October Events

Nakayasu Book Display and Art Installation

In early October, the ZSR Library presented a special book display to accompany the art installation featuring works by poet Sawako Nakayasu. The display, curated by Rodrigo Castro, Director of Public Services and Erin Jones, Research Services Specialist, showcased several of Nakayasu’s titles, including “Nothing Fictional but the Accuracy or Arrangement,” “Pink Waves,” and “For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut.” Additional titles were sourced to complement the collection and provide a broader perspective on Nakayasu’s contributions to contemporary poetry. This collaboration between the library and the art installation team served to enhance the appreciation of Nakayasu’s work and its cultural significance.

World Mental Health Day

On October 10, ZSR Library partnered with the University Counseling Center (UCC) to host a World Mental Health Day event at Manchester Plaza. The event featured a curated collection of recommended mental health books and resources from the library’s Wellness Collection. ZSR Library staff members Will Ritter, Emma Gauthier, and Jemma Johnson worked together to engage attendees and promote the collection, making it a highly successful and impactful event that encouraged wellness and mental health awareness.

Halloween Game Night

This year’s Halloween Game Night on October 25 at ZSR Library provided an evening packed with festive fun and excitement. Hosted by the ZSR Library in collaboration with the ZSR Ambassadors, Board Game Club, Esports Association, Rook & Bishop, and World Tea Association—the event had something for everyone. Jemma Johnson provided tarot readings at the spooktacular event which hosted over 80 students.

Tabling Events

  • You Can Vote (October 4 & October 24): The library collaborated with the You Can Vote organization to inform students about voter registration and election information, with sessions held on October 4 and October 24. Each session provided valuable insights into voting processes, encouraging civic engagement.

  • Academic Resources Awareness Week (October 21): As part of Academic Resources Awareness Week, ZSR Day offered an all-day resource event, and a specific library table from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 21. These events introduced students to a range of academic resources, reinforcing the library’s commitment to academic success.

  • NextGen Voting (October 29): Focusing on young voter engagement, the NextGen event highlighted the importance of voting and provided further assistance with election-related questions.

Shifting Projects

The ZSR Library recently completed the move of materials from the seventh floor to Wilson 1. We are pleased to announce that we were able to fit all the “E” books through E 400 in the new space. With the move completed, the team has begun normalizing and condensing the remaining books on the seventh floor to optimize the shelving and improve accessibility. This effort is part of our ongoing commitment to improving the organization and usability of our library’s collections.

Comment Board

The What’s On Your Mind comment board continues to engage students, and provides an avenue for connection and communication between students and staff. This month, we were able to educate students on several library programs and services, as well as humorously reminisce on some pop culture of the past. October was officially the busiest month for the board since its first three months of existence with 18 posts! Thank you to Erin Jones for all her work on this ongoing program.

Highlights

Professional Development

Tara Hauser and James Harper attended the Southeastern Resource Sharing Conference held on October 2-4, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee. James Harper served on the planning committee for the event, which brought together ninety-seven interlibrary loan practitioners. Attendees participated in presentations, panels, and poster sessions that covered a variety of topics, including lending eBooks, consortium support for resource sharing, marketing interlibrary loan services, and practical sessions on integrating ALMA into resource sharing workflows. This conference proved to be a valuable platform for sharing knowledge and discussing evolving practices in the field of resource sharing.

Rodrigo attended the Designing Libraries for the 21st Century Conference in Raleigh, NC, from October 27-29. The conference’s main focus was exploring challenges, initiatives, and trends associated with the use of library spaces, from the reduction of physical collections’ footprint, to the implementation of initiatives to showcase research, to the allocation of real estate to different -and sometimes competing- stakeholders. All the sessions presented perspectives from key players including library administrators, designers, architects, and librarians in the field of student engagement.

Book Displays

On October 15th, a display of spooky books for the season was added to the ZSR Entry display cases. The display features 13 books sure to give you the creeps, from older classics to modern authors. The display will remain through the second week of November, so be sure to check for your next spooky read! The display curated by Rodrio Castro and Erin Jones to accompany the art installation featuring works by poet Sawako Nakayasu continues to be showcased this month.

Two display cass featuring books by poet Sawako Nakayasu and a selection of Halloween-themed reads.

October by the Numbers

Library stats for October 2024: 2,666 items checked out, 301 items sent via ILL, 76 LibAnswers tickets, 3,986 study hours booked, 467 document requests fulfilled, and 37 LibAnswers chats.

View full statistics here.