Library Memories

I am both delighted and disappointed to announce that, after working 37 years with Northeastern University Libraries, Donna Kennedy has decided to retire from the University, effective July 1st, 2014. My delight is in knowing that, after years of a strong and productive commitment to her working career, Donna will now have the time to pursue a quite active engagement with her hobbies and, most important, numerous children and grandchildren. My disappointment is in knowing that the Library and University are losing a colleague who has always brought energy, a solid commitment, and a rare expertise to her work and, most especially, to the curricular and research needs of the student and faculty communities. Soon after arriving at the University in 1977, Donna was instrumental in developing services and collections at the former Burlington Campus Library to accommodate and enrich the experiences of a significant population of adult students enrolled in University College (later College of Professional Studies). When the Burlington Campus Library closed, Donna returned to Snell Library to, at first, lead the Access Services Department and, finally, as a Research and Instruction Services Librarian, to anchor the outreach and research support to the significant education program at the University. Donna’s achievements will long be valued and remembered by us and, I’m sure, by the many, many students and faculty to whom she has given expert assistance over the years. We hope to see some of these old friends at the event on June 24th. On behalf of all Library staff, I wish Donna a long and very well deserved retirement. —Will Wakeling, Dean, University Libraries

As the semester comes to an end, so do two co-ops in Snell Library. I have been working as the marketing and events planner, and Brittany Tassone has been working in the Digital Media Commons Studio. We have taken some time to think back on our experience here and offer advice to the new co-ops that will take our place in January.  Thank you to Snell Library and our co-workers for two great co-op experiences. – Jen Jen: As the marketing and events co-op I planned Meet the Author events, assisted library staff with many other projects and events, and used Snell’s social media pages to promote library happenings and communicate with the Northeastern community. I gained a lot of marketing experience from this co-op. The Northeastern community is very diverse, and it was valuable for me to have to promote events and campaigns to such an audience. As a Northeastern student, I benefitted from working with different academic departments and student groups, and I feel much more connected to my university as a result. I was not sure what to expect at an on-campus co-op, but it turned out to have been an incredible advantage. I was able to have more freedom and work on a wide range of projects at Snell, and was never stuck with boring or repetitive tasks. My favorite things about this job are that that I did something different every day, gained such a wide spectrum of experience, and got to work with a great group of people. My advice to the next Marketing and Events co-op is to get the most that you can out of working in this position. If you have a good deal of experience when you start, then take on a bit more and come up with new ideas for events and promotions. Also, stay organized and be confident!   Brittany: My co-op experience at the DMCS definitely was a good fit for me professionally. I was able to use my creative skills and design some unique promotional material, motion, and website graphics, but I was also able to assist in other student’s project, providing them with help that was crucial for it to be the best itcould be. I did experience some trials during my work, and learned that in the business of customer service you definitely need a lot of patience, and willingness to help. Those are qualities that I feel I possess, making my position here definitely a benefit for the DMCS. Having people that don’t necessarily speak English, or don’t have a large knowledge base about design software could be frustrating at times, but working with different types ofpeople is a lesson that I feel everyone should learn. It was beneficial for me because I know in the future I will definitely have to work with all types of different people to create designs for the intended audience. The best part about working at the DMCS would have to be the great atmosphere my superiors and co-workers created for me. I was able to work on my designs without a huge rush on time, making the transition into my first co-op comfortable for me. My advice to future co-ops would to be to practice using the design software like Adobe Suite, Final Cut, and the iLife suite, as much as possible. It will be very helpful when answering questions in the future.

Today I am saying goodbye to a friend and colleague, Maria Carpenter.  Maria is leaving Northeastern to become Director of Somerville Public Library.  Today is her last day at Snell. Maria arrived here 10 years ago as a reference and instruction librarian.  As soon as we met her we knew she was the one we wanted to hire for the position.  It was clear that her first priority as a librarian was attentive, compassionate communication between librarians and library users.  Her role has expanded over the years and as our Director of Advancement, Marketing and Communications (a position she created), she has become the ear and the voice of the library, coordinating all communications, from the suggestion box to press releases to Meet the Author programs. As the Library Web Manager, I have always looked to Maria for support and guidance.  She’s been able to give me advice on big picture communication priorities, and she’s been able to read over a sentence and tell me if the tone is right.  She’s happy to experiment with any technology that might help the library communicate, including Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and Twitter, and she was the force behind the creation of this blog. Above all, Maria has always been a great bridge for me.  I think that’s because she makes a point of going outside the library.  She attends NU events and professional conferences, audits classes and has dinners with alumni.  Everywhere she goes, she listens to what people say about Snell Library and brings their perspectives back to me and my colleagues, asking us to look up from our books and our laptops and engage with what’s going on at Northeastern and beyond. Not content with the relentless pace of her professional library activities, Maria’s recently begun to take an interest in yoga, and has found it so satisfying that she’s become an instructor.  One of the things I will miss is being able to attend the occasional noon yoga class she leads for her friends in the seminar room at Snell, once again, getting us to lift our heads up from our laptops and stretch a little. In fact, stretching is what I expect Maria to continue to do, in who-knows-what unexpected directions, when she takes the reins at Somerville Public Library.  Back here at Snell, I shall follow her career with interest, and I hope that once in a while she’ll meet me for a Mark N Stormy at Highland Kitchen, so we can continue talking about the future of books, libraries and communities as we’ve been doing for the past ten years. Goodbye, Maria, and always when you stretch, don’t forget to breathe! To view the official press release of Maria’s departure, visit the Northeastern University Libraries’ News & Events page.

After all the hard work and planning that our library staff put into the 20th Anniversary Celebration, it is good to reflect on such a successful event. Here are some photo memories for your viewing pleasure:

For more information on Snell Library’s 20th Anniversary visit www.lib.neu.edu/20th Photos taken by Mary Knox Merrill

Yesterday’s celebration of Snell Library’s 20th anniversary was truly a memorable event. Guests gathered in the lobby of Snell to welcome our esteemed speakers: Dean of Libraries Will Wakeling and the 10th Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero, as they spoke of both the history and future of the library, and brought to light the many roles Snell fills in Northeastern’s community. A reception followed and celebrated the library’s staff who have been at Snell since the beginning as well as past authors from Snell’s Meet the Author Series. Special recognition was also made for the library’s largest supporters and members of Snell Library’s building campaign. To read more about the festivities, check out the News@Northeastern coverage of the event here: http://www.northeastern.edu/news/stories/2011/04/snell.html