Author: Dr. George J. Aulisio Ph.D.

The faculty and staff of the Weinberg Memorial Library sadly share news of the passing of our dear colleague and friend Christian Scipioni, Special Collections Assistant. He died at his home on Friday, February 18, 2022.

Christian joined the staff of the University in 2018. He cherished his role in preserving for and sharing the treasured documents, manuscripts, and texts of the Library’s McHugh Family Special Collections and The University of Scranton Archives. He was an active participant in the Library’s Communication and Outreach Committee. In this role, he regularly used the McHugh Family Special Collections and The University of Scranton Archives to publish on the Library’s various social media accounts and to create the Library’s annual Christmas card.

Christian was proud of his work assisting with Special Collections exhibits in the Library’s Heritage Room. He also helped to promote these exhibits by creating posters and other graphic designs that utilized images from rare documents.

Christian was a Magna cum Laude graduate of St. Joseph’s College, Patchogue, New York, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He also earned a Master of Library and Information Science from St. John’s University. Before joining the University community, he worked as a Cataloging Technician for the New-York Historical Society.

Christian is survived by his parents, Robert and Camille Scipioni of Northport, New York. In lieu of flowers, Christian’s family asks that donations in his memory be given to the McHugh Family Special Collections via the Weinberg Memorial Library Fund.

On Tuesday, Fr. Joseph Marina, President of The University of Scranton, shared the following prayer when he notified the University community:

Eternal life grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

Due to the inclement weather expected later this evening, the Library will be closing service points at 5:00 pm on Sunday, January 16, 2022. After 5:00 pm, students, staff, and faculty with a valid Royal Card can swipe into the building to access floors 1-3.

Please use the AskALibrarian Chatbox on the Library’s website throughout the day for real-time assistance from a librarian.

Due to the possibility of inclement weather throughout the day, the Library will not be staffing services on Sunday, January 9, 2022. Students, staff, and faculty with a valid Royal Card can swipe into the building to access floors 1-3.

Please use the AskALibrarian Chatbox on the Library’s website for immediate assistance from a librarian.

Thanks to a generous gift from the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library, the Library recently completed phase 1 of its second-floor renovation plan. The $100,000 gift from the Friends Endowment allowed us to redesign the student area at the top of the grand staircase, refresh and update the open computer lab, and create a Collaborative Teaching Space for Information Literacy Instruction and research consultations. The gift went toward improving the carpeting, lighting, and color palettes as well as a variety of new seating options, writing surfaces, and technology layouts.

Students enjoy the new counter height laptop tables as well as the dining room height tables, with power outlets built-in.

 

The computer lab area is refreshed with new built-in tables and fewer desktops to provide students with more table space for their course materials and research. The printers and book scanner are conveniently located on the left side of the room, and students have the option of utilizing dual monitors or plugging their personal computer into a library-provided screen.

 

The new Collaborative Teaching Room provides librarians with another classroom for small group Information Literacy Instruction as well as a new space for librarian-hosted research consultations and meetings.

On behalf of the Library faculty and staff, we wish to express our sincere gratitude for the fundraising efforts of the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library. The gift from the Friends’ Endowment is a spectacular start toward our overall plan to renovate the second floor.

Due to inclement weather, Library services will be ending at 6:00 p.m. tonight (9/1/2021). The Library’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors will remain open 24/7 for student use.

The Library’s AskALibrarian service remains staffed 24/7 and can be accessed here: https://www.scranton.edu/academics/wml/ask-librarian.shtml.

Sandbag barriers will be placed in the Library’s Courtyard in an effort to reduce possible flooding in the building. The Reilly Learning Commons and rear door entrances will be closed.

The Library remains open, and the University Community should use the front entrance of the building across from the McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts.

 

The Library building is closed today, Monday, August 23, 2021, due to water damage. Essential maintenance workers will continue to work in the building to mitigate damage and restore air conditioning and elevators.

Royal Card Swipe Access has been turned off until tomorrow morning (Tuesday, August 24, 2021) when the Library hopes to reopen.

Library remote services and assistance will continue. For more information and assistance, please visit here: https://guides.library.scranton.edu/remoteservices.

 

The faculty and staff of the Weinberg Memorial Library mourn the loss of Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., the 24^th and 27^th President of The University of Scranton. He dedicated his life to serving others, and his good works have left an indelible mark on the lives he touched. The Library faculty and staff will honor Fr. Pilarz by holding the strength of his character as the ideal example of “men and women for others.”

Only students enrolled in in-person Intersession classes or have approved research or work-study positions are allowed to be on campus during Intersession. Students not enrolled in in-person Intersession classes, or do not have approved research or work-study positions are not allowed to be on campus and will not be able to swipe into buildings, including the Library. Please see the following policy details from Bobby Davis, Vice President of Student Affairs, for more information:

• COVID-19 Test: Students who are returning to campus after spending time elsewhere (i.e., spent at least one overnight off campus) are required to submit a negative COVID-19 test result via their Student Health Portal by noon on Saturday, January 2. Students who tested positive in the previous 90 days are not required to submit a negative test, but must upload their positive test result into the Student Health Portal if they have not done so already. If you tested positive on campus during the Fall semester, you do not need to upload a test result. Students cannot access campus until this result is received. All COVID-19 tests must be PCR tests, and be dated on or after December 30. Students should self-quarantine while awaiting test results.

[…]

• Campus Operations: The University remains closed to visitors. Students who do not have approval to be on campus for Intersession courses or other activities cannot visit campus during Intersession.

 

Assistant Dean Sheli Pratt-McHugh was recently honored by her colleagues when she was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA).

Certificates of Merit are presented to individuals that make outstanding contributions to libraries and the Pennsylvania Library Association. Awardees must be nominated by a PaLA member. Notably, Sheli’s nominator wrote:

“Sheli has an outstanding love for libraries and librarianship. This statement is apparent to anybody who knows her and has seen her unwavering and enthusiastic commitment to service. […] [T]here are few librarians in PA that Sheli does not know and have a solid rapport with. […] I truly cannot think of a more meritorious person when it comes to continued and sustained library service, and I highly recommend her for receiving a PaLA Certificate of Merit.”

Well done, Sheli, and congratulations!