October Events

World Mental Health Day Resource Fair, October 8

Jemma Johnson, Danielle Key, and Celina Seo tabled for ZSR at the World Mental Health Resource Fair from 4-6pm in the Benson Center rotunda. They gave out snacks, ZSR swag, and hosted a color your own bookmark table with highlights from the Wellness Collection.

Crafternoons, October 13 and 27

Headed by Jemma Johnson and Danielle Key with support from the library Fellow Celina Seo, Crafternoons offers snacks and a craft students can make in the library. This fun study break aims to build connection and engagement with students while promoting ZSR’s Wellness Collection. This month, we partnered up with the WakerSpace for two fun ZSR and Halloween themed crafts. On Oct. 13, 37 people stopped by for ZSR tile drink coasters and 108 for Jack-o-Deac paint kits on Oct. 27.

Public Services provided tables, signage, and setup support for several campus partner events in October:

  • Wake Up Wednesday — Campus Life, October 8
  • 1834 Student Campaign — University Advancement, October 23
  • Cybersecurity Awareness Event — Information Systems, October 28

Shifting Projects

The N’s (Fine Arts) shifting in the Reynolds stacks continues to move steadily forward. As of this week, the team has reached NE 90.B22. The Government Documents relocation from Reynolds 4 to Reynolds 1 is progressing through the SI (Smithsonian Institution) classification. The team is currently at SI 3.3 : 263, which corresponds to Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, no. 263.

Building Updates

  • The ZSR Facilities Team and Dean Pressley will meet with Steve Adams, Director of Facilities Operations; Doug Ecklund, Director of Utilities and Building Systems; and Steve Glidewell, Operations Manager to discuss building needs, deferred maintenance activities, mid-term and long-term projects, and communication mechanisms. These meetings will be scheduled quarterly .
  • Vannoy completed the work on the Reynolds roof. The last part of the project, replacing roof doors, was completed the 3rd week of October.
  • Vannoy is still working on the area above the ceiling in 611. They will need to replace the roof drain. This work will need to be completed over the Winter Break.
  • Repairs on the external brick facade, at the West entrance, were completed on October 3.
  • During the month of October 2025, 24 tickets were submitted. Only one is still in progress.

Professional Development and News

Public Services at NCLA 2025

Rodrigo Castro presented along with Professor Kawanna Bright, Associate Professor of Library Science at East Carolina University. The presentation, titled Reading Between the Lines: Early Career Librarians Navigating the Job Search Process, highlighted the findings of an extensive qualitative study of the job search experiences of early career librarians.

Rodrigo Castro will serve as the new chair for NCLA’s Leadership, Administration & Management section (LAMS). Rodrigo will serve in this capacity from 2025 through 2027.

Jemma Johnson presented “Redefining the Librarian Role: Advocates, Designers, Marketers, and More” alongside Elizabeth Ellis (ZSR Library, WFU), Anne Mavian (Charlotte Mecklenburg Library), and Joshua Olsen (Jackson Library, UNCG). They shared the story of how their very different skillsets—marketing, design, web development, advocacy work—came together to build Read Free NC. Read Free NC is a statewide library advocacy organization offering a confidential helpline for library workers who are facing censorship issues or harassment, along with toolkits, resources, and a blog covering current issues.

Jemma Johnson and Will Ritter collaborated on a poster about ZSR’s Wellness Collection: “Beyond Books: Supporting Student Well-Being with a Library Wellness Collection.” It focused on how the collection has developed over time and where it’s going next, including the addition of Sensory Kits.

“What’s on Your Mind?” Comment Board

In October, students were interested in fall desserts, suspicious football results, and memes that have worn out their welcome.
Comment: 6ix 7even Response: ... I'm not sure even the kids these days knows what this means. Every one of their explanations is more confusing than the last. Comment: Georgia Tech paid $$$ the refs Response: For sure. That line judge had ONE JOB Comment: Persimmon Season! Response: Persimmon pudding is an underrated dessert

Book Displays

October Displays

  • Books that Shape Our Childhoods: Highlighting the Education Library, curated by Erin Jones.
  • Spooky and Horror Books, curated by Erin Jones.
  • Wellness Reads: Coping with Stress & Midterms, curated by Will Ritter.
  • Collection Quest: Literary Characters and Places, curated by Laura Milcarzyk and Jemma Johnson.

Upcoming Displays

  • Nobel Prize Literature Winners, curated by Erin Jones.
  • History of Coffee, curated by Peter Romanov and Laura Milcarzyk.
  • Holiday Movies, curated by Laura Milcarzyk.

Offsite Storage

During the month of October, Offsite Storage
  • fulfilled 108 physical requests,
  • fulfilled 40 electronic requests,
  • and audited 9,400 items.
Alayna Veasey is rearranging older collections at Offsite Storage for future archival processing. Her students have already completed two major SCA shifting projects this semester, and they continue to assist with preparing collections for offsite transport. In October, she fulfilled 13 SCA offsite requests.

October by the Numbers

October 2025 Stats 2,637 physical items checked out 4,590 study space hours booked 443 document delivery requests fulfilled 500 items sent to other libraries via ILL 72 LibAnswers tickets 34 LibAnswers chats

View full statistics here.