By: Jordyn Henthorn 

Jason Gum is the current Library Director at Glenville State University.  Recently, Gum was promoted from librarian to Library Director, which means that he is now a faculty member at Glenville State University.  When it comes to being a new faculty member, Gum fought for the title, as he believes librarians should be faculty members.  Also, the new position allows Gum to work in the classroom, partner with other faculty members on an equal level, and mentor incoming faculty members.

Gum is also a graduate of GSU, having earned his bachelor’s degree in English (with a minor in business) here in 2004.  Since then, Gum has also obtained his master’s degree in Information Science/Studies from the University of North Texas in 2016.  During his time as a student, Gum started working in the library at the age of 18, and has been here for over two decades.

On campus, Gum has served in a number of different positions, including Librarian/Archivist, Staff Board of Governors Representative, and finally, Library Director.  While here at GSU, Gum has been involved in several projects, including the Glenville Mercury Digitization Project, the GSU Reel-to-Reel Project, and the Early Appalachian Photography Project.

These main projects all have to do with preserving and digitizing the history of the university and the community.  The Glenville Mercury Digitization Project was an effort on Gum’s part to create PDF documents from GSC’s previous student newspaper, The Mercury.  About 70 years of newsprints were scanned to complete this project.  The Reel-to-Reel Digitization Project digitized all of GSC’s 16mm films, which contained footage from musical performances from the 1940s and footage of homecoming parades from the 1940s-50s.  Lastly, the Early Appalachian Photography Project was an exhibit that Gum worked on that displayed photographs (both prints from glass negatives and the glass negatives themselves) from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

When it comes to the many different positions he’s held, one of Jason’s favorites has been archivist. He enjoys learning about GSU’s history and making it accessible for the public to see and learn about.  He also takes great pride in the work he’s done to restore and convert old campus VHS tapes so that they may be available for the public to access.