As we kick off a new academic year, I’m delighted to welcome you back to campus and share some exciting updates from the library that happened over the summer. I am pleased to announce that we’ve modified our circulation desk to create a more open, accessible and patron-friendly service point. We replaced the COVID-era permanent glass window with a sliding one, allowing us to keep the desk open and welcoming during normal business hours, while still providing the flexibility to close it securely when the desk is not staffed. Doing this has allowed us to remove a physical (and symbolic) barrier that once separated library staff from patrons. Our newly designed library service point invites more natural conversation, easier interaction and a stronger sense of connection. Whether you're picking up course reserves, checking out library materials or just stopping by for a quick chat, we hope this new configuration makes your visit pleasant and more engaging.

On a staffing note, I am thrilled to welcome a couple of new librarians to our team, each bringing fresh energy and expertise to help us better serve the campus community. The library saw the arrival of Sarah O’Shea (Head of Library Learning and Research Services) in late April and the return of Sara Greenleaf (Digital Services Librarian) in June in a newly imagined role. They are both highlighted below.

We hope you had a chance to enjoy our summer (Un)required Reading book list feature compiled from recommendations from HWS students, staff and faculty which highlighted a mix of thought-provoking, entertaining and timely titles curated by our library staff.

Speaking of books... we’ve expanded the scope and breadth of our digital collection even further! I am excited to share that the library has added two expansive new eBook packages: Project MUSE and EBSCO’s eBook Academic Collection. The Project MUSE addition includes over 90,000 scholarly monographs from leading university presses, while the EBSCO package provides more than 250,000(!) academic titles. Both packages span disciplines across the humanities, social sciences and STEM fields. These resources are available anytime, anywhere and are fully searchable through our catalog. We invite you to explore these expansive collections.

Here's to a year of discovery, collaboration and inspiration—we’re so glad everyone is back!

Chuck Vesei
Library Director and Librarian of the Colleges

Are you looking for academic sources for a paper? Do you need help with your citations? Do you need guidance on using library databases? Or do you just not know where to start??

Warren Hunting Smith Library is pleased to offer research support to our campus community via chat reference! Alongside being able to drop in the library in-person or schedule a one-on-one research appointment with a librarian, you can now reach us via our webpage.   

Look for the chat symbol at the lower right corner of the page. If it's purple, there is a live HWS librarian available to answer your questions. Just click on the chat button and begin your chat.

Chat will be available Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. - noon and 2 - 5 p.m. as well as Friday 10 a.m. - noon.

If Sara Greenleaf’s name sounds familiar, it might be because prior to leaving for a new adventure in 2023, Sara spent a number of years as a librarian at Warren Hunting Smith Library. You can imagine, then, that we’re especially thrilled to welcome her back as the Digital Services Librarian. In this newly designed role, Sara will work on a variety of projects pertaining to the library’s electronic resources. “One project I’m excited about is development of our new institutional repository, HWS RISE. The richness of scholarship and related endeavors here at HWS deserve preservation and showcasing.”

Leaving HWS and returning gives Sara a unique perspective on the community. When asked her favorite thing about campus, she says, “I think I

would have to say the intimacy and connectedness. People know you here. You’re an individual with a name, a face and skills, talents and abilities – not just a number, a statistic or a position.”

Sara’s favorite service offered by the library is instruction! “Seeing the wide variety of where students take their personal interests in relation to departmental content is fascinating, and I appreciate being part of that and helping to facilitate thoughtful connections.”

One of the best things about working in libraries, Sara tells us, is the ease of access to authoritative information. “Being able to take a deep dive into a topic of interest or look up something new – it’s thrilling and intellectually engaging in all the best ways.” This interest feeds into Sara’s personal hobby: Genealogical research. Sara says, “I love uncovering people’s stories – not just those of famous or well-known individuals but finding regular folks using records left behind through their interactions with everyday life. It’s also a fascinating way to combine professional strengths and skills with personal interest.” Libraries are a great resource for genealogical research, and if you’re interested in getting started, Sara recommends Megan Smolenyak's, Hey, America, Your Roots are Showing, which Sara says “is a great introduction to some of the stories behind genealogical research and why people are compelled by the work.”

If you’re looking for other book recommendations, Sara has plenty! “I don’t have a single favorite book,” she says. “For me, it depends on my mood and frame of mind.” The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, “When the winter doldrums are getting to me.” To revisit her childhood favorite, “The purple-spined Bobbsey Twins books come off the shelf.” Two perennial favorites of hers are The Radium Girls by Kate Moore and The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.

In the Spring, we welcomed Sarah O’Shea to the library’s ranks as the new Head of Library Learning and Research Services. “My job focuses on information literacy instruction in the classroom as well as supporting students, staff and faculty with their research needs,” Sarah tells us. “Whether that means a quick reference question at the consultation desk or more in-depth research help.” You might even cross paths with Sarah in one of your classes— if your professor requests library instruction, Sarah will come to your class and teach you how to best utilize our library’s resources!

Unsurprisingly, Sarah’s favorite library service is instruction. She adds, “Information literacy is so incredibly important to people’s lives and its importance is only growing!  We all need to be able 

to identify the information that we need in a given moment and to evaluate its trustworthiness. We help create informed citizens that can make informed decisions.”

When asked what she most enjoys about the HWS community, Sarah cited the deep connections: “The relationships I’ve witnessed between faculty, staff and students seem truly authentic and meaningful and seem like they will stand the test of time.” She adds, “It's also an absolutely beautiful campus!”

As a librarian, Sarah’s dedicated to a library’s invaluable role on a college campus. “We are here to support our students, staff and faculty succeed in their endeavors,” she says. “The skills we teach and the resources that we share with our users will help them succeed through their academic careers and beyond.”

Outside of her work, Sarah cherishes her role as a mom to two young adults and a “bonus mom” to two teenagers. She enjoys birdwatching and podcasts (comedy and true crime, of course)!

Sarah’s favorite book: “It’s actually a children’s book! Wonder by R.J. Palacio. I read this with my son when he was in 5th grade, and it deeply moved us. I’ve always felt it should be required reading in elementary schools for its beautiful lessons of kindness, perseverance and love.”

In Archives and Special Collections, we collect, preserve and make available the historical records of the Colleges. Our collections include photographs, the Echo and Pine yearbooks, past issues of the Herald, Martini, and other student publications— and much more!

We also house the HWS' collection of rare books, which includes more than 800 early printed books from 1492-1800. Our collections are open to the public, but we do require you to make an appointment. You can do so through the library website.

Please email us with any questions you may have at archives@hws.edu and follow us on Instagram for daily historic images of campus.

Follow the archives on Instagram: @hwsarchives

Quacks in the Stacks is back, by popular demand!

We've hidden a number of rubber ducks in the stacks on the second and third floors of the library. If you find one (or many...), you can bring them to the Circulation Desk and be entered into a raffle to win prizes! One duck equals one raffle entry. 

While you're up there, don't forget to browse the collection, where you might find something new and exciting to read, or check out the various study spaces, including individual study carrels, group study rooms, and the Brackett Clark Lounge for silent study. 

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