The return of alumna Antoinette Seymour (BA 1984) to the University of Windsor is a tale of fate.
Seymour joined the team in the Leddy Library this semester from Nassau, Bahamas and brings with her a wealth of experience, passion for archives, and a commitment to the recently established Black Studies Institute.
While conducting an online search related to Windsor, United Kingdom, she happened upon a vacancy notice for the University of Windsor’s Black Scholars Hiring Initiative.
“The University of Windsor happens to be my alma mater so naturally I perked up,” recalls Seymour. “Back in the ’80s UWindsor provided me with some of the best years of my life, academically, personally, and socially.
After starting her post-secondary educational journey by earning a Bachelor of Arts in communications at the University of Windsor, Seymour went on to earn a Master of Information Management from the University of Glasgow and a Master of Educational Administration, Management and Policy from the University of Bristol. She has worked as a faculty member and held managerial roles at the University of the Bahamas.
She is excited to be returning to the University of Windsor and is eager to contribute to the growth of the Black Studies Institute. With decades of experience in academia, she sees her role as a librarian as a means of contributing to the academic, professional, and personal enrichment of the University of Windsor community.
“One is always encouraged to give back to one’s ‘nurturing mother,’ so in addition to my contributing through alumnae financial donations, here was an opportunity presenting itself to give back through professional contribution with teaching and learning,” Seymour adds.
Seymour will specialize in Archives and Special Collections and believes her archival commitments will not only preserve memory, identity, and history for the University, but also significantly contribute to the goals of the Black Studies Institute.
She is keen on bringing awareness, access, and preservation to the forefront of her work and sees archivists as guardians of memory, culture, and heritage. In her role, she intends to undertake archives outreach and advocacy, shedding light on marginalized histories with a particular focus on the Caribbean diaspora, reflecting her Bahamian heritage.
In honour of Archives Awareness Week, Seymour has launched a blog, Once Upon a Time… Through the lens of a Black archivist, highlighting archives from the former UWindsor Caribbean Students Association (CARISA) and Black alumni that she will add to throughout the year.
Visit the Leddy Library website to learn more about Archives Awareness Week.
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