Earlier this year, I was invited to contribute to the upcoming ACRL book project Science Librarianship and the Liberal Arts: Positions, Instruction, and Outreach. This will be an updated version of the 1992 book Science Librarianship at America’s Liberal Arts Colleges by Tony Stankus. The updated version will provide a new perspective on the delights... more ›
Featured: Public Services Department Retreat Public Services held its annual department retreat on August 12. Staff reviewed progress toward 2025-26 departmental goals and priorities for 2026-27; departmental successes, challenges and opportunities; and updates from colleagues on their individual and collaborative work. Core Operations Public Services began the fall semester with a major student staffing and... more ›
The ZSR Recognitions: Thank a Colleague! program provides an opportunity for employees to submit a note of thanks to their colleagues. These can be for going above and beyond, helping a job get done, general appreciation, or any reason thanks can be given. Here are those who were recognized since May. Thanks to all for... more ›
Safety & Security Committee The ZSR Safety & Security Committee supports preparedness, emergency planning, and safety-related initiatives throughout the library. The current committee includes: Rodrigo Castro, Director of Public Services — Standing Member/Chair Thomas Dowling, Director of Technology — Standing Member Craig Fansler, Preservation Librarian — 2025–27 Patrick Ferrell, Collection Maintenance Specialist — 2024–27 James... more ›
The ThriveLib 2026 digital conference focused on the elephant in the room: library workers are overworked, overstretched and operating in a system that traditionally doesn’t support the human element of the job…particularly the human at the desk. There were so many informative and eye-opening presentations over the three days, it would be difficult to encapsulate... more ›
Okay, I know this is almost 2 months late, but I’ve been busy. I attended the ALA Conference in Chicago back in late June. It was a special conference for me, not only because it was a very long one (I came in on a Thursday and left on a Tuesday) or that I barely... more ›
Again I am late getting out an Annual blogpost. Fiscal rollover plus weather-extended family vacation will do that, I guess. I am going to try to keep it short. Usually I fail. My main accomplishment (?) at Annual 2026 was reluctantly agreeing to re-up as chair of the Core Awards and Scholarships Coordination Committee. I... more ›
Core Operations Taking advantage of the summer’s lower foot traffic in the library, members of Public Services team rearranged furniture in Reynolds 609 and 611 to enhance usability while longer-term space design configurations are being developed. Internally, the department is working with Human Resources Learning and Development team on a climate assessment within Public Services... more ›
The Graphic Medicine International Collective has hosted the yearly Graphic Medicine Conference (GMC) since 2010 for cartoonists, clinicians, and educators whose work aligns with health humanities concepts and health comics. This year’s meeting was held at Johns Hopkins University’s (JHU) Homewood and East Campuses in Baltimore, Maryland from July 23 – 25 and marked my... more ›
LOEX returned to the East Coast this year for its annual conference, which was held in Norfolk, Virginia on Mother’s Day Weekend. This year’s theme was “Oceans of Knowledge: Diving into Information Literacy,” but the abundant puns and metaphors in presentation titles pointed to the challenges of navigating stranger tides (prime example – a strong... more ›