Events & Outreach
The Z. Smith Reynolds Library features a variety of events, workshops, and more. The library often partners with other units on campus to offer these programs. For more information, contact the library.
Upcoming Events
–ZSR Library, ZSR 665 (Faculty Commons Classroom)Thank you for your interest in this reading discussion. We have reached maximum registration. If you would like to buy your own book (or use the open source ebook online) and participate, please email Karen Spira at spirak@wfu.edu.
Joy-Centered Pedagogy in Higher Education (2025) features a collection of 15 essays about the role that joy, playfulness, curiosity, laughter, and fun play in the college classroom. Focusing on topics as diverse as joyful silence, embodied learning, unlearning failure, and student-authored stand-up comedy, the volume offers inspiration and practical guidance for reorienting teaching around joy in order to become more welcoming, inclusive, effective, and fulfilled instructors.
Let’s meet to discuss and experiment with joy as a unique lens for understanding teaching and learning.
This book group will meet six times this semester on Wednesdays (1/28, 2/11, 2/18, 2/25, 3/4, & 3/18) from 3:30-4:30 pm in ZSR 665 (Faculty Commons Classroom inside the Faculty Commons space in the ZSR Wilson Wing). We will provide the book for the first 15 registrants. These discussions are very popular so we ask that you register only if you are available to attend all sessions.
–ZSR Library, 477Zotero is a powerful (and free!) tool for saving, organizing, and citing research sources. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to install Zotero, how to use it to build your own library of sources, and save yourself time when writing research papers. This hands-on session is oriented toward first-time users of Zotero. No familiarity with Zotero is required. Participants should bring their own Mac or Windows laptop (Chrome browser required). Register for a workshop here!
–ZSR Library, 426Find it hard to focus? Want to wrap up your week right? Join the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Writing Center every Thursday for graduate student coworking hours! You bring whatever it is you need to get done, and we’ll bring the free coffee and bagels. Don’t have time to stay? Stop by and grab some treats on your way. See you there!
–ZSR Library, The Studio @ ZSR 262Digital Portfolio Creation is a part of The Studio Workshop Series. This student workshop focuses on building a digital portfolio that showcases your skills, projects, and professional growth. Designed for students preparing for career fairs, internships, or job applications, this ongoing monthly workshop series covers how to curate your best work, define your professional identity, and create a polished digital portfolio that helps you stand out and spark meaningful conversations.
Hosted in collaboration with the Office of Personal and Career Development (OPCD) and the Marketing and Advertising Club.
–ZSR Library, Special Collections & Archives Research Room (Room 625)Author Chenita Johnson will discuss her book, “African American Firsts of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County North Carolina: Pioneers Who Greatly Impacted This City, This County, This Nation and the World.” Johnson will discuss her research process in primary source repositories, including at the Special Collections & Archives at Wake Forest. Help us celebrate Ms. Johnson’s research and writing with a reception after her talk and Q&A.
–ZSR Library, 425Calling all graduate students! Take a break and grab some FREE coffee and treats in the Graduate Student Lounge, courtesy of GSAS and ZSR Library. Hang out and chat with other graduate students, or grab and go on the way to class.
–ZSR LibraryRelax, recharge, and make something fun! Swing by the ZSR atrium for snacks and craft kits to make or take for later, while supplies last. Feb. 23: Friendship Bracelets & Keychains.
–ZSR Library, LobbyStop by the ZSR Atrium Lobby from 12 to 2 PM for a simple, uplifting Writing Center activity focused on sharing affirmations. During this drop-in event, you can write positive messages, encouragement, or reminders on Post-it notes to leave for others, and take one with you for a boost of motivation. Whether you stay for a few minutes or longer, it’s a meaningful way to spread kindness, reflect, and support yourself and others through words.
–ZSR Library, 665First Five is a workshop series specifically for early career faculty and is open to faculty at all ranks who are in their first five years at WFU.
These workshops have two goals: 1) to share how you can collaborate with ZSR Librarians on your teaching and research and 2) to provide space for you to connect with other WFU colleagues. Lunch will be provided at all sessions. Registration is requested to ensure that we have an accurate count for catering and can accommodate dietary needs. Please contact Kathy Shields at shielddk@wfu.edu with any questions.
- –ZSR Library, 477Zotero is a powerful (and free!) tool for saving, organizing, and citing research sources. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to install Zotero, how to use it to build your own library of sources, and save yourself time when writing research papers. This hands-on session is oriented toward first-time users of Zotero. No familiarity with Zotero is required. Participants should bring their own Mac or Windows laptop (Chrome browser required). Register for a workshop here!
–ZSR LibraryJoin Dr. Shea and Student Body President Amaya Williams for coffee and tea Wednesday morning.- –ZSR Library, 426Find it hard to focus? Want to wrap up your week right? Join the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Writing Center every Thursday for graduate student coworking hours! You bring whatever it is you need to get done, and we’ll bring the free coffee and bagels. Don’t have time to stay? Stop by and grab some treats on your way. See you there!
–ZSR Library, 2624+1 Program Info Session is a part of The Studio Student Learning Series.
Interested in earning your master’s degree with just one extra year? Join us to learn about the 4+1 MA in Content Creation and Strategic Storytelling, offered in partnership with the Wake Forest Documentary Film Program.
Find out how you can pair your undergraduate major with advanced storytelling and media production, gain a competitive edge, and fast-track your path to graduate study. We’ll cover how it works, when to apply, and what the experience looks like.
Open to students from all majors.
–ZSR Library, 6th Floor ZSR in the Center for AdvancementLearn more about AI
–ZSR Library, The StudioThe Student Technology Advisory Committee is a student-led group that partners with Information Systems to drive technological change. Meetings are held on the last Friday of the month in The Studio at ZSR Library. You’ll engage in discussions with IS staff, technologists, and subject matter experts, gaining an opportunity to influence technology trends and explore technology careers. Tech experience is not required, all majors are welcomed.
–ZSR Library, Special Collections & Archives Research Room (Room 625)Join us for an exhibit opening for the newest exhibit “Reading the Revolution: Print Culture in the 18th Century.” Light refreshments will be served. February 2026 – December 2026 (Monday-Friday, 10am – 4pm; other times by appointment)Special Collections & Archives, ZSR Library room 625Curated by Megan Mulder- –ZSR Library, Library Auditorium (Room 404)Journalist Lizzie Wade will talk about her recent book, Apocalypse, which was selected as a “best book of the year” by the New Yorker in 2025. In Apocalypse, Wade takes readers on a deep dive into the cataclysms of the past to show how moments of great disruption, upheaval, and loss shaped past people and their societies, created the world we live in, and continue to offer surprising opportunities for radical change. This event is sponsored by Anthropology and Journalism.
- –ZSR Library, 477Zotero is a powerful (and free!) tool for saving, organizing, and citing research sources. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to install Zotero, how to use it to build your own library of sources, and save yourself time when writing research papers. This hands-on session is oriented toward first-time users of Zotero. No familiarity with Zotero is required. Participants should bring their own Mac or Windows laptop (Chrome browser required). Register for a workshop here!
–ZSR Library, Library Auditorium (Room 404)In this chapter meeting, we will have the chance to talk with Natalia Drobnjak. She is currently a 2L at the University of Miami School of Law. She is interested in both litigation and transactional practice, and is a member of the Yvette Ostolaza Mock Trial Team. Natalia is also a Wake Forest Alum who is happy to answer any question you might have about law school, the law school application cycle, the LSAT, and so much more!
–ZSR Library, 425GSAS Students, celebrate being almost halfway through the semester with another Community Day! Enjoy FREE grab-and-go food all day long in the Grad Student Lounge, including coffee and breakfast in the morning, lunch at noon, and a sweet treat in the afternoon. Stay tuned for the caterers! Grab some food on your way to class, or stay and chat with other grad students for a while. We can’t wait to see you there!
–ZSR LibraryJoin historian Craig Thompson Friend, Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor of History and Public History at North Carolina State University and a Wake Forest University alumnus (’83), for a special two-day exploration of the remarkable life of Lunsford Lane, the self-emancipated entrepreneur and author whose story challenges and enriches our understanding of freedom, identity, and resilience in nineteenth-century North Carolina.
These programs celebrate Friend’s acclaimed new book, Becoming Lunsford Lane (University of North Carolina Press), and are presented in partnership between the Wake Forest Historical Museum and the Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections & Archives at Wake Forest University.
Please register for these events here.
Event 1: Lunsford Lane in Wake CountyTuesday, March 3, 2026, 6:00 p.m.Wake Forest Historical Museum, 414 N. Main Street, Wake Forest, NCIn this lecture, Dr. Craig Thompson Friend will focus on Lunsford Lane’s early life and experiences in Wake County, exploring how local communities, institutions, and racial hierarchies shaped his journey toward self-emancipation. Drawing on years of archival research, Friend will illuminate how Lane’s story reflects both the constraints and possibilities of life for enslaved North Carolinians in the early 19th century.
This event is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow the presentation.
Event 2: Becoming Lunsford Lane — Rewriting a LifeWednesday, March 4, 2026, 4:00 p.m.Z. Smith Reynolds Library, Special Collections & Archives (Room 625)At this campus lecture, Dr. Friend will present a broader discussion of Becoming Lunsford Lane, highlighting how he reconstructed Lane’s life and legacy through historical detective work and critical engagement with older narratives. He will discuss the process of separating myth from memory and the challenges of writing biography within the context of race, freedom, and authorship in the antebellum South.
Presented by the ZSR Library’s Special Collections & Archives in partnership with the Wake Forest Historical Museum. Free and open to the public.
Livestream available here.
- –ZSR Library, 426Find it hard to focus? Want to wrap up your week right? Join the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Writing Center every Thursday for graduate student coworking hours! You bring whatever it is you need to get done, and we’ll bring the free coffee and bagels. Don’t have time to stay? Stop by and grab some treats on your way. See you there!
- –ZSR LibraryRelax, recharge, and make something fun! Swing by the ZSR atrium for snacks and craft kits to make or take for later, while supplies last. March 9: WakerSpace Kit.
- –ZSR Library, 425Calling all graduate students! Take a break and grab some FREE coffee and treats in the Graduate Student Lounge, courtesy of GSAS and ZSR Library. Hang out and chat with other graduate students, or grab and go on the way to class.
- –ZSR Library, 426Find it hard to focus? Want to wrap up your week right? Join the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Writing Center every Thursday for graduate student coworking hours! You bring whatever it is you need to get done, and we’ll bring the free coffee and bagels. Don’t have time to stay? Stop by and grab some treats on your way. See you there!
- –ZSR Library, 401 (Ammons Gallery)The Humanities Institute, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, Wake the Arts, and ZSR Library invite all Reynolda Campus faculty to a reception to celebrate faculty authors and artists who have authored books or produced creative works. Please join us in the Ammons Gallery, Room 401 in ZSR Library, from 3:30-5:30pm on Thursday, March 19. A selection of drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
- –ZSR LibraryRelax, recharge, and make something fun! Swing by the ZSR atrium for snacks and craft kits to make or take for later, while supplies last. March 23: DIY Desk Plant.
- –ZSR Library, 477Zotero is a powerful (and free!) tool for saving, organizing, and citing research sources. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to install Zotero, how to use it to build your own library of sources, and save yourself time when writing research papers. This hands-on session is oriented toward first-time users of Zotero. No familiarity with Zotero is required. Participants should bring their own Mac or Windows laptop (Chrome browser required). Register for a workshop here!
–ZSR Library, Room 204To register for the required 3 sessions, visit: ResilientWake Spring 2026 on Workday.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, YOU MUST ATTEND AND ENGAGE IN ALL THREE IN PERSON SESSIONS (11:30 AM – 1:00 PM: March 24, March 31, and April 7, 2026) in the the Z Smith Library, Room 204. Beverages and light snacks will be provided.
Resilience is our ability to face those inevitable challenges and changes we all have, with grace. You might have heard people talking about resilience as “bouncing back”, “overcoming obstacles”, or “finding a silver lining” – resilience consists of a range of skills that improve as you practice.
The ResilientWake Workshop Series is an opportunity for faculty and staff to learn how to develop and integrate resilience skills into our everyday life using a cohort model.
Each session will take place in the ZSR Library Room 204. Beverages and light snacks will be included. If you need an accommodation, please notify Paige Edwards-Werhan via werhanp@wfu.edu.
To enroll in the course, you will need to attend all 3 sessions:.
Tuesday, March 24 at 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM.
Tuesday, March 31 at 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM.
Tuesday, April 7 at 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM.
–ZSR Library, Library Auditorium (Room 404)The Program in African American Studies will be hosting a book talk and public conversation with Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall. Dr.Guy-Sheftall is a trailblazing Black feminist scholar, whose passion for the many communities she encompasses is evident in her work and friendships she has built over the last 55 years . She is the visionary architect of The Women’s Research and Resource Center at Spelman College, the first for an HBCU. Since its founding in 1981, she has served as the Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women’s Studies, exposing her students and the broader public to the intellectual contributions of Black feminists throughout history.
At the age of sixteen, Dr. Guy-Sheftall began her matriculation at Spelman College where she majored in English and minored in secondary education. Upon graduating with honors, she attended Wellesley College for a fifth year of study. In 1968, she began pursuing her Master’s Degree in English at Atlanta University. A year later Dr. Guy-Sheftall began teaching at Alabama State University in the Department of English. But it was her return to Spelman in 1971 that ignited her true mission— to disrupt the silences surrounding Black women’s interconnected experiences. Within the traditional confines of Spelman that had once educated her, she has pushed boundaries, demanded space for Black feminist thought, and laid the foundation for future generations of radical scholarship.
Dr. Shanna Greene Benjamin, Reynolds Professor of African American Studies at Wake Forest University, will lead the conversation with Dr. Sheftall. A reception and book signing will follow. Books will be available for purchase at the event.
–ZSR Library, Faculty Commons Classroom 665Please Note: This session is intended for faculty who are looking to refresh an already-existing FYS. Facilitators: Kristi Verbeke & Melissa Maffeo.
Are you looking to refresh your current First Year Seminar (FYS)? Join us to explore strategies for enhancing discussion and reimagining assignments to align with FYS core competencies in the current landscape (including the impact of AI). You will have time to talk through current challenges and opportunities with colleagues to generate concrete ideas and revisions that strengthen your course and create engaging, relevant learning experiences.
- –ZSR Library, 426Find it hard to focus? Want to wrap up your week right? Join the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Writing Center every Thursday for graduate student coworking hours! You bring whatever it is you need to get done, and we’ll bring the free coffee and bagels. Don’t have time to stay? Stop by and grab some treats on your way. See you there!
- –ZSR Library, 477Zotero is a powerful (and free!) tool for saving, organizing, and citing research sources. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to install Zotero, how to use it to build your own library of sources, and save yourself time when writing research papers. This hands-on session is oriented toward first-time users of Zotero. No familiarity with Zotero is required. Participants should bring their own Mac or Windows laptop (Chrome browser required). Register for a workshop here!
- –ZSR Library, 426Find it hard to focus? Want to wrap up your week right? Join the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Writing Center every Thursday for graduate student coworking hours! You bring whatever it is you need to get done, and we’ll bring the free coffee and bagels. Don’t have time to stay? Stop by and grab some treats on your way. See you there!
- –ZSR Library, 426Find it hard to focus? Want to wrap up your week right? Join the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Writing Center every Thursday for graduate student coworking hours! You bring whatever it is you need to get done, and we’ll bring the free coffee and bagels. Don’t have time to stay? Stop by and grab some treats on your way. See you there!
- –ZSR LibraryRelax, recharge, and make something fun! Swing by the ZSR atrium for snacks and craft kits to make or take for later, while supplies last. April 13: WakerSpace Kit.
- –ZSR Library, 426Find it hard to focus? Want to wrap up your week right? Join the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Writing Center every Thursday for graduate student coworking hours! You bring whatever it is you need to get done, and we’ll bring the free coffee and bagels. Don’t have time to stay? Stop by and grab some treats on your way. See you there!
- –ZSR Library, 426Find it hard to focus? Want to wrap up your week right? Join the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Writing Center every Thursday for graduate student coworking hours! You bring whatever it is you need to get done, and we’ll bring the free coffee and bagels. Don’t have time to stay? Stop by and grab some treats on your way. See you there!
–ZSR Library, ZSR Library 665 CAT ClassroomJoin us for casual monthly meetups to share and discover artificial intelligence together in this new conversation series. Join colleagues to share ideas, seek advice, and explore the potential of AI together. Attendees may add or review topics in an AI Café collaborative agenda (restricted to WFU faculty and staff).
AI Café is held monthly on the fourth Friday, on an alternating schedule of Zoom and in-person. Online: July, September, November, January, March, May. In person, August, October, December, February, April.
See all AI Café events and add to your calendar.
- –ZSR LibraryRelax, recharge, and make something fun! Swing by the ZSR atrium for snacks and craft kits to make or take for later, while supplies last. April 27: Sun Catcher.
- –ZSR Library, 426Find it hard to focus? Want to wrap up your week right? Join the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Writing Center every Thursday for graduate student coworking hours! You bring whatever it is you need to get done, and we’ll bring the free coffee and bagels. Don’t have time to stay? Stop by and grab some treats on your way. See you there!
- –ZSR LibraryRelax, recharge, and make something fun! Swing by the ZSR atrium for snacks and craft kits to make or take for later, while supplies last. May 4: DIY Study Buddies.
–ZSR Library, Faculty Commons Classroom 665 (6th floor, Wilson Wing)Following the momentum of our recent AI discussions, please join faculty from across the World Language programs for a collaborative sharing session. As we wrap up the semester, we invite you to a roundtable discussion focused on sharing new assessment designs developed as part of the Spanish Department’s curriculum review and the lessons learned from our recent classes.
This is a space to celebrate our collective expertise, exchange innovative ideas, and kickstart a new tradition of cross-language collaboration at Wake Forest. We look forward to seeing the diverse ways our programs are evolving! This workshop is facilitated by Daniel Jung, Lauren Miller, and Rebekah Morris.