October at Samuel C. Williams Library was filled with exciting events. Here's a recap of some of the highlights from this past month:
We had a full house on October 5 for our Banned Books Week (October 1-7) event entitled "Let Freedom Read!" We gathered to discuss the power of the freedom to read and the growing book challenges and bans across the country in public, academic, and school libraries. This event featured discussions led by Librarians Vicky Orlofsky, Courtney Walsh, and Romel Espinel; Professors Lindsey Swindall and Smaran Dayal of the Stevens School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences; and the great folks from the Hoboken Public Library, Director Jenny Pu and Ally Blumenfeld. Thank you to everyone who attended and participated!
During Family Day on October 14, we had so much fun meeting all the families and students! The Library’s Archives & Special Collections staff, Leah Loscutoff and Ted Houghtaling, worked alongside a wonderful group of student volunteers to host “Beyond the Books,” a curated display of historical highlights from the Archives with student-led discussions covering some of the many fascinating people, places, and events throughout Stevens' history. A huge thanks to our students, Jared Donnelly, Meg Slate, and Kevin Castner Jr., as well as Linda Beninghove, Director of the Samuel C. Williams Library and Leo Padraza, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Undergraduate Student Life. Their hard work and support made “Beyond the Books” an engaging and fun event for all involved and we hope to do it again next year. See you then!
During the early evening of Family Day, Professor Aysegul Durakoglu, Professor of Music and Technology of the Stevens School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, performed beautifully the music of Chopin, Debussy, Piazzolla, Stravinsky, and Gershwin on the concert grand piano in the Library Great Hall. The program included various stylized dance forms, including waltzes, tangos, and folk dances.
Our dedicated team of librarians, Vicky Orlofsky, Courtney Walsh, and Romel Espinel gave an insightful presentation at the "Thoughts on Bots: Composition and Creative Pedagogy in the Age of AI" conference, October 26 - 27, 2023 hosted by the Stevens School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. Their talk “Academic Librarianship and Information Literacy in an AI World” discussed the impact and ethical ramifications of the current generation of AI chatbots to areas of information access and research: the development of AI literacy; questions of authority, authorship, and copyright; and the fundamental issue of academic citation.
As we look back on a vibrant October, we want to express our gratitude to all of you who participated in these events. Your engagement and support are what make the Library a thriving hub of knowledge and culture in our community.
Stay tuned for more exciting events and initiatives for the rest of the fall semester.
Photo Credits above: Lara Loureiro, University Relations, and Linda Beninghove.
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