I chose to virtually visit the Jefferson Library at Monticello. Located just down the road from Monticello in Charlottesville, VA, this library houses a mass amount of information about Thomas Jefferson and his works. The Monticello (n.d.) website states “the library collects comprehensively, including books, journal and newspaper articles, ephemera, unpublished research, websites, microforms, audio-visuals, photographs, and digital full-text files (para. 1). It also contains works about colonial and revolutionary America and The Ron Laycock Collection of Lewis and Clark Literature. Since this library is available by appointment only and located quite a distance away, I decided on a virtual visit.
The website is located at https://www.monticello.org/research-education/jefferson-library/. Its homepage includes a mass search tool and links to research databases, reference materials, services and policies, visit and contact information, and most importantly, the Jefferson Collection Database. It is extremely easy to navigate and contains a vast amount of information. At the top of the page, you can request appointment times for visits. The staff is listed as three individual librarians, all with different specialties. In addition, there is also a link to request reference services, with a 1-2 week turnaround time. While materials are available to use on-site, materials may only be checked out by staff, interns, and International Center for Jefferson Studies Fellows. For the general public to browse the collection on-site, all personal items must be stored in designated areas.
I spent the majority of my time browsing through the Jefferson Collection Database and the Thomas Jefferson’s Libraries project. The Jefferson Collection Database is set up much like a college library catalog. The Thomas Jefferson Library project was funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in 2004. Based off of this grant and donations, the website hopes to compile all the works that Jefferson used during his lifetime. The website is available at http://tjlibraries.monticello.org/about/features.html and is very easy to navigate. This database contains collections that Thomas Jefferson owned, read himself, recommended to others, or articles that have been filled in by historical research. It is full of numerous transcriptions and lists of resources.
I did feel very limited by the virtual visit, and there were no photographs of the library itself on the website. Given that Thomas Jefferson was noted for his architecture, I was hoping for visuals and photographs of the inside. Though I was impressed with the overall mass collection of research information available online, I was disappointed in the lack of digital pictures of rare documents and manuscripts held at the library. One main question I have, did the library offer general hours before the pandemic, or is the limited access due to the small staff or other reasons? Though this library would be an obvious place to visit for anyone interested in the life or time period of Thomas Jefferson, how could they make interested parties, who are located too far away to visit, feel more fulfilled by their collection?
Resources
Google. (n.d.). [Lake Monticello, Virginia]. Retrieved March 28, 2022, from https://www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x89b386266f6efe67%3A0x2cf09f9724d3fc70!3m1!7e115!4shttps%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMzN44QUIaM0iAzneeQ7Uy0afIZzTPxrTPehuc_%3Dw355-h200-k-no!5sjefferson%20library%20at%20monticello%20-%20Google%20Search!15sCgIgAQ&imagekey=!1e2!2smNyvk0KwMZYmzvDkXa7A0A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwib5Yy5te72AhW5kWoFHVnkDf0Qoip6BAg3EAM
Monticello. (n.d.) Jefferson library collections. Retrieved March 28, 2022, from https://www.monticello.org/research-education/jefferson-library/jefferson-library-collections/
I appreciated the clean website and could navigate to resources and information with ease. Based on the photo you provided and the website, the library looks like a beautiful building. The Ron Laycock Collection of Lewis and Clark Literature sounded especially interesting. I was recently in Charlottesville, and I was thinking about using this library as my special collections visit, but I didn’t have an appointment. I hope they consider opening it to the public to make it accessible for all at some point. You did a great job describing what the library has to offer despite being a virtual visit. I feel like I have a clear understanding of what this library provides.
Thanks, Steph. I agree! I hope it opens to the public, soon. I am about four hours away from Charlottesville, and I would like to go and browse through it, when I happen to be in the area. I did love the architecture of the building. I also thought the website was very easy to navigate and had a large selection of resources!
I hope libraries such as The Jefferson Library at Monticello begin to open up more for in-person. However, the website did offer several exciting collections. I especially appreciated the database that showcased Thomas Jefferson’s books and recommendations. Thank you for sharing.
I thought that was one of the more interesting sections of the library. For some reason, I am so intrigued by recommendations and what was in his personal library. I noticed there was a large section in the Library of Congress for Jefferson, and I was curious what all it offered in comparison.
What an interesting library! The collections that they house are so important to our country’s history; the variety of collections provides such a wealth of information. I would especially be interested in the audio and video section. I also found the special collection of Slavery at Monticello to be intriguing. I could see how a patron would have to visit numerous times to achieve a good grasp of everything. Even though you were only able to visit the library virtually, the website explains what they have to offer in a clear and informative way. Thank you for sharing this gem!
Thanks, Kat! I also thought this library was extremely interesting! I have always been interested in that historic time period, and I think physically going to the library would be amazing. The website does offer tons of resources, and until they are more widely open, I think it is a great option.
It’s great that you were able to do such an extensive search through the library’s online information. I have never visited Monticello myself, and it seems like a very informative place to learn about VA’s history. It’s a shame that the online collection didn’t include more of Jefferson’s architecture because that would have been very interesting to see!
I have visited several times, when I was younger, for school trips. I do not recall that there was a library, but this virtual visit taught me it was just down the road from the main attraction. I do think pictures of the library and architecture would have been extremely beneficial. I feel like that is one main draw to Thomas Jefferson, and I am guessing the library is as attractive and interesting as Monticello.