Library Services Closed – January 7, 2024

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Due to the weather conditions, the Library will not be staffed today. Royal Card holders can access floors 1 through 3 by swiping into a 24-hour entrance. Individuals without an active Royal Card are not permitted to use the Library today.

There will be no in-person Library services, but research support remains available through the Ask a Librarian chat.

 

One Week Left! – Application Deadline for Library Research Prize is Monday, December 11, 2023

The Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize

There is one week left to apply for the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize! Project submissions from Summer and Fall 2023 courses are due Monday, December 11, 2023 by 4:00 pm.

Are you working on a research project in a course this semester? Did you use the library’s resources, services, collections, or spaces in order to complete your research? Then the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize is for you!

The Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize recognizes excellence in research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge in the methods of research and the information gathering process and use of library resources, tools, and services.

Three prizes of $500.00 each will be awarded to the winning individual student or group in the following categories: Undergraduate Foundational (100-level courses), Undergraduate Upper-level (200- to 400-level courses), and Graduate. If won by a group, the award will be split equally among the group members. All you need to do is write a 500- to 700-word essay describing your research process and how you used the Library in completing the project. Check out our Tips web page for updated advice on how to craft the best 500- to 700-word essay you can about your research. 

A statement of faculty support from the instructor who assigned the research project is also required for each submission.

Winners will be announced in May after the deadline for Intersession and Spring projects. Although there are two different dates to submit an application, only one judging will take place.

For additional information on how to apply, what to include in a completed application, and to access the application, visit the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize page: www.scranton.edu/libraryresearchprize

Additional Group Study Room Available

An additional Group Study Room on the 4th Floor (Rm.419) is now available for student use. Please note the guidelines posted. Good luck preparing for your exams!

Apply Now for the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize

The Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize

Are you working on a research project in a course this semester? Did you use the library’s resources, services, collections, or spaces in order to complete your research? Then the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize is for you!

The Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize recognizes excellence in research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge in the methods of research and the information gathering process and use of library resources, tools, and services.

Three prizes of $500.00 each will be awarded to the winning individual student or group in the following categories: Undergraduate Foundational (100-level courses), Undergraduate Upper-level (200- to 400-level courses), and Graduate. If won by a group, the award will be split equally among the group members. All you need to do is write a 500- to 700-word essay describing your research process and how you used the Library in completing the project. Check out our Tips web page for updated advice on how to craft the best 500- to 700-word essay you can about your research. 

The application deadline for projects completed in Summer or Fall 2023 courses is Monday, December 11, 2023 at 4:00 pm.

A statement of faculty support from the instructor who assigned the research project is also required for each submission.

Winners will be announced in May after the deadline for Intersession and Spring projects. Although there are two different dates to submit an application, only one judging will take place.

For additional information on how to apply, what to include in a completed application, and to access the application, visit the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize page: www.scranton.edu/libraryresearchprize

Bike Lackawanna 2023 Ends Today

The 2023 Bike Lackawanna Season has ended today. We were happy to be participants in this green initiative again this year. Plan to join us again next April!

Job Announcement: Administrative Assistant to the Library / Slattery Center (10-months, full-time)

The Weinberg Memorial Library and the Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities are seeking to hire a full-time, 10-months Administrative Assistant who will jointly support the structures and programs of the Weinberg Memorial Library (including Schemel Forum, Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library, Department of Faculty Librarians, and the Hope Horn Art Gallery) and the Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities.

The position will be advertised until November 15, 2023, or until a qualified candidate is hired.

To apply for this position, please visit: https://universityofscrantonjobs.com/postings/7143 

Find Library Spaces Now Available to Provide Accessibility and Sensory Information for Library Study Spaces!

The Weinberg Memorial Library’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Accessibility (DEIA) committee in collaboration with the Library Systems department is pleased to announce our sensory and accessibility map of our library spaces. In recognition of the ever increasing diversity of our population of Library users, the committee recognized the need for our users to be able to have a clearer picture of what our Library spaces provide and how our Library spaces may meet their specific needs. In the Spring and Summer of 2023, the DEIA committee membership audited and collected accessibility and sensory data for each study space in the library. The committee then examined what both our peer institutions and Libraries at many larger institutions were doing in order to provide this information in an accessible and understandable format. We settled on a few specific design ideas we wanted to emulate.The committee then turned our findings over to Library Systems Coordinator & Developer Jennifer Galas, whom created an interactive web application which includes photos of our Library spaces, coupled accessibility, and sensory information for each of the study spaces within the Library. This web application is also linked to our study room reservation system, so users can find a space that suits their needs based on the information within the application and then immediately reserve that specific study room if it happens to be one of our reservable spaces. Find Library Spaces can be accessed via the library homepage by clicking on the button labeled “Find a Study Space” on the right-hand side of the page. You can also find links to it on the Library SPaces page, and the Library’s DIversity Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility page.

An image of the Library homepage with the Find Study Spaces button on the right hand side of the screen highlighted with a black rectangle and pointed to with a black arrow

Find Library Spaces was intentionally designed for all users of our library to be able to find the ideal study space that meets their learning needs. The Find Library Spaces application features a number of filters that can help users limit to a preferred lighting type, find a space that has  specific furniture available, or look for a study space that is quiet and distraction free. Each space has associated icons that notate access to power, wheelchair accessibility, and noise level demonstrated by a loudspeaker icon with varying degrees of sound waves to indicate more or less noise typically found in that space. Users should keep in mind that noise level information may change depending on semester dynamics, such as during finals week when the library is quite crowded.

 

It is a priority for Library faculty, staff, and administration to continually provide an environment of inclusivity, accessibility, and belonging and the Find Library Spaces application provides another tool for students to access in order to meet their specific learning needs within the Library environment. The Library DEIA Committee is currently comprised of Prof. Kate Cummings, Research & Instruction Librarian for Business; Prof. Colleen Farry, Digital Services Librarian, Prof. Sheli Pratt-McHugh, Research & Instruction Librarian for Technology & Outreach, and Library Department Chair; Prof. Ian O’Hara, Research & Instruction Librarian for Health Sciences; Sharon Finnerty, Media Resources Coordinator; and Kevin Kocur, Interlibrary Loan Coordinator. The committee would also like to thank Mackenzie Machell, G ’23, who served as a student representative on the committee during the work on this project, and Jennifer Galas for her collaboration and development expertise in implementing the Find Library Spaces application.

Uniprint is back online

Printing is now available to users. The Uniprint system experienced a minor issue that required a reboot of all systems tied into the service.