Information Update, Spring 2023

A Newsletter from The Weinberg Memorial Library

SPRING 2023

Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award Presented to Ayad Akhtar

The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library hosted the Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award celebration on November 18, 2022. The Distin guished Author Award recognizes writers who have contributed significantly to the literary world and reflects The University of Scranton’s commitment to recognizing and promoting excellence.

The celebration was held in honor of author Ayad Akhtar. Mr. Akhtar is a highly acclaimed author and playwright, known for his insightful works that explore the intersection of culture, iden tity, and politics. He has won numerous awards for his writing, including the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Disgraced. Akhtar is an intrepid writer who

addresses difficult topics with intelligence, wit, and insight.

Akhtar’s most recent novel, Homeland Elegies, has been widely praised for its sweeping narrative, its exploration of the American Dream, and its reflections on the complexities of identity and belonging. The work of auto-fiction also focuses on the city of Scranton and neighboring localities. Scranton plays a central role in the novel and informed Akhtar’s discussion of what he sees as a changing American landscape. The award ceremony was preceded by a toast from Marwan Wafa, Ph.D., Chancellor of Penn State Scranton, a welcome from The University of Scranton

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Ayad Akhtar

The Distinguished Author Award event was a memorable evening that celebrated the achievements of a truly talented writer.

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Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., then Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, an interfaith invocation and prayer by Rev. James F. Duffy, S.J., M.D., Superior of the Scranton Jesuit Community, remarks on the literary value and importance of gifted writers like Ayad Akhtar by George Aulisio, Dean of the Weinberg Memorial Library, and an introduction and presentation of the award by Gretchen Welby, Pharm.D., Chair of the Distinguished Author Award Committee.

After Akhtar’s keynote talk, which covered the changes he’s seen in America over his life, a lively Q&A session was held. During the Q&A, Akhtar shared his insights on the creative process, the role of literature in shaping society, and the themes that run throughout his work.

The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library were honored to have such a talented author as the recipient of the 2022 Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award. The Friends extend their gratitude to all in attendance and recognize the generosity of individual, family, and business sponsors. Without these contributions, this event would not have been possible.

In conclusion, the Distinguished Author Award event was a memorable evening that celebrated the achievements of a truly talented writer. The University of Scranton community and the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library look forward to hosting many more Distinguished Authors and supporting the literary efforts of writers like Ayad Akhtar.

—George J. Aulisio, Dean of the Library

(above) Ayad Akhtar speaking with Father Marina and Dean George Aulisio. (above, right) Toastmaster Marwan Wafa, Ph.D. and Ayad Akhtar.

(right) Ayad Akhtar accepting Distinguished Author Award. Pictured, left to right: Gretchen Welby, Pharm D., Chair of the Distinguished Author Committee, Dean George Aulisio, then Interim Provost Michelle Maldonado, and Ayad Akhtar.

From the Dean of the Weinberg Memorial Library

I hope this issue of Information Update finds you well. As we approach the halfway point of our five-year strategic plan and our 30th Anniversary year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on these important endeavors.

To date, the Library has made significant progress on the goals and objectives of our five-year strategic plan. We’ve enhanced our resources, services, and spaces while looking at our practices compared to trends in academic libraries and higher education. The full strategic plan and our progress updates are proudly published on the Library’s website (www.scranton.edu/library). There are far too many very worthy initiatives to mention, but I’ll try to highlight a few here.

The newly formed Task Force on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility meets regularly to review and discuss our policies and procedures. The task force’s thoughtful recommendations ensure that the Library stays laser-focused on being a welcoming place that meets the needs of our community. We’ve recently removed overdue book fines for students and revised our borrowing and book recall policies to ensure that students have the books and resources they need when they need them without having to worry about potential fines or recalls. We adopted this as part of a wider trend among libraries of all types.

I am pleased to announce that we have raised half of our 30th Anniversary mobile fundraising goal (https://www.scranton.edu/ wml30). This is a testament to the continued support of the library community and our commitment to providing resources and services of the highest quality. The funds raised to date have gone directly to meeting special student requests, including creating new study spaces such as an open student conference room, bean bag seating, and meditation chairs. I am thrilled to report that a $75,000 gift from the Friends of the Library to rededicate the Heritage Room as the Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room empowered us to make truly stunning renovations. The space has been updated with powered tables and improved seating, and made the room into a more flexible event space with a hidden television to allow lectures and presentations. Importantly, the majesty of the room has been preserved. The space has already become a popular destination for students looking for a quiet and peaceful place to study surrounded by natural light and fine art.

Recently, we entered into an exciting partnership with the Center for Anti-Slavery Studies to acquire a large part of their book collection. This gift from Sherman and Cindy Wooden will enhance our collection in the areas of the underground railroad and the abolition

movement. The resources are of particular value and interest to our region and include important works on Black Pennsylvanians, civil rights, and the Underground Railroad in Northeast Pennsylvania. As a benefit to the Center for Anti-Slavery Studies, this fine collection will now be more accessible than ever as it becomes part of our circulating collection and can be discovered in our online catalog as the Center for Anti-Slavery Studies Collection.

After years of research and planning, the Library has signed an agreement to migrate to a new Integrated Library System (or ILS in brief) and a new catalog discovery layer. The change to a new ILS is a major undertaking for libraries and such moves are never made lightly. I am excited to share that we’ve committed to EBSCO’s Discovery Service (or EDS in brief), and we will have a new online catalog with single search functionality live over Summer 2023. The larger ILS migration, which will be mostly invisible to anyone outside the library, will move us to the FOLIO ILS and will be complete by Summer 2024. The incredible work of the ILS/Discovery Layer Exploratory Committee laid the options out very clearly and made what should have been a difficult choice as clear-cut as possible. As a testament to the quality work of the committee, the University identified EDS and the FOLIO ILS as the best choices for our community. Shortly after that decision, the Library of Congress announced that they were migrating to EDS and FOLIO as well. It’s safe to say we will be in good company when the migration is complete.

Finally, I am pleased to announce that we are in the process of hiring a Research & Instruction Librarian for Student Success. This new tenure-track librarian, who we hope to hire for the Fall 2023 semester, will be a dedicated resource for students seeking additional support in their studies. This librarian will also teach information literacy classes focused on the First Year Experience and ensuring our students have the information skills they need to succeed.

As always, I am grateful for your continued support of the Weinberg Memorial Library, and I hope you join me in looking forward to more exciting things to come.

Sincerely,

George J. Aulisio, DeanoftheWeinbergMemorialLibrary

Renovation Updates

New Improvements to the Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room

Thanks to a generous $75,000 gift from the Friends of the Library to honor the occasion of the rededication of the Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, the Library has been able to improve our space with the addition of student seating and tables, flooring, and presentation space.

Scranton Market

Scranton Market opened in the fall of 2022 and is the University’s first self-service and 24/7-accessible student dining and convenience store option on campus. Located in the Pro Deo Room, Scranton Market offers grab-and-go snacks and beverages.

(above) Scranton Market self-service kiosk

(below) New seating and powered tables.

(above) New cabinet containing pop-up monitor for presentations.

Weinberg Memorial Library Creates Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility Committee

For several years, the Library faculty, staff, and administration have undertaken efforts to foster and maintain as welcoming, accessible and inclusive an environment as possible. In order to formalize these efforts and ensure that the Library continues to work in this direction, the Library faculty, staff and administration have created the newly formed Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Committee. The committee is currently comprised of four Library faculty members: Prof. Kate Cummings, Prof. Colleen Farry, Prof. Ian O’Hara, and Prof. Sheli Pratt-McHugh, as well as two Library staff coordinators – Media Resources Coordinator Sharon Finnerty and Inter-library Loan Coordinator Kevin Kocur – and counseling and human services graduate student Mackenzie Machell.

The committee is charged with overseeing and coordinating the Weinberg Memorial Library’s core commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. It will work with all Library units and other campus constituencies to initiate, advise and mobilize support for appropriate action related to issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility within the Weinberg Memorial Library. The scope of the committee’s work will engage the Library’s spaces, collections, catalog, and instruction, as well as research and scholarly services. The committee will oversee work to audit Library collections to ensure equitable representation across varied sociocultural groups, audit Library spaces for accessibility across the innumerable ability levels present in our society, map Library spaces for environmental attributes, and examine our cataloging and classification practices to address harmful and problematic terminology inherent across multiple cataloging and classification systems. Initial work is being done to create new subject guides related to traditionally marginalized groups to highlight resources in and outside the collection that may be of value to our campus community. There have also been preliminary

conversations related to producing library programming and events that feature experts on DEIA-related topics sharing their research and expertise within the Weinberg Memorial Library for the campus community and the greater community of the city of Scranton.

Arising out of Library strategic and tactical planning meetings, the Library DEIA Committee has developed a collection of Library-related DEIA goals. These were researched, guided by, and developed through examining what academic libraries at our peer institutions, other Pennsylvania academic libraries, and our fellow AJCU schools have begun implementing in their own libraries. The Library’s DEIA goals have been developed with great care and in accordance with DEIA-related initiatives put forth within the broader campus strategic planning. The Library is in full support of all such measures being undertaken campus-wide, and the Library DEIA Committee initiatives will be undertaken in accordance with and in support of broader campus-wide goals.

The WML DEIA Committee is currently reorganizing the section of the Library website that provides information related to these efforts. Under the “About the Library” section of the website, there is now a link labeled “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility.” This area is the future home of information sharing related to these efforts. Please visit this area of our website for further information as the committee continues our efforts to provide the most equitable, welcoming, accessible, and inclusive environment we can for our students, faculty, staff, and our entire extended campus community.

—Assistant Professor Ian O’Hara, Research & Instruction Librarian

Pictured (left to right): DEIA Committee members Sharon Finnerty, Kevin Kokur, Prof. Ian O’Hara, Prof. Kate Cummings, Prof. Sheli Pratt-McHugh. Not pictured: Prof. Colleen Farry, Mackenzie Machell.

Two Recent Gifts from the University of Scranton Jesuit Center

Gasparis Schotti, S. J., Schola Steganographica In Classes Octo Distributa, Quibus, praeter alia multa, ac jucundissima, explicantur Artificia Nova … Nürnberg, Sumptibus Johannis Andreae Endteri & Wolfgangi Junioris, 1665. This first edition is quartobound in contemporary vellum, containing eight engraved plates, with three partly engraved folding tables, and five engravings in text.

Gaspar Schott, S.J. (1608-1666), spent much of his career at Augsburg engaged in the teaching of science and writing. This treatise on cryptography is largely a compilation of cipher systems inspired by or derived from Schott’s teacher and mentor, Athanasius Kircher, S.J., who had published his own Polygraphia on the subject two years earlier. The work discusses different encrypting and deciphering systems, and the mechanical instruments involved. The book also deals with the transmission of secret magnetic signals with the help of compasses, secret alphabets, codes in musical notation, sign languages for communications with the deaf and mute, coding machines, and earlier forms of secret writing.

Title page. Gasparis Schotti, S. J., Schola Steganographica In Classes Octo Distributa, Quibus, praeter alia multa, ac jucundissima, explicantur Artificia Nova ... Nürnberg, Sumptibus Johannis Andreae Endteri & Wolfgangi Junioris, 1665.

Philippo Buonanni, S. J. Micrographia Curiosa sive Rerum Minutissimarum Observationes, quae ope Microscopii … Romæ, typis Antonii de Rubeis, 1703. A small quarto with a frontispiece, 38 plates (some folded) including two diagrams. First and only separate edition. Bound in contemporary vellum with manuscript title at spine. Engraved frontispiece is by Hubert after G.B. Leonardis.

Philippo Buonanni, S. J. (1638-1725), was likely the first to employ a microscope in the practice of medicine. In the Micrographia Curiosa, he discusses the designs and quality of early microscopes and a detailed description of Buonanni’s microscopes, illustrated on two plates. Buonanni, a very well-educated Jesuit, was a pupil of Athanasius Kircher, S.J., and succeeded his master as a teacher of math ematics at the Collegium Romanum. The rest of the 38 plates shows objects seen through the microscope, including several illustrations of insects. Buonanni was also the librarian of the Roman College and archivist of the collection of antiquities bequeathed to this establishment by Athanasius Kircher. He invented one of the first screw-barrel horizontal microscopes.

—Professor Michael Knies, Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist

Mosquito illustration.

Philippo Buonanni, S. J. Micrographia Curiosa sive Rerum Minutissimarum Observationes, quae ope Microscopii ... Romæ, typis Antonii de Rubeis, 1703.

Micrographia Curiosa sive Rerum Minutissimarum Observationes, quae ope Microscopii ... Romæ, typis Antonii de Rubeis, 1703.

Spring Exhibits and Events

Pride, Passion, Promise: Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Presidency of the Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S. J.

February 6-April 23, 2023

The Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room will host an exhibit celebrating the presidency of Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S. J. (July 31, 1959 – March 10, 2021). Father Pilarz became the 24th president of The University of Scranton in 2003. The exhibit will focus on his first term as president until July 2011 and feature photographs and documents relating to his many achievements, such as the development and construction of the Patrick and Margaret DeNaples Center and the Loyola Science Center. The exhibit will run through April 23, 2023. For further information, contact Special Collections Librarian Michael Knies at michael. knies@scranton.edu.

(top) Father Pilarz at his Inauguration on Friday, September 16, 2003.

(right) Father Pilarz blessing Dionne Green at its dedication on August, 30, 2008.

(below) Father Pilarz speaking at the Inauguration Eucharist.

2023 Environmental Art Show

April 14-25, 2023

The Environmental Art Show promotes the natural beauty of our environment and the ideal practice of sustainable living through artworks of all types, including painting, photography, repurposed goods, sculpture, and more. The Environmental Art Show will be held during Earth Week from April 14-25 in the Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room. The theme for 2023 is Welcome to My World This exhibit will feature artists, including students, faculty and staff, who seek to share their vision of how they see the world, how the state of the environment affects them and others, how they interact with the environment, or how they incorporate sustainable living and care for our common home in daily life. For further information, contact Environmental Art Show Coordinator Marleen Cloutier at marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu.

2023 Environmental Art Show opening event

Artist Talk with Stéphanie Williams – “Bee Noisy”

April 14, 2023 4:30 p.m.

On Friday, April 14, artist Stéphanie Williams, a designer, beekeeper and educator from Beverly, Massachusetts, will lead an interactive presentation “Bee Noisy” at 4:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room.

Stéphanie is an artist who works in mixed mediums, incorporating nature, people, creatures, environments, sounds, and energies that we share into her art. She will discuss the relationship of bees to her art, her experiences as a beekeeper, and will address some of the environmental challenges facing bees and the American beekeeping community today. There will also be an opportunity to participate in a public art piece. We invite you to join us, meet Stéphanie and help to contribute to Stéphanie’s work. You can follow Stéphanie Williams on Instagram at piwit_studio.

For further information, contact Environmental Art Show Coordinator Marleen Cloutier at marleen. cloutier@scranton.edu.

This exhibit will feature artists, including students, faculty and staff, who seek to share their vision of how they see the world.

RX by Stéphanie Williams

Selection Criteria Updates for the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize

The Weinberg Memorial Library has updated the selection criteria for the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize this academic year. The purpose for these updates is to make the criteria more inclusive and diverse in terms of the types of projects and researchers the Prize honors. The criteria are also now more prominently featured on the prize website, as is the judging rubric used to evaluate submitted application packages.

The updated criteria are that the application package submitted by the student(s):

• Demonstrates use of library resources, including collections, services, and/or spaces.

• Demonstrates through use of sources appropriate levels, types, and breadth of scholarship for research need.

• Demonstrates personal learning and understanding of the research process.

• Demonstrates an Ignatian dimension to research through topic, methodology, findings, and/or reflection on the research process that represents one or more Ignatian characteristics applied to research.

The first three selection criteria have been in use since 2017, though this is the first year they are published prominently on the prize website. The fourth criterion, focusing on Ignatian dimensions to research, is completely new in 2022-2023. The Ignatian characteristics applied to research the judges will be considering are Magis, Care of the Person / Cura Personalis, Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice, Contemplation in Action, and Forwarding the Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus.

To aid student applicants, faculty recommenders, and judges of the Prize, the Library Research Prize Planning Committee developed glossary descriptions of these characteristics that explain what they might look

like when applied to research. For example, the Magis is “characterized by a restless desire for excellence” which in research might be reflected by intellectual depth of study of a subject of inquiry and/or persistence through challenges to a successful end; whereas, Contemplation in Action is characterized by “learning that is both active and reflective,” which in research might be reflected by the researcher’s ability to articulate how their learning – about their subject of inquiry and/ or about research itself – “motivates them to think and learn on their own” both now and in the future and/or gives the researcher an “appreciation of their own agency.”

These glossary definitions are based on explanations offered by The University of Scranton Jesuit Center1 and are defined on both the judging rubric and the prize website. By awarding points to research projects that demonstrate these characteristics, it is the hope of the Library Research Prize Planning Committee that even more diverse projects, researchers, and subject areas at the University will be recognized through the competition.

The Weinberg Memorial Library inaugurated the Library Research Prize in 2011 to recognize excellence in student research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge of the methods of research and

1 The University of Scranton Jesuit Center’s definitions of the Ignatian characteristics: https://www.scranton.edu/about/jesuittradition/ignatian-spirituality.shtml

the information gathering process, and use of library resources, tools, and services. In 2017, the prize was named for Professor Emerita Bonnie W. Oldham, who founded the prize at the University in 2011. The Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize consists of three fully endowed prizes of $500 each awarded to the winning individual student or group of students in the following categories: Undergraduate Foundational (100-level courses), Undergraduate Upper-level (200to 400-level courses), and Graduate.

The judging panel is composed of University of Scranton faculty and staff invited from the faculty in each of the University’s three colleges, the Library faculty, the Library Advisory Committee, and the Center for Teaching & Learning Excellence (CTLE). The application package is submitted by the student(s) who produced the research project and includes a completed application form, a 500-700 word

description of research, the research project, a statement of faculty support submitted through a provided form, and a bibliography or other appropriate listing of sources consulted. It is in these components of the application package that the judges will be looking for evidence of the criteria for the prize.

More information about the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize can be found at www.scranton.edu/libraryresearchprize. The deadline for projects assigned in Intersession and Spring 2023 courses is Monday, May 1, 2023. Prize winners will be honored at a reception on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 2:30 p.m. in the Library’s fifth floor Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room. Questions about the prize can be directed to Prof. Donna Witek, Information Literacy Coordinator, at donna.witek@scranton.edu.

—Professor Donna Witek, Information Literacy Coordinator

Affordable Learning Implementation Grant Update

The Weinberg Memorial Library continues to award Affordable Learning Implementation Grants in an effort to encourage faculty to adopt Open Educational Resources (OER) and library-licensed materials in their courses.

In Fall 2022, an interdisciplinary judging panel comprised of volunteers from the Library Advisory Committee selected five outstanding applicants to receive Affordable Learning Implementation Grants for courses that will be taught in the Spring/Summer 2023 semesters.

The grant recipients for Fall 2022 are:

• Dr. U. Melissa Anyiwo, Associate Professor of History

• Professor Tara Hamilton-Fay, Faculty Specialist in Biology

• Dr. Rebecca Mikesell, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media

• Dr. Yamile Silva, Professor of World Languages and Cultures

Adoption of OER and other no-cost resources in these courses is expected to save an estimated total of $10,150 for approximately 90 students.

The next round of Affordable Learning Implementation Grants will be for courses taught in the Fall 2023 or Intersession 2024 semesters.

—Assistant Professor Sylvia Orner, Collections and Resource Management Librarian

Staff Changes

Meet our Library Faculty: Kate Cummings

Kate Cummings joined the faculty of the Weinberg Memorial Library in Summer 2022. She is the Research & Instruction Librarian for Business. She previously served as the director of the Luzerne County Community College Library. She holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Maine, an MLIS from the University of South Carolina, and an MBA from Wilkes University. Sheli Pratt-McHugh (SP), Co-editor of Information Update, recently interviewed Kate (KC).

SP: Tell us about your previous library experience and your educational background. What brought you to the WML?

KC: I spent many hours in my public libraries throughout middle/high school. They were places of safety and solace. Then I began working in libraries in 2004 when I started as a work-study student at the community college I was attending. When I transferred to the University of Maine to complete my bachelor’s degree, I also worked in their library. After I graduated, I mulled around for a bit, but nothing felt right; something was missing both professionally and personally, and I realized that being in a library had been a constant in my life that I was missing. That is when I decided to go to graduate school for library and information science. Since then, I have held various positions as a librarian, and there are few areas of library work that I have not done and eventually I became library director. I came to the WML because it was a different type of library than I had previously worked in and because the position was focused on research and instruction. I also

knew I would have great colleagues who I very much looked forward to working with.

SP: Tell us about your work as an R&I Librarian for Business. What are your favorite parts of the position? What are some interesting things that you do?

KC: As an R&I Librarian, I support students and faculty with their scholarly pursuits, and I teach information literacy topics in classes that seek out our support. My subject knowledge is in business, but I teach and support various disciplines. I love when I get a business-related question! Some librarians are less comfortable with them because not many of them studied business like I did, but I think business questions are great because they can require a different approach to searching and resource evaluation.

SP: You’re active in professional library organizations. What are some roles you’ve held/ currently hold? How does that work influence your work as a librarian? What are some projects/programs you’ve worked on that you’re particularly fond of?

KC: Are you sure you want to ask me that? I could talk about the profession for days! I love association work. You get to work with colleagues from all over the state or country, depending on the association. I especially like working with the public librarians, who are amazing. When we come together, there is such a passion for what we do and how we support our different communities. Currently, I serve as Treasurer/Secretary of the Board for the Pennsylvania Library Association, and I have previously served as Directorat-Large. I am also actively involved in both their membership committee and the conference committee. I am very fond of my work on the membership committee because our work of building membership is really an act

Kate Cummings

Lynn Braz joined the Library staff as the part-time evenings and weekends Research & Instruction Librarian on November 28, 2022.

of building a community. We are increasingly focused on making that community more diverse and inclusive, which is especially important to us. I have not really branched out too much nationally, but I was just awarded an Association of College and Research Libraries Conference Scholarship to be able to attend their conference in March. I am hoping this may be an opportunity to open up new avenues of professional work for me.

SP: Congratulations on your award!! What else are you involved in on campus or in your community?

KC: I am currently serving on the Library’s Affordable Learning Committee, the Research Prize Committee, and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee. All these committees have a commitment to equity and inclusion, which is extremely important to me, particularly as a gay librarian. Outside of the University, I volunteer for Nescopeck and Hickory Run state parks. Our environment is in dire need of some nurturing, and helping take care of these areas is a small way I can be a part of that.

SP: Do you have any plans for the RS Department or the Library that you are excited about?

KC: Hmm...plans for RS...honestly, for right now I am enjoying being a part of the current changes, such as the elimination of the reference desk and looking at how we assess our support. I am nerdy for assessment and was very excited when Prof. Witek invited me into the process of looking at how we assess our support of students and faculty. As for the Library, I am working with Dean Aulisio and Prof. Orner on building a graphic novels collection, which I am super excited about. I love graphic novels and comics and how they have the potential for re-envisioning curriculum or pedagogical approaches. They are also just fun to read, and I appreciate the artistry that goes into them.

SP: As a faculty member, you have to work on research and publishing. What are your research interests?

KC: I have three things in various stages right now. The first is research looking into individuals’ thoughts and feelings about their profession as a librarian or employee of libraries, particularly about how having a career in a field that is threatened or is believed to be threatened may affect an individual’s professional commitment, self-esteem, and professional security. The second project is a collaboration with Prof. Orner. We are going to examine the diversity (or lack of) within the Library’s children’s collection in order to inform future collection development decisions. I am currently in the literature review and development stage for my last project and am not quite ready to share the details. A researcher must keep some secrets!

SP: What is your favorite book?

KC: My favorite book is Foxfire by Joyce Carol Oates. There is a movie adaptation that is quite a bit different but has its own merit. A really brief description is that it is about a group of teenage girls who feel outcast and go on a bit of a rebellion. I would categorize it as an LGBT read and I stumbled upon it at a time in my youth when I was coming out myself, so it has special meaning to me. There is a passage where the girls all bond by giving each other the same tattoo, which I then got on my 18th birthday. You’ll have to read the book to find out what it is!

Welcome to the Newest Friends of the Library

We would like to thank the newest members of the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library for their contributions:

Joan Iva Buchinski

Mark DeCelles

Edward Fargis

Karen Greco

Mary Linda Jaczynski

I.N. Kallianiotis

Marie Karam

Sarah Knutelski

Robert & Karen Lawrence

James Markowich

Sandina Meo

David Perry

Marian & Joel Shambe

Gayle Vanac

Kathleen Durkin

Eliza Shreve

Gretchen Van Dyke

“We are increasingly focused on making [PaLA] more diverse and inclusive, which is especially important to us.”

Friends of the Library Booksale

The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library will hold its annual Book Sale on Saturday, April 29, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, April 30, from noon to 4 p.m. A special preview sale will be held on Friday, April 28, for current (20222023) Friends members and Schemel Forum members. The Book Sale will feature a vast array of hardcover and paperback books, including non-fiction books, fiction books, cookbooks, children’s books, and young adult books. For further information, contact Melisa Gallo at melisa.gallo@scranton.edu.

Leaves of Class XXIV Winners

January 2023

Debbie Pann, Scranton PA Grand Prize: Montage Mountain Resorts (four extended lift vouchers)

Culinary Delights: 3 Jacks Burger Bar ($20 gift card); Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar ($25 gift card); Café Classico ($25 gift certificate); Casa Bella Ristorante ($100 gift certificate – courtesy of Denise Gilroy); Cuppa Cake Café ($20 gift certificate); Gerrity’s ($25 gift card); Grico’s ($50 gift card); Jack’s Draft House ($25 gift certificate); New Amber Indian Restaurant ($25 gift certificate); Olive Garden ($50 gift card – courtesy of Marian Farrell); Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse ($50 gift card – courtesy of Metz Culinary Management); Sibio’s Restaurant ($50 gift card – courtesy of Nina Flanagan); Susquehanna Brewing Company ($50 gift card); Zummo’s ($25 gift card – courtesy of Rosemary Shaver)

Entertainment: Dietrich Theater (movie gift bag); Everhart Museum (family membership); Hardback editions of Circling My Mother and

The Splendid and the Vile; PNC Bank (four club seats to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. Utica on 3/11/23); Scranton Cultural Center (voucher for four tickets)

Tres Chic: Boscov’s (Adrienne Vittadini Leather Tote Bag including clutch, Isotoner gloves, pashmina scarf, and a pair of reading glasses); Hand-knit Shawl (courtesy of Bonnie Strohl); Liztech Pins (two – courtesy of Charles Kratz & William Varady)

Wellness: Crunch Fitness (one 3-month Peak PLUS membership with 2 personal training sessions & t-shirt)

And More!: Anthropologie Cheese Spreader Set (courtesy of Charles Kratz & William Varady); Guy’s Barber Shop ($25 gift certificate); Kalahari Resorts and Conventions ($100 gift card); Kalahari Plushie Bear Souvenir (courtesy of Charles Kratz & William Varady); One Point (office supply basket); The University of Scranton, Advancement (gift basket); Yankee Candle (vanilla cupcake scent – courtesy of Charles Kratz & William Varady)

Scranton, Pennsylvania 18510-4634

A Newsletter from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Memorial Library

Scranton, Pa 18510-4634

Co-Editors: Sheli Pratt-McHugh and Marleen Cloutier

Dean of the Library: George J. Aulisio

Phone: 570-941-7816

The University of Scranton is committed to providing a safe and nondiscriminatory employment and educational environment. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other status protected by law. Sexual harassment, including sexual violence, is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational, extracurricular, athletic, or other programs or in the context of employment. Inquiries regarding nondiscrimination and sexual harassment and sexual misconduct policies may be directed to Elizabeth M. Garcia, J.D., Executive Director and Title IX Coordinator, Office of Equity and Diversity, (570) 941-6645.

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Memorial Library