a living. It's a rare thing. And just look around at this beautiful campus, this classical library building. What an environment. I get to work with medieval manuscripts, JMU historical documents and the latest computer technology. How cool is that?"