Library Staff

Simpson Library constitutes the knowledge center of the university — a physical and virtual manifestation of the institution’s mission of connected, integrated, and engaged teaching, learning, research, and service. 

During regular semesters, Simpson Library is open with full-service for 80 hours each week. During Reading Days/Exam Week, the Library has extended hours. The Library’s collections contain more than 375,000 physical items including books, journals, videos, and popular reading materials. Simpson Library provides access to more than 100,000 online journals, 450,000 electronic books, and 130,000 streaming videos. The Library also provides access to an extensive array of electronic databases that include full-text articles, historical newspapers and other primary source materials, images, and research datasets. Simpson Library adds 2,000 or more volumes to its collections each year to support the University’s wide-ranging curriculum. 

In addition to serving as an official partial depository of both Federal and State government publications, the Library also maintains an online digital repository, a rare books collection, and the archives of the University. The University of Mary Washington is an active member of VIVA (The Virtual Library of Virginia), a consortium of colleges and universities in Virginia that provides students and faculty access to a rich array of electronic resources through the campus network. VIVA resources range from online encyclopedias and dictionaries to bibliographic databases and full-text periodical services. 

One of the largest buildings on the Fredericksburg campus, Simpson Library is connected to the Hurley Convergence Center (HCC) by a bridge leading from the library’s second floor to the HCC’s third floor. The Library staffs a service desk in the HCC. The HCC also includes the Library’s Digital Archiving Lab and Convergence Gallery. 

Simpson Library includes a variety of spaces for group and individual study, including individual study areas on all three floors, tables for group work, reservable study rooms, cozy “sunrooms” with soft seating, and the popular “treehouses” – double-decker study carrels located on the third floor.

The Library also provides access to the campus wireless network. The online catalog provides access to the Library’s print and electronic collections. A full range of instructional services is offered to faculty and students to aid in the use and interpretation of the Library’s resources, research methods and the efficient use of new information technologies. Librarians teach a wide array of course-related instruction in addition to the provision of reference assistance and in-depth research consultations. The Library also supports an efficient interlibrary loan service.