Meridian Coffeehouse Records Guide to the Meridian Coffeehouse Records UA 7.056

Guide to the Meridian Coffeehouse Records UA 7.056


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Special Collections Research Center

William & Mary Special Collections Research Center
Earl Gregg Swem Library
400 Landrum Dr
Williamsburg, Virginia
Business Number: 757-221-3090
spcoll@wm.edu
URL: https://libraries.wm.edu/libraries-spaces/special-collections

Finding Aid Authors: Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, Becky Little, SCRC Staff.

Repository
Special Collections Research Center
Identification
UA 7.056
Title
Meridian Coffeehouse Records, 1996-[ongoing] 1996-[ongoing]
Quantity
1.40 Linear Feet
Language
English

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Use

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Custodial History

Portions of this collection were previously part of the Student Organizations Collection.

Preferred Citation

Meridian Coffeehouse Records, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Acc. 2011.049 was hand delivered to the SCRC by the donor on 1/24/2011.

Processing Information

Acc. 2011.049 accessioned and minimally processed by Steven Bookman in January 2011. Further arrangement and description by Becky Little '12, SCRC Staff, in February 2012.


Biographical / Historical

The Meridian Coffeehouse is a student-run coffeehouse, music and art space, and substance-free venue for creative and intellectual expression. Further information is available on their TribeLink page Meridian Coffeehouse.

Scope and Contents

Fliers and logbooks from the student-run Meridian Coffeehouse at William & Mary.  The fliers advertise events such as music shows, jam sessions, poetry readings, holiday parties, discussion groups, film screenings, creative performances, dance parties, and other events.  Some specialized events include John Waters Eve, Divination Night, Alice in Wonderland Night, Body Painting and Drum Circle, the opportunity to star in "Greg's Greasy Lust Movie," fundraiser concerts, and "Infoshop" presentations on literature and activism.  Party themes include Feminist, Spacedrugsrobots, Cross Dressing Cross Decade, and Black Valentines Day.  Included is a print-out of an article from the Virginia Informer about a robbery at the Meridian in November 2009.

Each logbook contains artwork and written entries by the Meridian staff and customers from a given semester.  Many entries are addressed to the Meridian staff and customers, discuss or reflect on the Meridian, or discuss other aspects of college life.  Administrative documents such as sign-up lists and fliers are sometimes included. Some of the logbooks contain pictures of Meridian staff and people associated with the Meridian, as well as pictures of Meridian events like "Grits Wrestling."  A forward in the Meridian's 5th logbook (Fall 1997/98) details the goals of the logbook at that time.

Related Material

University Archives Poster Collection (UA 12), University Archives Photograph Collection (UA 8), Williamsburg Documentary Project (UA 351), series 2, box 4.

Separated Material

The fliers and announcements were pulled from the Student Organizations Collection and were added to this collection in January 2011.


Subjects and Indexing Terms

  • College of William and Mary--Students
  • Student Organizations--Meridian Coffeehouse

Container List

Mixed Materials Box: 1
Box 1
  • Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 1
    Fliers
    1995- 2014
  • Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 2
    Informer Articles
    2000- 2013
  • Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 3
    Logbook- Spring
    1997
  • Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 4
    Logbook- Fall
    1997
  • Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 5
    Logbook- Fall
    1998
  • Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 6
    Logbook- Fall
    1999
  • Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7
    Logbook- Spring
    2000
  • Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 8
    Logbook-Fall
    2000
  • Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 9
    Logbook- Spring
    2001
  • Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 10
    Logbook Fall
    2001
Mixed Materials Box: 2
Box 2
  • Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 1
    Logbook- Spring
    1999
  • Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 2
    Logbook- Spring
    1998
  • Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 3
    Logbook- Spring
    1996
Meridian Coffeehouse, June 2022 Addition
10 Linear Feet Two artworks, one 37x26 inches, the other 36x24 inches. Two full Hollinger boxes, one banker's box, one 22x24 inch box, one 11 1/2 x 17 1/2 inch box, and two t-shirts.
1993-2021English
Scope and Contents

An addition of materials to the Meridian Coffeehouse. Content warning for alcohol use, smoking, and partial nudity.

Box 3 Folder one: Two signs. One with instructions on the opening and closing procedures for the Coffeehouse, and the second with instructions on how to brew coffee and tea.

Folder two: Thirty-six photographs, two have writing on the back. 2004 ish (Content Warnings for alcohol, smoking, partial nudity)

Folder three: Forty-two advertisement flyers, and five brochures. Four of the brochures are about Meridian Coffeehouse, one is from the William & Mary Young Democratic Socialists of America. 2016-2019

Folder four: Restaurant Operating Permit from the Virginia Department of Health. 1998-1999

Folder five: Artwork. Forty drawings on paper of people: some with names, others without. Four 2 1/2" x 3" squares with drawings on one side and a sketch of a house with the number one inside it on the other.

Folder six: A linocut printing matrix created for the WCWM Fest 2018.

Folder seven: The Meridian, a 2009 hardbound comic book written and signed by Sophia W. about the coffeehouse.

Folder eight: The Filthiest Piece of Money We Ever Saw, a dirty and ripped dollar bill printed in 1993 taped to a piece of cardboard.

Folder nine: Correspondence. (Possible restricted information, student social media accounts) Three notes, one list of activities, a recipe card for "Tipper's Palatable Kava Smoothie", two postcards (one of which has a thermometer design on the front that looks like a penis), one graduation announcement, and two photograph holiday cards. 2012-2013

Folder ten: History of the Meridian Coffeehouse, written by Laura McCann, 1/24/2010.

Folder eleven: Vinyltap magazines, Fall 2019 and Fall 2021.

Folder twelve: A spiral bound notebook serving as the 2017 Meridian accounting book.

Box 4 2002 - 2003. Meridian Coffeehouse Fall 2002, Spring 2003, and Fall 2003 communal sketchbooks. The books contain notes, art, poems, songs, and stories.

Box 5 (Restrictions Apply) All items that were originally housed in a gray safe. Folder thirteen: Daily Logs - Spring 2000: a single spiral bound log book.

Folder fourteen: Daily Logs - Spring 2003: sixteen log sheets, three of which are on ruled paper.

Folder fifteen: Daily Logs - Fall 2009-Spring 2010: seventy-six log sheets.

Folder sixteen: Daily Logs - Fall 2013: fifty-five log sheets.

Folder seventeen: Vendor Info - two brochures of guidelines for contracts, a thank you card from Adagio Teas, receipt from Adagio Teas, brochure from Adagio Teas, and a CD from Adagio Teas. Fair Trade coffee brochure, First Colony wholesale tea price list, order form from Cafe Canopy, business card and receipt slips and booklet from Kaldi. Baltimore Coffee item list with notes on the back, Eastern Shore Tea Co. wholesale price list, The Stash Tea Catalog, Peace Coffee brochure, Upton Tea Quarterly, and Coffee Bean Direct Vol.VI Winter 2009.

RESTRICT Folder eighteen: Financial Info - 2000-2002

Folder nineteen: Receipts - 2002-2004: twenty-four receipts from a variety of businesses.

Folder twenty: Event forms - 2002: Notice from the scheduling office, three copies of the William and Mary Student Activities Conference Fund booklet, special activity/event funding flyer, payment/reimbursement request forms, event registration request, activity and event funding request form.

Folder twenty-one: Flyers - 2001: Four flyers for events.

Folder twenty-two: Organization abbreviations: Two copies of the Activities & Organization official college email list, copy code sheet, and a donation note.

Folder twenty-three: Blank Forms: Ten blank data sheets/daily logs, and a small stack of Meridian stationary.

Folder twenty-four: Instruction manuals - 1996-1999: Sentry Fire-Safe sweepstakes book, Sentry Safe booklet, Sentry owners manual, Business Security Systems order book, Royal cash register order form, PCR-250 150CR cash register user's manual, portable stereo with am/fm manual, RCA user's guide, Roper home appliances use and care guide, safety diagrams, material safety data sheets, Eureka vacuum cleaner owner's guide, three Air Pot brochures, Easy Clear cartridge change-out instructions, 4 sheets and 1 operating guide for Bunn brewers, metal spade object shaped similarly to a key (stamped with Bunn).

Folder twenty-five: Instruction manuals continued: 7 Bunn operating manuals for Thermal Server Brewers.

Box 6 Unsigned hand-done print of a person on a porch swing, large chunk missing from bottom left, tears in the top right corner and lower right. Two digitally printed posters. Three protest signs, one dated 09/26/2018, all mention student free speech.

Box 7 (Restrict) Two audio books, W.B. Yeats Selected Poems read by William Sutherland, and Jerrell the Troll (autographed audio cassette tape). Ransomed Femininity Live!, a recorded concert series. Two painted rocks, one wooden sculpture shaped like a creche with Coffee House on the "roof" (the bottom plank is loose and barely attached). A VHS of Jerry Maguire, 18 cassette tapes, five CDs, a black painted gear with "Black Sprockets" written on it in silver ink. A white binder marked "Daily Logs" 2009, a red binder with 9 balance sheets and a list of students with phone numbers.

2022.107.A01: A pink sized small tee shirt with a picture printed in black ink of the outside of the coffeehouse. The words "The Meridian" are located above the image, while "Coffeehouse" is below the image.

2022.107.A02: A white sized small tee shirt with the word "Meridian" printed diagonally from the top left to bottom right. "Coffeehouse" is placed on the left side, underneath "Meridian." A figure wearing headphones is on the right. All are printed in black ink.

2022.107.A03: A cardboard cut-out bust of four women painted in black and white, there are coffee cups before the ladies in the foreground. A note on the back reads "Before throwing away email..." 36"x24" signed and dated 1998.

2022.107.A04: A painting on raw canvas tacked into a wooden frame, subject appears to be a stylized portrait of Elvis. The canvas is sagging badly on the right side. 37"x26" possibly signed with an "R".

Preferred Citation

Meridian Coffeehouse, June 2022 Addition, Special Collections Research Center, William and Mary Libraries.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Conditions Governing Use

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

  • Mixed Materials UA 7.056 Box 3
    Box 3
    2004-2021
    Scope and Contents

    Folder one: Two signs. One with instructions on the opening and closing procedures for the Coffeehouse, and the second with instructions on how to brew coffee and tea.

    Folder two: Thirty-six photographs, two have writing on the back. 2004 ish (Content Warnings for alcohol, smoking, partial nudity)

    Folder three: Forty-two advertisement flyers, and five brochures. Four of the brochures are about Meridian Coffeehouse, one is from the William & Mary Young Democratic Socialists of America. 2016-2019

    Folder four: Restaurant Operating Permit from the Virginia Department of Health. 1998-1999

    Folder five: Artwork. Forty drawings on paper of people: some with names, others without. Four 2 1/2" x 3" squares with drawings on one side and a sketch of a house with the number one inside it on the other.

    Folder six: A linocut printing matrix created for the WCWM Fest 2018.

    Folder seven: The Meridian, a 2009 hardbound comic book written and signed by Sophia W. about the coffeehouse.

    Folder eight: The Filthiest Piece of Money We Ever Saw, a dirty and ripped dollar bill printed in 1993 taped to a piece of cardboard.

    Folder nine: Correspondence. (Possible restricted information, student social media accounts) Three notes, one list of activities, a recipe card for "Tipper's Palatable Kava Smoothie", two postcards (one of which has a thermometer design on the front that looks like a penis), one graduation announcement, and two photograph holiday cards. 2012-2013

    Folder ten: History of the Meridian Coffeehouse, written by Laura McCann, 1/24/2010.

    Folder eleven: Vinyltap magazines, Fall 2019 and Fall 2021.

    Folder twelve: A spiral bound notebook serving as the 2017 Meridian accounting book.

  • Mixed Materials UA 7.056 Box 4
    Box 4
    2002-2003
    Scope and Contents

    2002 - 2003. Meridian Coffeehouse Fall 2002, Spring 2003, and Fall 2003 communal sketchbooks. The books contain notes, art, poems, songs, and stories.

  • Mixed Materials UA 7.056 Box 5
    Box 5
    1996-2013
    Scope and Contents

    (Restrictions Apply) All items that were originally housed in a gray safe. Folder thirteen: Daily Logs - Spring 2000: a single spiral bound log book.

    Folder fourteen: Daily Logs - Spring 2003: sixteen log sheets, three of which are on ruled paper.

    Folder fifteen: Daily Logs - Fall 2009-Spring 2010: seventy-six log sheets.

    Folder sixteen: Daily Logs - Fall 2013: fifty-five log sheets.

    Folder seventeen: Vendor Info - two brochures of guidelines for contracts, a thank you card from Adagio Teas, receipt from Adagio Teas, brochure from Adagio Teas, and a CD from Adagio Teas. Fair Trade coffee brochure, First Colony wholesale tea price list, order form from Cafe Canopy, business card and receipt slips and booklet from Kaldi. Baltimore Coffee item list with notes on the back, Eastern Shore Tea Co. wholesale price list, The Stash Tea Catalog, Peace Coffee brochure, Upton Tea Quarterly, and Coffee Bean Direct Vol.VI Winter 2009.

    RESTRICT Folder eighteen: Financial Info - 2000-2002

    Folder nineteen: Receipts - 2002-2004: twenty-four receipts from a variety of businesses.

    Folder twenty: Event forms - 2002: Notice from the scheduling office, three copies of the William and Mary Student Activities Conference Fund booklet, special activity/event funding flyer, payment/reimbursement request forms, event registration request, activity and event funding request form.

    Folder twenty-one: Flyers - 2001: Four flyers for events.

    Folder twenty-two: Organization abbreviations: Two copies of the Activities & Organization official college email list, copy code sheet, and a donation note.

    Folder twenty-three: Blank Forms: Ten blank data sheets/daily logs, and a small stack of Meridian stationary.

    Folder twenty-four: Instruction manuals - 1996-1999: Sentry Fire-Safe sweepstakes book, Sentry Safe booklet, Sentry owners manual, Business Security Systems order book, Royal cash register order form, PCR-250 150CR cash register user's manual, portable stereo with am/fm manual, RCA user's guide, Roper home appliances use and care guide, safety diagrams, material safety data sheets, Eureka vacuum cleaner owner's guide, three Air Pot brochures, Easy Clear cartridge change-out instructions, 4 sheets and 1 operating guide for Bunn brewers, metal spade object shaped similarly to a key (stamped with Bunn).

    Folder twenty-five: Instruction manuals continued: 7 Bunn operating manuals for Thermal Server Brewers.

  • Mixed Materials UA 7.056 Box 6
    Box 6
    2018
    Scope and Contents

    Unsigned hand-done print of a person on a porch swing, large chunk missing from bottom left, tears in the top right corner and lower right. Two digitally printed posters. Three protest signs, one dated 09/26/2018, all mention student free speech.

  • Mixed Materials UA 7.056 Box 7
    Box 7
    2009
    Scope and Contents

    (Restrict) Two audio books, W.B. Yeats Selected Poems read by William Sutherland, and Jerrell the Troll (autographed audio cassette tape). Ransomed Femininity Live!, a recorded concert series. Two painted rocks, one wooden sculpture shaped like a creche with Coffee House on the "roof" (the bottom plank is loose and barely attached). A VHS of Jerry Maguire, 18 cassette tapes, five CDs, a black painted gear with "Black Sprockets" written on it in silver ink. A white binder marked "Daily Logs" 2009, a red binder with 9 balance sheets.

  • Mixed Materials 2022.107.A01
    Pink shirt
    Scope and Contents

    A pink sized small tee shirt with a picture printed in black ink of the outside of the coffeehouse. The words "The Meridian" are located above the image, while "Coffeehouse" is below the image.

  • Mixed Materials 2022.107.A02
    White shirt
    Scope and Contents

    A white sized small tee shirt with the word "Meridian" printed diagonally from the top left to bottom right. "Coffeehouse" is placed on the left side, underneath "Meridian." A figure wearing headphones is on the right. All are printed in black ink.

  • Mixed Materials 2022.107.A03
    Untitled painting of four ladies
    1998
    Scope and Contents

    A cardboard cut-out bust of four women painted in black and white, there are coffee cups before the ladies in the foreground. A note on the back reads "Before throwing away email..." 36"x24" signed and dated 1998.

  • Mixed Materials 2022.107.A04
    Untitled painting of a man
    Scope and Contents

    A painting on raw canvas tacked into a wooden frame, subject appears to be a stylized portrait of Elvis. The canvas is sagging badly on the right side. 37"x26" possibly signed with an "R".