Welcome to our first newsletter of the new year! February is National Library Lovers Month and there is so much to love about the Henry Whittemore Library โ helpful staff, free resources, cozy study spotsโฆand the best part? Weโre open seven days a week!
But change is the only constant and as some of you may have heard, our Library Dean Millie Gonzalez is departing for opportunities closer to family. Recently named as the ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries) Member of the Week, Millieโs dedication, drive, and advocacy for our institution and the work of libraries will be missed. We wish her the best of luck!
In the meantime, we await spring and warmer temperatures with open hearts and doors. Need a tour? Let us know! Looking for library instruction without leaving the classroom? We got you covered! Read below for more exciting partnerships happening with fantastic organizations around campus and what we have planned as we look to the future.
See you next time,
Weronika Zawora
Outreach & Student Engagement Coordinator
We welcome Julia Klukoff, Henry Whittemore Library's new Archives Assistant. Julia joined the library team back in December and can be reached at jklukoff@framingham.edu.
"I graduated in May 2024 with my MLIS in Archives Management from Simmons University. I have a BA in English from Mount Holyoke College. I have experience in a variety of institutions, including public libraries, museums, and university archives. I also work as a Project Archivist at Concord Free Public Library. I'm an avid birder, and I also love reading, board games, knitting, and cross-stitching. And I'm a huge fan of RuPaul's Drag Race. My favorite book I've read recently is Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton!"
Read more about Julia and her interests in and out of the library on our blog: https://library.framingham.edu/Blog?t=152847
Hello! My name is Keila and Iโm a senior English Major at FSU. I grew up in Shrewsbury, but currently live in Webster, MA.
As someone with major graduation anxiety, I am excited to be spending my last semester getting all sorts of experience through my internship at the library. I have no idea what I want to do post-grad, but library sciences is something that has always interested me and I look forward to continuing to explore my skills in this journey.
In my free time, I love reading, working out, being in nature, and playing with my cat and two dogs. Iโm currently reading The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang (which is amazing by the way), and some of my most recent 5-star reads were Fairy Tale by Stephen King and Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. Iโm not a huge movie gal, but my all-time favorite has to be Spirited Away.
We welcomed a new year by saying farewell to the library's longtime cataloger and metadata librarian Suzanne Meunier. After a quarter century with the Henry Whittemore Library, Suzanne is ready to start a new chapter - so the staff got together for an off-campus lunch to share memories, celebrate our colleague and send her off in style. You can read more about Suzanne's career retrospective here.
Sponsored by the FSU Student Government Association, the library is now home to the textbook donation station. The first batch of donations is now available in the Lower Mezzanine, so stop by and see which titles are ready to go.
If you're looking to donate your no-longer-needed textbooks, simply visit the first floor lobby (directly across the Red Barn Cafe) and leave your donations in the bin for others to use. Thank you to SGA for leading this effort to save students time, money, and shelf space!
Curriculum Librarian Samantha Westall and Circulation Supervisor Kate Davis attended the ALA LibLearnX 2025 in Phoenix, AZ, which American Library Association announced would be the final iteration of the conference in its current form. Sam and Kate received the Massachusetts Library System Conference Scholarship, which covered almost all of the expenses of the trip. Sam reflects:
"The attached photo is of the speaker table at the Youth Media Awards (YMAs), which were presented on Monday, January 27th. The YMAs were a major reason for my attendance, as I had the honor of serving on the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Excellence in Nonfiction Award committee this past year. One of the highlights of the experience was calling the winning author and/or illustrator the day before the announcement to personally congratulate them."
Do you know about ORCIDs? Used by researchers and writers across the globe, an ORCID ( Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a free and unique identifier making scholarly communication and practice easier and more transparent. Scholarly Communications Librarian Rebecca Dowgiert recently held a 'Free ORCIDs for Valentine's Day" sign-up drive and raffle across campus. Senior biology major Leah Green was the lucky winner of a mini LEGO Orchid Kit - congrats Leah! ๐๐บ๐ธ
Many thanks to FSU SEALS Peer Health Educators and the Office of Wellness Education for making our Meowentine's Day visit with George the Therapy Cat a roaring success! Arriving from the Pets & People Foundation, George helps its mission "to ease sadness and spread joy, laughter, comfort and warmth" by bringing kitty cuddles and kisses to the FSU community at large.
Students, staff and faculty gathered in the library's first floor lobby to say hello to George, make Valentine's Day origami, and spread the word on staying safe and healthy during this day of love!
No Homework Book Club
The No Homework Book Club is back for another semester of book reviews and recommendations! Open to all book lovers across campus - staff, faculty and students - the club meets once a month to discuss books enjoyed, detested or somewhere in between. Whether it's romantasy, non-fiction, thrillers or poetry, all genres are welcome. The No Homework Book Club meets again on March 5th at 12:30PM in UM-14 (Upper Mezzanine of the library). More information can be found on the library's events calendar.
We Celebrate....
Black History Month in February
In honor of Ndaba Mandela's January 23rd campus visit for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Lecture, the lobby display board features a gallery of three civil rights heroes - all with ties to Massachusetts. Stop by the first floor lobby until the end of February to learn more about Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s ties to the Commonwealth.
Spotlight on BHM Events in Archives
"Numerous images and newspaper cutouts show how our communityโs involvement with Black History Month grew dramatically between 1991 and 1998, leaving us with a rich legacy. The display showcases not only the variety of African American art exhibits that have been displayed in the Mazmanian Gallery but also the many visits to our campus from notable figures like Yolanda King (1991), Harvey Gantt (1992), Dr. Betty Shabazz (1993), Maya Angelou (1994), former Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder (1995), TransAfrica founder Randall Robinson (1996) and Spike Lee (1998)."
-Vinny Centrella, Student Archives Assistant
Book Discussion: "Erasure"
Join Outreach & Student Engagement Coordinator Weronika Zawora on Wednesday, February 26th at 12:30PM to discuss Erasure by Percival Everett, the basis for the movie American Fiction (2023). Open to all FSU community and beyond.
This book discussion follows a screening of American Fiction, part of the Arthur Nolletti, Jr. Film Series on Thursday, February 20th at 6PM at the Heineman Ecumenical Center. More information can be found here.
Spring 2025 Programming Survey
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