PRIMARY SOURCE

HENRY WHITTEMORE LIBRARY - DECEMBER 2024

In This Issue:

Hello from Our Dean

New Library Team Member

Meet Our Interns!

Celebrating Halloween

Saying Good-bye to Kate

2024 Swiacki Children's Literature Festival

Annual FLO Meeting

Holiday Staff Party & Cocoa by the Fire

Toys for Tots Drive

In Other News:

Contact Us

Hello from Our Dean

A photograph of a smiling woman with black, shoulder-length hair and wearing a teal blouse under a black blazer

Welcome to our December newsletter! It’s been an incredibly productive fall semester here at the library. As you’ll see in this edition, we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming a new part-time Reference Librarian, hosting exciting events, dressing up in "space"-themed costumes, giving back to our community with holiday treats and presents, and mentoring amazing student interns—some of whom are considering a future in librarianship.

We are also thrilled to introduce Weronika Zawora, our new Outreach and Student Engagement Coordinator, who has taken on the role of editor for this newsletter, following Kate Burt’s retirement. Weronika brings a wealth of creativity, energy, and enthusiasm to our library, and we are lucky to have her on our team.

On behalf of everyone at the library, I’d like to wish you all the happiest of holidays and a well-deserved break.

Take care,

Millie

New Library Team Member

A photograph of a smiling woman with shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a black t-shirt and sunglasses on top of her head. There is a brick promade, parked cars and palm trees behind in the background

Say hello to Nina Aguiar Shempliner, the new part-time Librarian in the Research and Learning Department and Saturday Circulation Supervisor.

Nina is in her second year of the MLIS program at Simmons University in the Archives Management track, and is also the Co-chair of the Student Chapter of the Society of American Archivists. She has experience working in public libraries and other cultural institutions. Her favorite part of being a librarian is supporting patrons in their journey of lifelong learning by connecting them with the right resources.

Fun facts about Nina - "I was born in Cojimar, Cuba where Hemingway got the inspiration for the The Old Man and The Sea. I speak Spanish and Russian – so if you are a native speaker or just looking to practice your language skills feel free to reach out. I look forward to meeting you and helping you locate the right resources and support you in your research needs."

Nina can be reached at naguiarshempliner@framingham.edu. Welcome!

Meet Our Interns!

Picture of a smiling young white man with back rimmed eyeglasses and light brown hair and goatee. He is wearing a light grey sweater with Cape Cod Massachusetts stitched over the left side of his torso and he is standing against a blue-paneled building

My name is Michael Gardner and I am a senior English major at FSU! I’m from a small town called Lunenburg, MA.

I wanted to intern at the library because I have a passion for reading, writing, and social media. My tasks for the internship are mainly writing blog posts and creating videos for the library’s YouTube channel. A lot of the blog posts are about events around campus, so I have gotten to hear a lot of interesting speakers this semester.

I would love to work in a library or bookstore setting after graduation, but I have also been researching technical writing jobs in the area. Contrary to popular opinion, majoring in English gives you plenty of options!

A graphic of a line drawing of a handheld camera with a long lens

My name is Ray Dufresne, I’m an English major and Digital Humanities minor. I've always loved reading and history and I aspire to be an archivist.

My internship is in the Archives/Special Collections Department. I do research and writing on Framingham State history. My favorite part about working in the library is learning new things I would have never known about and, of course, getting hands on experience for my future career.

Celebrating Halloween

A photograph of a plastic skeleton figurine with a pumpkin head and a plastic pumpkin candy bucket in the foreground with a flyer adveritising the accessbility backpack placed in the middle

Spooky Space Time Continuum!

Staff members and student workers got into the spirit by dressing up in their Halloween best! This year's theme was space 👩🏻‍🚀 👽 🪐

Three smiling women dressed in Star Trek and Star Wars costumes standing lined up in a row in an office with a blue wall and computer on desk in background

Kate, Barbara and Millie dressed on theme!

Three smiling women dressed as Star Trek and Star Wars characters standing outside with brick building and autumn foliage tree in the background

Barbara, Millie and Colleen on their way to the costume contest

Student worker in cow-patterned shirt with a tin-foil 'alien ship' on top of their head with receipt printer and an opened laptop covered in stickers in the foreground

Eva is beaming up!

Saying Good-bye to Kate

A photograph of a red-haired white woman turned to the camera, smiling slightly and wearing a grey tshirt

During the last days of October, we wished Kate Burt, the library's long-time administrator extraordinaire, the best of luck in her new chapter as she retired on November 1st. Here is the library crew gathered together together for a proper send-off, complete with gifts, cupcakes, and lots of laughs! Kate reflects on her years at FSU and the changes in the library through the years in her farewell interview on our library blog.

A photograph of twelve people sitting around a tables pushed together in a conference-type room, with paper plates and cups in front of them, turned to the camera, some waving

2024 Swiacki Children's Literature Festival

On Thursday, November 7th, Framingham State University hosted the annual Swiacki Children's Literature Festival, featuring author Ibi Zoboi and author/illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh. Head on over to the Henry Whittemore Library blog for read an interview with Curriculum Librarian and Festival Committee Member Samantha Westall and intern Michael Gardner's takeaways from the event.

Annual FLO Meeting

Access Services Librarian Greg Dawson and Outreach & Student Engagement Coordinator Weronika Zawora attended the annual Fenway Library Organization (FLO) on November 7th at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Librarians from across the region met to learn about institutions applying artificial intelligence in their work and how AI tools may bring big changes to libraries in the coming years. As an affiliate member of FLO, the Henry Whittemore Library has access to various educational resources and professional development opportunities to strengthen collaborative networks with academic libraries throughout the state.

Two people, one white woman with glasses and light brown hair and one man with black hair and beard, standing in front of a white wall

Weronika and Greg at the MFA

A woman standing in front of a lectern in the bottom right corner with a projected introduction slide with the topic title "Two handy applications of generative AI in an academic library"

Joanne Riley from UMass Boston presented on using AI in academic libraries

A group of five people, two men and three women, seated on a stage with a projected slide above them stating "FLO Discussion Panel".

Libraries from five different area libraries discuss success with student workers

Holiday Staff Party & Cocoa by the Fire

The Henry Whittemore Library staff gathered together on December 10th to celebrate the end of the year with baked goods, holiday treats and a gift swap. Later that afternoon, we brought the party upstairs for the 11th annual Cocoa by the Fire! Students, staff and faculty enjoyed cozy cocoa, seasonal snacks and a special appearance by Ramsey!

A group of 14 people posing in two rows in front of a empty bookcase, a clock and a winter graphic backdrop

Annual Holiday Staff Party

Two tables covered in red and plaid tablecloths with assorted backed goods, candies and hot cocoa toppings arranged in front of a winter winterland-themed bulettin display board

Cocoa by the Fire Goodies

A group of people lined up in front of a table of baked goods and hot cocoa

Students, Faculty & Staff Enjoying Cocoa and Treats

Toys for Tots Drive

A group of six people, including three male police officers, posing in front of a bulletin board in the library lobby. The police officer in the middle is holding a pink stuffed unicorn and standing in front of a gift wrapped donation box.

The library once again participated in the Toys for Tots campaign organized by the FSU Police Department. Circulation Supervisor Lori Wolfe and Student Engagement Coordinator Weronika Zawora helped stuff a cruiser with this year's donations, including one magical unicorn 🦄

A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated and helped spread cheer during this holiday season!

In Other News:

We Asked Questions & We Got Answers!

Check out the answers to some of this semester's most burning questions - would you rather be hot or cold? what's your favorite place on campus? and what piece of advice do you wish you heard sooner? 🤔

What's a piece of advice you wish you heard sooner?

What's your favorite place on campus?

Would you rather be hot or cold?

No Homework Book Club

The No Homework Book Club wrapped up another semester of recommendations for book lovers across campus. The club meets once a month to discuss the books they've enjoyed and recommend to others. No assigned books here, just read what you like and share your list. The No Homework Book Club is on hold for the winter break and will meet again in February (date TBD). See you there!

A display of eight pink and white paper sheets placed around a blue backdrop bulletin display with a white poster in the center displaying a rainbow graphic and LGBTIA+ History written in the middle

We Celebrate....

LGBTQIA+ History Month in October
Check out our LGBTQ+ Resources LibGuide for more information and links to support on and off campus.

A blue bulletin board with a map of the pre-1600s tribal nation presence across southern New England, surrounded by six posters naming fun fact about the communities listed. The background is filled with paper cutouts of fish, flowers, butterflies, pumpkins and leaves

Native American History in November

Visit our November is Native American Heritage Month LibGuide for dozens of links about tribal nations near and far, including a list of resources about the past and present from the Nipmuc community of Massachusetts.

A photo of a wooden bookcases displaying various books about homelessness and a sign taped to the second shelf informing that November is Homelessness Awareness Month, illustrated with light blue and orange graphics.

November is National Homelessness Awareness Month

If you or anyone you know is struggling, reach out to the Framingham State University Student Support Resources hub for assistance: https://www.framingham.edu/camp.../student-support-resources