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UVa Library Event Summary
Football Coach Al Groh spends the afternoon as guest University librarian
On the afternoon of Thursday, March 15, Coach Al Groh served as guest University librarian at the request of University Librarian Karin Wittenborg. The highlight of Coach Groh's visit was his presence at the reference desk of Alderman Library from 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Excitement over the coach's visit was apparent at the desk in Alderman's Memorial Hall, as Edgar Allan Poe's statue sported a U.Va. T-shirt and curious students crowded around.
For a half hour, Coach Groh fielded questions from students with the assistance of reference librarians Barbie Selby and Warner Granade. Student questions ranged from how to find books on astrology to the best way to research coaching as a career. When one of Coach Groh's players—wide receiver Cary Koch—asked how he could find a certain call number in the stacks, the coach fell back on the subject he knows best. Handing his player a library reference brochure, Groh suggested using it just like a playbook.
Upon leaving Alderman, the coach was approached by droves of excited students, who asked questions and presented their textbooks for autographs. Coach Groh said his visit showed him that the library was more than a place to house books, but "is about people, energy, and ideas."
The day's events also included tours of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, Clemons Library, Brown Science and Engineering Library, and Alderman Library's McGregor Room and Scholars' Lab.
Coach Groh's visit followed University Librarian Karin Wittenborg's appearance as guest football coach at the Virginia-Western Michigan game in 2005, where the Hoos prevailed at 31-19.
Press inquiries:
Charlotte Morford
Director of Communications, University of Virginia Library
434-924-4254
cwm6z@virginia.edu
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About the U.Va. Library
With 13 physical locations as well as the original Rotunda, the U.Va. Library contains more than 5 million volumes, 17 million manuscripts, rare books and archives, and rapidly growing digital collections. The Library is a leader in developing collections, tools and collaborations that foster scholarship at the University and worldwide. It is known in particular for its strength in American history and literature, as well as its innovation in digital technologies.
To download this press release, a fact sheet and images for media use, visit the Library’s pressroom: http://www.lib.virginia.edu/press/
