Category: Rutgers University–Camden

Faculty and staff news from the Paul Robeson Library at Rutgers University-Camden.

New Media Recording Studio at Robeson Library

Robeson Library now has a Media Recording Studio.

In Fall 2025, under the leadership of Rutgers University–Camden’s executive vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost, Paul Robeson Library—along with the Office of University Online Education Services (UOES) and Rutgers–Camden IT—opened a Media Recording Studio on the second floor of the library (Room 290). This is the first recording studio of its kind at Rutgers–Camden.

Current faculty and staff with a valid Rutgers NetID can use the studio to create video content for teaching and learning. Whether for short lectures, course introductions, updates, or hosting live sessions with students, the studio offers a simple and professional-quality production experience. No prior video experience is required—just bring your content and press a button.

Individuals who need support can book a consultation with the Office of University Online Education Services (UOES). If no assistance is needed, the space can be reserved directly.

October 30, 2025
Robeson Library Undergraduate Research Awards for 2025

Cindy Do won an award for her research project, “Chronic Stress Elevates the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease.”

The Paul Robeson Library Undergraduate Research Award recognizes excellence in undergraduate research projects that make use of a range of library resources, collections, and services and show evidence of critical thinking, originality, and creativity.

All winners have their papers added to our digital collection in RUCore and presented lightning talks at the award ceremony held on April 8 as part of Rutgers University–Camden’s reimagined Research Week, now known as SPARK!

The award winners for 2025 were:

First Place

Shaan Mody, “Theta/Beta-Ratio Neurofeedback Training: A Better Long-Term Solution for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder”

Second Place

Cindy Do, “Chronic Stress Elevates the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease”

Jordyn Smith, “The Natural Antimicrobial Effects of Honey, Yogurt, and Pickle Juice on Escherichia coli B, Escherichia coli K-12, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Pseudomonas fluorescens”

New Researcher (limited to first-year students)

Kruthy Takkala, “Islamophobia and Why it is Harmful”

The evaluation committee included Ophelia Hostetter, associate professor of English; Samantha Kannegiser, student success librarian; John Powell, reference and instruction librarian; Shauna Shames, associate professor of political science; and Zara Wilkinson, reference and instruction librarian.

August 8, 2025
Libraries Host Finals Week Stressbusters

Rutgers University Libraries hosted numerous stressbuster events to help students destress during finals week. Students enjoyed copious free snacks and activities during their study breaks.

Finals week stressbusters promotional graphic.

Bags with delicious treats were given away at Alexander Library throughout finals week.

Free snack packs sign.

Library Mobile swag on the Alexander Library lobby table during finals week.

Dana Library participated in Rutgers–Newark’s annual Destress Fest at the Paul Robeson Campus Center.

Students engage with Dana Library staff during RU–N’s Destress Fest.

Dana Library staff offered button-making activities at RU–N’s Destress Fest.

Dana Library staff make buttons at RU–N’s Destress Fest.

A panoramic view of RU–N’s Destress Fest in the Paul Robeson Campus Center.

Students gather in the Dana Libary Café for stressbuster activities.

Students enjoy stressbuster activities in the Dana Libary Café.

Sign for the DIY Sculpture and Stained Glass Party at Dana Library.

Library Mobile swag table at Dana Library.

Health Sciences Libraries’ “Cookies, Cocoa, and Coffee” stressbuster promotional graphic.

Health Sciences Libraries staff await students at the “Cookies, Cocoa, and Coffee” stressbuster at Smith Library.

Health Sciences students enjoy the “Cookies, Cocoa, and Coffee” stressbuster at Smith Library.

The “Cookies, Cocoa, and Coffee” stressbuster setup.

Robeson Library stressbuster ad.

Robeson Library’s “Pajamapalooza” stressbuster.

Robeson Library staff at their table for the “Pajamapalooza” stressbuster.

Robeson Library staff with the prize wheel at the “Pajamapalooza” stressbuster.

Gizmo dresses up as a reindeer during Robeson Library’s “Woof Wednesday” event.

Marly helps students destress during Robeson Library’s “Woof Wednesday” event.

December 23, 2022
NEA Big Read/Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude Exhibit Extended Through January 2023

Paul Robeson Library‘s exhibit for the NEA Big Read/Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay has been extended through January 2023. The event is hosted in partnership with the Rutgers–Camden Center for the Arts (RCCA). Attendees can receive free copies of Gay’s book (while supplies last) and contribute a tag to the accompanying installation piece by RCCA.

December 11, 2022
On Exhibit at Robeson Library: NEA Big Read/Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay

Paul Robeson Library, in partnership with the Rutgers–Camden Center for the Arts, is hosting an exhibit for the NEA Big Read/Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay now through December 9, 2022.

“Ross Gay’s poetry collection celebrates life and goodness and that which nourishes us, fleetingly and forever, through love and loss,” said Noreen Scott Garrity, director of the Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts. “He touches on everyday living and notices what we often take for granted. We are looking forward to welcoming guests to share in this enjoyable literary experience.”

Complimentary copies of Gay’s book will be available on a first-come, first-served basis in early November, and participants will have the opportunity to contribute to a What Are You Grateful For? installation piece constructed by the Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts.

Launched in 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read aims to inspire meaningful conversations, artistic responses, and new discoveries and connections in participating communities. In partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA supports programming centered around one of 15 different contemporary books.

For more information, visit the Big Read website.

November 30, 2022
Robeson Library Hosts Events for International Education Week

Robeson Library hosted two events for Rutgers–Camden’s International Education Week (November 14–18). On Tuesday, November 15, the Global Studies Department held an International Quizzo game. On Wednesday, November 16, Robeson’s Bart Everts and Edward Robinson facilitated a Game and Puzzle Night which brought together Rutgers and Camden County College students for a night of classic board games, puzzles, food, and friendship. Click this link to view more photos.

As part of a long-standing agreement, Robeson Library serves as the research library for the Camden campuses of Camden County College and Rowan University.

November 30, 2022
Welcome Week at Rutgers–Camden

Paul Robeson Library faculty and staff were excited to welcome students back to campus with a series of events during Rutgers University–Camden’s Raptor Welcome and Welcome Week. Both Raptor Welcome and Welcome Week celebrated the return of the Scarlet Raptors with a theme of #ThePackIsBack.

Raptor Welcome, new student orientation at Rutgers–Camden, was held on Monday, August 30, and Tuesday, August 31. Raptor Welcome is traditionally for new students, but this year the event was intended for both first year-students and returning sophomores who were remote for their first year. At Raptor Welcome, students trekked across campus to complete three activities, including “Mission: Library,” a scavenger hunt that highlighted library services and spaces. Robeson Library faculty and staff developed clues that led students throughout the building (and outside). At each stop, they collected a letter of the alphabet, enabling them to decode a secret phrase once all stops were completed. Approximately 640 students completed “Mission: Library” as part of their Raptor Welcome experience.

Welcome Week is a campus-wide event series scheduled to run September 1 through September 12. At the Campus Involvement Fair on September 1, the library table invited new and returning students to engage with faculty and staff, pick up information about library services, and try their luck on the prize wheel. On September 2, Robeson hosted an outdoor Open House during free period and again just prior to the start of evening classes. During this time, the library staffed tables on the quad, offering snacks, giveaways, and a warm welcome to everyone passing by. In addition, new students who are part of the library’s Personal Librarian Program were issued a targeted invitation to pick up a special welcome gift during the Campus Involvement Fair or Open House.

On September 8, as the last library event scheduled during Welcome Week, Robeson will partner with the Office of Disability Services to kick off Woof Wednesday, a therapy animal visit hosted on the first Wednesday of every month. Woof Wednesday, which began in 2019 and went virtual for the 2020-2021 academic year, features therapy animal teams from PAWS for People. On September 8, Woof Wednesday will take place outdoors. In accordance with the focus on wellness and stress management, representatives from the Wellness Center, Athletics and Recreation, and the Division of Student Academic Success will also be on site to provide information about campus resources.

September 8, 2021
Penman Collection Comes to Rutgers–Camden

A selection of titles from the Penman collection.

The family of Sharon Kay Penman, New York Times bestselling novelist, donated her research library to the Paul Robeson Library at Rutgers University–Camden, and the University of Pennsylvania Libraries. Several hundred titles have been given to Robeson. Penman wrote historical novels set in medieval Britain and was known for her meticulous research. Before her writing career she worked as a tax attorney and graduated from the Rutgers University School of Law in Camden. Penman lived in May’s Landing and died on January 22, 2021. Her works include standalone novels, such as The Sunne in Splendour, focusing on Richard III, and the Plantagenet series, five novels following the lives of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. The books donated to the library cover a broad range of subjects, including medieval medicine, the Islamic world in the Middle Ages, history, literature, politics, the lives of women, and other related subjects.

September 8, 2021
PRL Undergraduate Research Award Winners
This spring the Paul Robeson Library launched the Undergraduate Research Award, a new initiative designed to recognize and celebrate excellence in original undergraduate research. Undergraduate students from all schools at Rutgers University–Camden were invited to submit research papers or other research projects completed between spring 2020 and spring 2021. Applications were required to include a completed project, a bibliography, and a reflective essay describing the search strategy employed and how sources were evaluated.

An evaluation committee of both teaching and library faculty reviewed each application, looking for those that made use of a range of library resources, collections, and services and showed evidence of critical thinking, originality, and creativity. Five winning papers were selected. Each winner received a cash prize and certificate, an invitation to include their paper in a digital collection, and recognition at a virtual event held on May 24, 2021.

First Place
- Sujay Ratna, “Ultrasensitive Molecular Profiling of EGFR Mutations in Glioblastoma Multiforme Using a Rapid & High-Resolution Digital PCR Approach”
Second Place
- Omri Bar & Anthony Monte Carlo, “Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Proteins on Host Gene Expression and Fitness”
- Julia DeFeo, “Evaluating the effects of wild and prescribed fire on the taxonomic and functional diversity of soil-dwelling arthropods in the New Jersey Pinelands, a high-disturbance system”
Honorable Mentions
- Annika Liu, “Blue Wall of Silence: Degradation of Accountability”
- Benjamin Nixon, “Blood and Soil: Right-Wing Terrorism Poses an Existential Threat to the United States”
Samantha Kannegiser & Zara Wilkinson
July 7, 2021
Promoting OAT at Rutgers–Camden

During a Library Student Advisory Board meeting in the fall, student members discussed the difficulty their peers experience paying for required textbooks. To learn more, we invited Zara Wilkinson to talk to us about the library’s Open & Affordable Textbooks (OAT) program. This inspired board members Oriana Holmes-Price, Grace Latini, and Erika Pitsker to plan a faculty panel event to promote the OAT program to the rest of the student body. They invited Zara Wilkinson, librarian for the OAT program, Dr. Jamie Dunaev, Assistant Teaching Professor in Psychology, Dr. Nancy Cresse, Clinical Assistant Professor in Nursing, and Dr. Bethany Welch, Lecturer in Urban Studies to discuss their experiences with the OAT program and their philosophy towards open educational resources more generally. After diligent effort on the part of the Board members, we held the panel, Open & Affordable Textbooks: Faculty and Student Perspectives, on April 6^th. Faculty, staff, and students in Camden attended and learned about the importance and impact of open and affordable textbooks and the library’s efforts to support students and faculty through the OAT program. Many students expressed interest in taking an OAT course and helping to expand the program to additional courses and departments. The Paul Robeson Library Student Advisory Board plans to continue championing the Open & Affordable Textbooks program.

Additionally, the Rutgers-Camden Student Government Association has voiced its support for the OAT Program through ongoing dialogues with librarians Zara Wilkinson and John Powell. The executive board of the SGA has brainstormed a variety of collaborative initiatives, including the development of a university-wide portal of course materials developed because of the OAT program and a form where students can submit recommendations for OAT or submit classes which they had to drop due to additional costs from textbooks or access codes.

April 30, 2021