The University Libraries met students at a variety of events this semester, including:

• Mid-Year Involvement Fair
• Valentine’s Day Pop-Up Trivia and Tabling
• Accepted Students Open Houses
• EOP Accepted Students Event
• And more.
   

The University Libraries held the second annual Bad Love Haiku contest in February. The two prize winners were Sarah Crosky, a graduate student in counseling psychology, and Alizah Tariq, a MPH student in Epidemiology. 

First Place - Sarah Crosky
"Punctuating Us"
well, I dot my i's
and cross my t's but all I
c's are u's and me's

Second Place – Alizah Tariq
“Untitled”
Two peas in a pod
Circling like yin and yang
Uniting as one

Winners received a book of poetry, candy, and a packed University Libraries Swag Bag.
 

Beginning in February, the University Libraries have hosted Study Sunday events. Each Sunday afternoon and evening, the Libraries supply coffee and a space for students to prepare for the school week ahead. Some weeks featured collaborations with other units on campus who brought their resources into the Libraries. “Undergraduate students should be studying at least two hours a week for each hour in class. That commitment is much like a full-time job,” explained Dr. Ed Engelbride, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. “Study Sunday is an excellent opportunity for students to prepare for class, meet with a study group, or complete group projects.”

The University Libraries were pleased to host the first in-person installment of Campus Conversations in Standish since February 2020. On April 13, Dr. Piotr Szpunar, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication, presented “Memory Politics on the Red Planet, or The Deep Time of Interplanetary Colonization from Noachian Mars to 2117 to 1492.” The talk addressed issues of imagined futures, colonialism, and the ways in which we politically articulate abstract concepts of time. 

By Irina Holden, Information Literacy and Science Outreach Librarian

To celebrate Earth Day, Science Library faculty organized the planting of sunflower seeds. It took place on April 24 in the Atrium of the Science Library. The event turned out to be very popular; the number of attendees, including students and university employees, reached 40 people. Everyone took a small pot with the planting mix and a couple of seeds from a variety of five options. They are looking forward to growing the beautiful sunflowers.

The University Libraries and the Office of Institutional Research administered a library satisfaction survey this April. More than 80% of student respondents said that using the University Libraries contributed to their academic success. A more in-depth report will be included in the summer edition of this newsletter, but the Libraries wish to highlight our gift card winner, Jada Waithe. Jada was randomly selected after completing the survey, and for her time, she received a $50 gift card to Barnes and Noble. Congratulations, Jada!