Author: Ms. Sheli E. Pratt-McHugh

All 24 Brody Chairs are now reserve-able through the Reserve a Seat feature on our website or you can scan the QR code and reserve in-person, on the spot. You can reserve a Brody Chair for up to four hours per day with your scranton.edu email address. The even number chairs (2,4,6, etc.) face out the windows and the odd numbered chairs (1, 3, 5, etc.) face inside toward the shelves.There are 18 Brody Chairs on the 2nd Floor and 6 on the 5th Floor.

Black Lives Matter

In solidarity with our students of color, the Weinberg Memorial Library affirms that Black Lives Matter and we are committed to fighting white supremacy and anti-Black racism on campus, in the Library, and within our community.

Library faculty, staff, and administration will continue to engage in anti-racist practices and show a strong commitment to initiatives that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, such as in-depth book discussions, workshops, and trainings. We support Father Pilarz’s message to the University Community to make diversity and inclusion a priority. To that end, we will continue to build our collections in race and ethnic studies and social justice areas.

Anti-racist work is truly lifelong learning, and it is clear that we need to recommit ourselves to the hard work of understanding and dismantling the racism that is etched deeply into our nation’s history.

We will continue to learn, grow, and educate ourselves on the realities of the world for our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students and colleagues.

Please feel free to reach out to Interim Dean of the Library, Jean Lenville, or Assistant Dean, Sheli Pratt-McHugh with your thoughts, questions, or suggestions.

Additional Resources and Statements:

In support of the demands made by students and alumni, and reiterated by faculty, for trainings and workshops on anti-racism, the Library has put together a list of resources available to the University community on Race, Racism, and Anti-Racism. This is not exhaustive and will continue to grow as we add resources to our collections.

American Library Association Statement: http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2020/06/ala-statement-condemning-police-violence-against-bipoc-protesters-and

Pennsylvania Library Association Statement: https://www.palibraries.org/blogpost/1652016/349256/Message-from-2020-President-Michele-Legate

We do not want students to be stressed about returning Library materials. We have some general guidelines below. All due-dates have been extended to August 31, 2020. If you have specific questions about your account, please contact circulation@scranton.edu.

To return Library materials including ILL and PALCI books follow these guidelines.

For students in dorms: There will be bins in each dorm for you to drop your books off when you return to retrieve your belongings.

Off-campus students: Due dates will be extended for all items through August 31, 2020. Items can be returned when you return to campus in the fall.

Graduating students or anyone not returning: If you are not in a dorm or will not be returning to campus for any reason, we will send you a mailing label and you can ship items back to the library. This cannot happen until campus is reopened. We will provide more instructions when we reopen.

Please do not visit the library at this time, the main book drop is not accessible.

We will need to quarantine returned items for a week after staff return to the building. Returned items will remain on your account until we can process the returns safely.

We will continue to waive fines. Please don’t be frightened if you see a fine on your account, as it will take us time to waive fines once items are returned.

There will be no holds placed on accounts at this time. No diplomas will be held.

For all current Library services and updates, visit the Spring 2020 LibGuide.

The Library is now able to provide Inter-Library Loan (ILL) for articles through ILLIAD. Please, understand that ILL operates on a network of other Libraries. Articles may take more time or are not able to be filled due to the closure of many libraries around the country. We will do our best to fill these requests.

We are not able to provide ILL for books or through PALCI at this time.

Any Library related questions or research help, can be sent to Ask a Librarian through the Chatbox, Email, or Phone at (570)941-4000.

The Library Book Sale is canceled. We are currently not accepting book donations. If any books are left in the Library, they will be recycled. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

The Library will not be open today, 1/18/2020, due to the inclement weather. The first and second floors are available via swipe for students.

Charles E. Kratz, Dean of the Library and Information Fluency is retiring at the end of 2019. We celebrated his retirement on December 7th with remarks from some of his colleagues including, Eugeniu Grigorescu, Director of the CTLE; Dean Deb Pellegrino, PCPS; Sheli Pratt-McHugh, Assistant Dean of the Library; Dr. Marian Farrell, Nursing Department; Betsey Moylan, retired Chair of the Library Faculty; and Gretchen Welby from the Friends of the Weinberg Library. Former University Provost, Hal Baillie served as MC for the evening.

For over 28 years, Dean Kratz has lead the Library, from opening the new Weinberg Memorial Library in 1992 and renovating the first floor for its 20th Anniversary to include more collaboration space and technology. He built collections to meet the needs of its students, instituted and extended 24 hour accessibility for study space, and worked with University administration, faculty, and students to improve Library services, spaces, and collections. We will miss his leadership, advocacy, and support. We wish him all the best in his retirement.

The Library will be closed today and tomorrow due to the inclement weather. Students can swipe into the first or second floors while the library is closed. Stay safe out there!