Join us in celebration of the completion of the year-long renovation to our Public Services area. We’re ready to celebrate and thank all the people that worked hard on this project! Please come enjoy the beautiful new space and increased functionality to better serve students, faculty and staff.
We will be hosting a reception and open house event:
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019
11:45 am-12:00 pm ~ Thank yous and acknowledgments with refreshments to follow
ALFRED, NY — 18 students were recently inducted into the Alfred University chapter of the honor society Phi Kappa Phi.
The ceremony, held Tuesday, April 2, was presided over by chapter President Stephen Crandall, dean emeritus of libraries at Alfred University. He was assisted by Chapter Treasurer Brian Sullivan, interim director of Alfred University Libraries. Herrick Library staffer Natalie Skwarek, assisted with many important behind the scenes preparations.
Herrick Library student workers inducted include juniors Gabrielle A. Griffin of Sterling, NY and Amanda Meehan of Whitesville, NY.
A complete list of students inducted this year can be found here.
Congratulations to everyone!
Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi recognizes and promotes academic excellence in all fields of higher education. The Greek letters of Phi Kappa Phi stand for the society’s motto, “Philosophia Krateito Photon,” which is freely translated, “Let the Love of Wisdom Rule Humanity.”
The Alfred University chapter was established in 1970. In its annual initiation ceremony, held in the Herrick Library Bookend Lounge, the chapter honored the academic accomplishments of its newly inducted members.
Pictured in the photo above are newly inducted members of the Alfred University chapter of Phi Kappa Phi: (front from left) Kayleah Aldrich, Megan Alper, Heidi Boettcher, Lauren Germain, Zachary Plesmid; and (back from left) Samantha Kotze, Lyndsey McCoy, Holly Passetti, Sarah Raeman, Aidan Saccucci-Bryan, Natalie Turco, Benjamin Yonko and Gabrielle Griffin. Missing from photo are Charles A. McAllister Jr., Amanda Meehan, Angelica Sudore, Nathaniel Skeele and Zachary Goodwin.
Are you an animal lover looking to make a difference for animals in need? The Alfred University Libraries are hosting a Pet Supply Drive benefiting the SPCA Serving Allegany County!
Students, faculty, staff, and community members are all encouraged to participate! Supplies may be dropped off at Herrick and Scholes Libraries from Monday, April 15th through Monday, April 29th. (See list of supplies needed below.)
Any questions? Please contact Natalie Skwarek at skwarek@alfred.edu or (607) 871-2792. On behalf of all of our animal friends, thank you!
Wish list items include (but are not limited to):
dry and wet kitten and cat food
dry dog food
(the animals are used to Purina brand cat chow or kitten chow or 4Health brand
available at Tractor supply.)
rodent food and bedding
cat and dog treats
cat and dog toys
catnip
wood pellets used for kitty litter
animal brushes
dog collars and leashes
towels and washcloths
paper towels
bleach
dish soap
liquid laundry soap
13 & 39 gallon trash bags
office supplies
Open Forum presentations to the campus will take place on the dates and times below. Each forum will take place in the Kenyon/Allen room of the Powell Campus Center.
Additional announcements will be made in Alfred Today prior to each session.
Should you have any questions regarding the candidates and their presentation, please contact Ellen Bahr at bahr@alfred.edu
Thursday, March 28, 11 am – 11:45 am
Monday, April 1, 10:00 am – 10:45 am
Thursday, April 4, 9:30 am – 10:15 am
The vision board will become a reality on March 7th and 8th, 2019 as professional 
installers from Stevens Office Interiors of Syracuse, NY arrive to complete phase II of the Scholes Library entryway renovation project.
This project has been a collaboration between Alfred University Libraries, Jamie Babcock and the entire Facilities crew and the Procurement department.
The Scholes Library front desk will be temporarily relocated in the Commons area on the first floor. The library will remain open during construction of the new desks, hours and service will not be affected.
Despite the temporary increase in activity and work noise on the first floor there will still be plenty of quiet spots in the library to study for midterms.
Come by and watch the progress!
Guest Blogger, Scholes Library Student Worker Haleigh Youll
Located on the 3rd floor (307), this room has plenty of tables and chairs and a rolling whiteboard making this room conducive for group collaboration or study sessions. Another great feature of room 307 is that it can be reserved ahead of time. Please contact one of the following people to make a room reservation:
Deborah Rollins rollinsd@alfred.edu
Mechele Romanchock romanchockm@alfred.edu
John Hosford hosford@alfred.edu
Rooms are reserved on a first come first serve basis.
This room is a perfect place to have group study sessions with all of your friends.
Photo: Haleigh Youll
It can also be reserved for club events, like this recent Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Study session.
Photo Credit: Ashlee Wilmier
Room availability can be found here.
Come learn how you can save yourself time and effort by connecting with Alfred University library staff and resources. Librarians, staff and student employees from both Herrick and Scholes will be on hand to show you what’s available and share some tips. 
Need space for a study group, club meeting or quiet spot for just you? Tours of Scholes Library will be available during this drop-in event.
Students, faculty and staff welcome.
Thursday, February 28th,
Scholes Library 4:00-6:00pm
Free Food!
After a long hard battle, tirelessly fought by many brave warriors from ITS, Toshiba, the Libraries and Procurement, victory has been achieved. There is a NEW printer in the 24 Hour Study Room of Scholes Library.
Thanks to all who refused to give up the fight.
Does it take my fob?
YES!
Does it print double sided?
DOUBLE YES!
The 24 Hour Study Room is Available to all current Alfred University students. It has a separate, secure exterior entrance on the south side of the building, across from Harder Hall. To obtain the access code to this room, show your Alfred University student ID at the front desk.
A similar room is also available in Herrick Library with key code access upon request.
Roll the tape…
Nicolas has recently joined the Alfred University Library team as a Technical Services Assistant. He is based primarily in Scholes Library where he can be found learning the ropes of serials and acquisitions. We subjected him to a few introductory questions.
What was your background before Alfred University?
Education: Before coming to Scholes, I dabbled in business, history, and classics and earned a B.A. in Religious Studies (Global) at Pacific Lutheran University. Then I went on to get an M.S. in Resource Management at Central Washington University.
Work: My first proper job was in a small upstate New York town called Alfred, at a library that focused on Art and Engineering… more recently I’ve interned at the Museum of Popular Culture, working on their Star Trek exhibit, and I had an internship at the Smithsonian in the ethnology artifact collections.
What is most interesting about your current position? So far I’ve loved seeing just how large a collection of serials we have at Scholes, and the range of subjects that they touch upon. I’m also interested in how they can be integrated into the future plans of the Alfred University Libraries, and other internal initiatives.
What are you most proud of? Personally, I’m most proud of my signed book collection. Starting in high school (with a gift of a signed copy of the Name of the Wind, from a friend of mine), I made a point and effort to meet as many of my favorite authors as I could, and talk to them, and get personal messages and signatures. Some of the authors I’m most proud of meeting and getting signatures from include Garth Nix, Scott Lynch, Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson (at least three times), and Robin Hobb (who I had a delightful cup of tea with once, and scones another).
I’m also quite proud to have worked on the EMP Star Trek exhibit—that’s now traveling the US—and of my work on Balinese ceremonial daggers at the Smithsonian.
What advice would you give to students today? Meet with your professors! It doesn’t matter if you necessarily talk about classes, or grades, or anything like that, but many professors have led pretty interesting lives (I especially recommend Anthropologists!) and are more than happy to give you sage advice, or at the very least, expand your interests and knowledge. Who knows when or how they could help you, from anything to homework, to something that’s been looming over you because of your personal life. Build a rapport—profs are people too!
Favorite social media platform: Discord—not only do I talk with my friends on it but I also follow several of my favorite authors, starting with Terry Mancour. My follow up favorite is Facebook, because I talk to friends on it as well, but also because many authors will have book giveaways, and announce them there.
What are you reading? I’m currently rereading the Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura, and Ghostwater by Will Wight. I’m also reading, for the first time, The Wandering Inn a web serial by pirateaba.
What do you like to do to for fun? In the winter I like to read, watch anime and movies. During the summer I play badminton and tennis when I can. I’m also always up for a game of table tennis.
What is something would you like to learn? I would love to learn a second language. I took Spanish in high school, and Latin at PLU, but never reached mastery in either, and haven’t used them much since.
What would be your desert island packing list?
1 book: Man vs Ocean: One Man’s Journey to Swim the World’s Toughest Oceans and Change His Life Forever. Unless for some reason swimming off was completely out of the question. Then Sabriel by Garth Nix. I’ve already read it over 20 times, so I know it’s a good read that would just keep giving.
1 album (let’s pretend you have a solar powered audio device of some kind): the Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust OST
1 snack (in endless re-supply): Pandekager with sugar and lemon juice
Is there anything about you that others would be surprised to know? Probably how much I’ve traveled in my life. I spent months at a time in Bali during my childhood with my Anthropologist mother, tagged along with my father when he was a professor on Semester at Sea (Bahamas, Cuba, Brazil, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, India, Japan, Korea, and Canada), and then lived with my mom briefly in Australia after returning from SAS. During the time between then and graduation, I spent several holidays as a tourist in Ireland, Bulgaria, and Greece. After graduating high school, I took a J-term course studying Classical and Archaic Greece, followed that summer with an archaeological dig in Halmyris, Romania, and spent some time in London and Costa Rica over separate breaks. I’ve also visited my maternal relatives in Denmark multiple times throughout my life, and have returned to Bali as an adult to visit new and old friends and haunts.
January 23, 11:30am-1:30pm at Herrick Library in the BookEnd Lounge.
The Human Library at Alfred University is a collaboration between the University Libraries and the Institute for Cultural Unity (ICU). The ICU strives to “[develop] self-awareness and respect for others through the sharing of experiences and cultures”; the Human Library will provide a forum for sharing experiences and engaging in dialog.
The Human Library event plays off the idea that readers engage in dialog with books, which they check out from a library. In these events, the Books are participants who select the subject matter and title they will represent. They are the resources which will be utilized by Readers. Readers are event attendees, who can select a Book (based on title and possibly description) to “check out.” Checking out a Book entails engaging in a one-on-one conversation for a short period of time (usually 15 minutes) which focuses on the Book’s title. The context of the event provides a safe and judgment-free time and place for Readers to ask questions they may not feel comfortable expressing in other situations and for Books to share themselves and their experiences.
Why are we doing this?The Alfred University community is full of individuals with unique identities, experiences, and stories to tell. The Human Library will provide a forum in which participants can embrace the variety of individuals who make Alfred the “magical” place it is. Rather than having community members feel a need to assimilate in order to fit in, we want to celebrate difference while also finding the “common ground” which brings our community together.
The entire Alfred University community is invited to participate, as Books, Readers, or both. We hope to have as broad and diverse an array of participants as possible. Every individual has something unique which they can share as a Book, and everyone will find value in engaging as Readers.
If you are interested in being a Book, contact Brian Saltsman (saltsman@alfred.edu)
