Category: Feature

Multiple libraries are undergoing or have recently completed improvements and repurposing of existing space.  

Front door swipe card access is now complete at all eight Rutgers–New Brunswick locations (seven libraries plus the Annex), with the most recent installations (completed in FY25) having occurred at Art, Chang, Carr, Douglass, and Math/Physics Libraries, and at the Library of Science and Medicine. Swipe card access also was installed at the entrances to two spaces in Alexander Library: the Pane Room and the Alexander Hughes Room.  

New ADA-compliant door operators have been installed at LSM and at Chang Library.

LSM’s previously unused E Classroom was redesigned as Open Quiet Study space for patrons, providing new study space for at least 20 students. This refresh includes 10 repurposed mobile tables acquired from another Rutgers department at no cost. 

The second floor of LSM features new Stylex showroom furniture.This high-end collaborative furniture seating for 16 was donated to the library by the manufacturer. 

Robeson Library added a second Zen Den—a mindfulness space for students to destress. Robeson also has removed damaged furniture and repositioned existing furniture on the main floor of the library. 

Smith Library’s computer lab has updated technology and has added numerous docking stations in the public areas. 

For most of August, the first floor of Alexander Library is undergoing a refresh including new paint, corner rails, carpet, and cove base, as well as wood refinishing, for the circulation desk and surrounding areas.  The bathrooms in this section of the building are also being repainted. (The Pane Room and portions of the library’s basement floor received a similar refresh during the last fiscal year.) The Pane Room and Hughes Room will not be available or bookable for the first three weeks of August, and for much of this project, the circulation desk will be moved temporarily to the welcome desk in the lobby.

Rutgers University Libraries were well represented at the ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition, held in Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Convention Center from June 26 to June 30. In a preview article, American Libraries Magazine characterized the theme of the conference as follows: 

“As the Association – and the nation – approach monumental anniversaries, library workers will reaffirm and celebrate what it means to run institutions foundational to democracy, equity, and civic discourse. Many sessions in this year’s program reflect the issues currently weighing on the profession, such as intellectual freedom, access, advocacy, and funding.” 

Here are the Rutgers University Libraries faculty who presented at ALA: 

Katie Anderson, reference and instruction librarian based at Robeson Library, was part of a panel discussion on AI Ethics and the Library. The session was highlighted in articles covering the conference by Publishers Weekly and by the Library Journal. 

Maria Deptula, health sciences collections librarian, and Mina Ghajar, education and research librarian, both based at Smith Library, presented their poster, Open Access & Transformative Agreements – Awareness, Perception, Experience. 

Ann Marie Latini, head of access services at Robeson Library, and Zara Wilkinson, reference and instruction librarian based at Robeson Library, presented their poster, Night at the Museum: Curating a Museum Pass Program at an Academic Library. 

Megan Lotts, art librarian based at the Art Library, installed a “Lil’ Zine Vending Machine” in the ALA Connect Lounge. Publishers Weekly wrote about the zine vending machine and quoted Lotts in its event coverage. Lotts is the author of The Playful Library: Building Environments for Learning and Creativity (ALA Editions, September 2024). 

Julia Maxwell, who was a social sciences librarian based at Alexander Library until June 30, co-presented a poster, Public Libraries & Older Adults: An Evidence-Based Annotated Bibliography for Social Workers & Librarians. Her co-presenter was Marybeth Baisden, a graduate assistant in the School of Social Work. 

Sungmin Park, resource description librarian based at TSB, co-presented a poster, Uncovering Systemic Bias in Library of Congress Subject Headings: A Comprehensive Study on Gendered Headings. Her co-presenter was Yuji Tosaka, assistant director in the library at The College of New Jersey. 

 Li Sun, continuing resources and Asian languages catalog librarian based at TSB, presented her poster, Automating the Management of Cataloging Records with AI.  

Sonia Yaco, digital initiatives librarian based at Alexander Library, was part of a panel presentation, Old Pages, New Tricks: AI-Powered Discovery and Instruction in Special Collections.