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April 2025
The latest news from UNC Greensboro's University Libraries.
| | A Message from Michael Crumpton, Dean | | |
We can officially say that the work of the renovation has begun! The tower side of Jackson Library has been sealed off from the College Avenue side and the fences are being deployed. Soon the area around the tower will be a construction zone, so please be mindful if you are in the area. This is an exciting stage in shaping our future!
April brings the end of the semester, and much attention is being given to recognizing and celebrating our accomplishments during the academic year. We recently showed our appreciation to our student workers, who are a critical part of our organization. These students help to extend our ability to serve faculty, staff, and the UNCG student body effectively. They are part of "us" and their experiences working in the libraries provide critical skills and experiences for their career journeys. Our annual celebrations include choosing a "Student Worker of the Year" from among a list of nominees based on supervisor recommendations. The winner receives $500 and their name is added to a plaque in Jackson Library, which includes winners from previous years. Many of these winners have stayed with the University Libraries in different ways and have made valuable contributions to our mission which will benefit future generations.
We also celebrated National Library Week this month and had a variety of events showing our appreciation for library workers of all types who provide services and resources to our campus community. We had a great time and I hope everyone felt appreciated!
Our statistics are rebounding post-COVID. Student activity has increased and classes are engaged in library instruction. There is a strong mix of both in person and virtual activity on campus. We have updated our Fast Facts page to acknowledge the breadth of electronic resources that have been acquired for the benefit of faculty, staff, and students.
Special thanks to our Special Collections and University Archives department for facilitating events and activities for the recent Alumni Reunion Weekend. Alumni play an important role in the future of the university, which includes the libraries. As always, thank you for your support. Your efforts enable us to do more, and in these times, librarians are proud to do so. Have a great spring season!
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Michael "Mike" A. Crumpton, MLIS, SHRM-SCP
Professor and Dean, University Libraries
| | Spotlight on Student Workers | | | |  | The UNCG University Libraries employ dozens of student workers representing a wide range of backgrounds, academic interests, and experiences. Each month we share an interview with a library student worker. This month's student interviewee is Zach H., who works for two library departments: Special Collections and University Archives and Research, Outreach, and Instruction! | | | University Libraries Research Award Winners | | |
The University Libraries are pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Research Awards! There are two undergraduate winners and one graduate winner. Each awardee will receive $500 applied to their student account.
- Evangeline Lothian
- “Within the Reliquaries: Sainthood in John Donne’s ‘The Canonization’ and ‘The Relic'"
- Faculty Advisor: Dr. Christopher Hodgkins (Department of English)
- Cecil Barlow
- “Lip Service: Exploring Ineffective and Problematic Women’s Health, Wellness, and Self-Care Remedies from 1800-Present”
- Faculty Advisor: Erin Lawrimore (Special Collections and University Archives)
- Mau Cabo
- “Insight on the Mechanical Properties of Facile Hydrophobic-Barrier-Patterned Bacterial Nanocellulose via Self-Bonding Mechanism"
- Faculty Advisor: Dr. Dennis LaJeunesse (Joint School of Nanoscience & Nanoengineering)
We invite the campus community to celebrate award winners on May 1, 2025, from 3pm to 4pm in the Martha Blakeney Hodges Reading Room, located on the second floor of Jackson Library. Refreshments will be served following the event.
| | April 22 Panel Discussion: "Hear Us, See Us" | | Tomorrow from 4pm to 6pm in Jarrell Hall (Jackson Library), we invite all who are interested to attend a special panel event. "Hear Us, See Us" will be an exciting discussion with Asian community members from UNCG. The panel accompanies a new exhibit on display in the Jackson Library lobby. If you have questions about the event, please contact sahinsha@uncg.edu. | | | The Libraries hosted a Silent Book Club event on April 15. Silent Book Clubs are a growing trend - participants are invited to bring any book they choose and read in the same space for a certain amount of time, then share what they've been reading! Our event also featured a special drawing for a prize pack. Thank you to all the librarians who helped to make this event happen! The event will return in the Fall 2025 semester as part of the campus-wide "Rawkin' Welcome Weeks" celebration. | | |
During National Library Week and State Library Week, the UNCG University Libraries celebrated with several events!
- April 8: Staff Appreciation Breakfast
- April 8: Thank You Notes for Library Workers
- April 9: Bookin' It (Mobile Library Pop-Up)
- April 11: Celebrating Libraries Day
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On April 11 in the Martha Blakeney Hodges Reading Room, faculty, staff, students, and community members gathered to hear a poetry reading by Terry Kennedy (MFA '99), the Professor and Director of UNCG's MFA Writing Program. The event was part of the annual UNCG Alumni Reunion Weekend.
Kennedy shared an update on the MFA Program and read from his latest poetry collection, What the Light Leaves Hidden, a book-length elegy that also includes two new poems written in honor of Robert Watson and Fred Chappell, co-founders of the MFA Program.
You can learn more about Terry Kennedy's work here.
| | Amy Harris Houk Recognized for Leadership | | | | Amy Harris Houk, UNCG University Libraries Assistant Dean for Teaching and Learning, has recently been recognized twice for her accomplishments. She was honored on March 28 at an event hosted by UNCG ILRS and received the Bea Kovacs Award, which honors alumni achievements. On March 31 Amy was named an Unsung Woman Hero by the Office of Intercultural Engagement. Congratulations and thank you for all you do, Amy! | | | Special Collections & University Archives News | | |
Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) publishes its Quarterly Report Newsletter, which includes departmental news, student success stories, updates on recent acquisitions, interactive storymaps, and articles about its many interesting collections.
The most current issue (Winter 2025) also includes renovation updates and several announcements about exciting upcoming events, including a new oral history project titled "Hear Our Voices: Stories from Asians and Asian Americans in the UNCG Community."
| | Schiffman Music Library Corner | | |
Over a century after its first performance, The Sun Dance remains a unique and poignant opera, incorporating the Sun Dance of Plains Indigenous cultures into its libretto and choreography in an effort to preserve the ceremony’s memory for future generations. Written by William F. Hanson (1887-1969) and renowned Yankton Dakota author, musician, and activist Zitkala-Ša (1876-1938), The Sun Dance premiered in 1914 and was performed many times in the following decades. Zitkala-Ša passed away a few days before the Broadway premiere of The Sun Dance in 1938.
The Harold Schiffman Music Library's resources include a physical copy of The Sun Dance’s score, as well as a digitized version of the score available to view through the library’s online catalogue. The HSML’s holdings of The Sun Dance have proven to be of particular interest to researchers across the globe, a testament to the opera’s historical and artistic significance.
This piece was contributed by Virginia Weaver.
| | | | The Spring 2025 semester is drawing to a close, and the University Libraries will host several events during Finals Week to help students relax and recharge, including Therapy Pets, free coffee and hot chocolate, and Bad Art Night! | | Welcoming Emily Britt to the University Libraries | | |
Please join us in welcoming Emily Britt, who is joining the University Libraries as our Development Officer. Emily is a double alumna of UNCG, having graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor's Degree in Entrepreneurship and again in 2020 with a Master of Business Administration. We look forward to working with Emily to advance the mission of the University Libraries!
| | | | If you have donated to the University Libraries and received a "Proud Supporter" sticker, please consider taking a selfie with your sticker and email your photo to Rachel Olsen for a chance to be featured in Library Columns. Thank you for your continued support! | | Find your information here. | | This email is an official communication from UNC Greensboro. You may verify official university emails by checking the Verified Campus Communications Repository. If you have questions about the VCCR or the authenticity of an email message you have received, please contact the sender of the message or search the UNCG website for "VCCR." | | | | |
