Library News

Join us for the 2025 Reading Challenge!

The Northeastern University Library is excited to announce our second annual Reading Challenge! We’re welcoming 2025 with new themes, new prizes, and more events to celebrate reading at all of Northeastern’s global campuses.

Logo for the 2025 Northeastern University Library Reading Challenge

How to Participate

Step 1: Read a Book

Northeastern librarians have chosen a reading theme for each month of 2025. Your challenge is simply to read a book (or listen to an audiobook) that fits the theme.

Need some inspiration? Librarians have put together a list of suggested e-books and audiobooks in Libby for readers to enjoy each month. If you’re in Boston, you can also stop by the monthly tabling event in the Snell Library lobby to browse on-theme books or pick up a book and settle in for some cozy reading time at a drop-in reading party. Check out the library calendar for more information.

Step 2: Tell Us About It

Once you’ve read your book, fill out a brief form about what you read. At the end of every month, one name will be drawn from the pool of participants and the winner will receive a prize. Prizes vary each month and include gift cards, posters, Northeastern swag, and more. There are also special prize drawings for readers who complete three, six, and twelve months of the challenge.

The Themes

Ready to get started? The themes for 2025 are:

Reading Challenge monthly themes

January: A memoir or autobiography
February: A book based in a city where Northeastern has a campus
March: A book that has won or been shortlisted for an award
April: A book recommended by a librarian
May: A book set in your hometown or local area
June: A story of resistance
July: A collection of short stories, essays, or poetry
August: A book translated from another language
September: A book set somewhere you’d like to travel
October: A banned book
November: A book about the field you’re studying
December: A retelling of a classic myth, fairytale, or folktale

For more information on the challenge, visit the Reading Challenge page or contact Brooke Williams, Research & Student Success Librarian, at b.williams@northeastern.edu. Good luck and happy reading!

Library Associate Dean Patrick Yott Retires After 15 Years

Patrick Yott
Patrick Yott

The Northeastern University Library is bidding a bittersweet farewell to Associate Dean for Digital Infrastructure Patrick Yott, who is retiring at the end of the year.

Yott has served the Northeastern University Library for the past 15 years and the imprint he leaves will be long-lasting. An expert on digital scholarship, he founded and led a number of related library departments and spearheaded several initiatives that advanced the state of the art in applying digital technology to academic endeavors.

“Patrick has been a leader when it comes to the way that innovative technology can improve the nature of research,” said Dean of the Library Dan Cohen. “He has envisioned a major evolution in library practice, and helped shape the direction of digital scholarship at Northeastern University.”

Yott oversaw Library Technology Services, the Digital Scholarship Group, Research Data Services, Digital Production Services, and adjacent staff and projects. He also spearheaded the creation of the new Centers for Digital Scholarship as a place where new forms of scholarship from many subject areas can thrive and interact together.

Patrick Yott and Provost David Madigan at a retirement reception

He also directed a number of major grant-funded initiatives focused on using digital technology to advance research and teaching, including funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Mellon Foundation, and Sloan Foundation.

Yott previously worked at the University of Virginia and Brown University.

“Patrick will be greatly missed, both professionally and personally,” Cohen said. “The way he united digital infrastructure, library processes, and scholarly thinking was unique, and led to many new and good ideas.”

With his retirement, Yott is eager to focus on two of his passions: photography and fly fishing. “We wish him all the best in his next stage,” Cohen added.

Mellon Foundation Awards $350,000 Grant to Fund Plan for AI Book Training Commons

The Northeastern University Library and Authors Alliance have received a $350,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to plan a public-interest book training commons for artificial intelligence.

With the increasingly essential role that artificial intelligence plays in society, the importance of including information from books in AI’s large language models becomes more pivotal. The more than 129 million books written over the past 500 years are vital training data sources for AI, providing a quality, breadth, and diversity of content related to human thinking that can strengthen AI’s scope and accuracy.

The main goal of this project is to develop a plan for either establishing a new organization or identifying the relevant criteria for an existing organization (or organizations) to attempt the work of creating and stewarding a large-scale public interest training commons of books.

“We are grateful for the Mellon Foundation’s generous support for this important new project,” said Dean of the Library Dan Cohen. “We and the Authors Alliance are excited to convene writers, publishers, Librarians, technologists, and other stakeholders to explore the best way for books to be incorporated in an ethical and productive way that serves the public.”

Northeastern University Library’s role will be to support and coordinate the project and to host one of the two meetings of stakeholders.

With this work, planners hope to answer key questions, including:

  • What are the right goals and mission for such an effort, taking into account both the long and short-term;
  • What are the technical and logistical challenges that might differ from existing library-led efforts to provide access to collections as data;
  • How to develop a sufficiently large and diverse corpus to offer a reasonable alternative to existing sources;
  • What a public-interest governance structure should look like that takes into account the particular challenges of AI development;
  • How do we, as a collective of stakeholders from authors and publishers to students, scholars, and libraries, sustainably fund such a commons, including a model for long-term sustainability for maintenance, transformation, and growth of the corpus over time;
  • Which combination of legal pathways is acceptable to ensure books are lawfully acquired in a way that minimizes legal challenges;
  • How to respect the interests of authors and rightsholders by accounting for concerns about consent, credit, and compensation; and
  • How to distinguish between the different needs and responsibilities of nonprofit researchers, small market entrants, and large commercial actors.

The Authors Alliance is an organization focused on creating resources and opportunities for authors interested in sharing their work broadly, in the interest of the public good.

2024 Reading Challenge Update: November Winner and What You Read This Month

Congratulations to Manju Selvakumaran, our November winner, who won a finals week care package!

With only December left to go, the 2024 Reading Challenge is almost over! Congratulations to everyone who has participated this year. If you’d still like to join us, make sure to read a book in December and tell us about it! For more chances to win, make sure to track your reading with the Massachusetts Center for the Book, too.

The November theme was “a relaxing or soul-soothing book.” Here are some of the books you enjoyed:

What You Read in November

Cover of Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F.W. Olin Library

“Anne of Green Gables is one of those rare books that captures your heart from the very first page and refuses to let go. I was so engrossed in Anne’s world, her vivid imagination, and her journey in Avonlea that I couldn’t put the book down — I finished it all in a single day! This book isn’t just a story — it’s an experience that leaves you feeling uplifted and grateful for life’s simple joys. If you’re looking for a novel that’s full of charm, humor, and heart, I can’t recommend Anne of Green Gables enough. It’s a journey you won’t forget!” — Lavanya

“This was my first time reading this classic novel, and it was certainly soul-soothing. What better way to spend a weekend than in the gorgeous gardens of Anne’s friends in Avonlea?” — Bianca

Cover of Legends and Lattes


Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes, Travis Baldree
Find it at F.W. Olin Library | Read the e-book

“It was just the most charming little story about a coffee shop and friendship and coffee.” — Sahil


Cover of The Soul of an Octopus

The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness, Sy Montgomery
Find it at Snell Library

“Something I would not normally read that I picked up in Cape Cod. Did you know it is octopuses, not octopi?” — Eva


Cover of The Stranger


The Stranger, Albert Camus
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F.W. Olin Library

“Soul soothing because this is my favorite book. I reread it every time I need to reset myself. After midterms, I was stressed and needed to calm down, so I reached back to this.” — Svetlana

And What to Read in December

December’s theme challenges readers to explore new frontiers: “read a well-reviewed book in your least favorite genre.” Is it finally time to pick up that classic fantasy or sci-fi, or find out what all those romance fans are talking about? Here are some suggestions from the library.

If your least favorite genre is…

MEMOIR

Cover of Dirtbag Massachusetts

Dirtbag, Massachusetts: A Confessional, Isaac Fitzgerald
Find it at Snell Library | Read the e-book

“An endearing and tattered catalog of one man’s transgressions and the ways in which it is our sins, far more than our virtues, that make us who we are.” — New York Times

“It takes a great deal of trust to commit one’s shames — and more than that, the shames of others — to the page with honesty. Messily, lovingly, Fitzgerald lays it bare.” — L.A. Review of Books

ROMANCE

Cover of Romantic Comedy

Romantic Comedy, Curtis Sittenfeld
Read the e-book

“While Sittenfeld knows the dramatic value of putting obstacles in the path of characters you’re rooting for, she also isn’t above giving readers what they want — and that’s exactly what she does in this affable, intelligently crafted tale of work and love.” — Guardian

“Sittenfeld deftly toggles between deconstructing a well-worn genre and leaning into its most predictable beats.” — The Atlantic

SCIENCE FICTION

Cover of the Three-Body Problem

The Three-Body Problem, Cixin Liu, translated by Ken Liu
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F.W. Olin Library | Listen to the audiobook

“If The Three-Body Problem […] helps bridge the gap between Eastern and Western SF (science fiction), it will have performed a great duty for the literary world. But as a science-fiction epic of the most profound kind, it’s already won. — NPR

“Remarkable, revelatory and not to be missed.” — Kirkus Reviews

HISTORICAL FICTION

Cover of The Covenant of Water

The Covenant of Water, Abraham Verghese
Find it at Snell Library | Read the e-book | Listen to the audiobook

“I would happily spend months on end with [this book] and I cried when it was done. While I don’t entirely believe in Verghese’s characters, I am moved by how much he loves them and, in so doing, makes the reader love them. It is a better world for having a book in it that chronicles so many tragedies in a tone that never deviates from hope.” — New York Times

“Verghese’s compassion for his ensemble, which subtly multiplies, infuses every page. […] Writerly strokes may occasionally feel broad, but like animate oil paintings, their effect is rich and reverberant. The further into the novel readers sink, the more power it accrues.” — Washington Post

SELF HELP

Cover of Wintering

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, Katherine May
Listen to the audiobook

“There is so much to treasure here…I love the surprises of the book. Most of all, it is about the comforts of language. Reading is like slipping into a fur coat. May could protectively convince us of anything — the pleasures of cold weather, slow days, dusty libraries. They all start to seem like prizes and her sensual connoisseurship is a joy.” — Guardian

“Wintering does us the great service of reminding us that we are not alone in feeling undone. And although May’s book doesn’t offer a neat, easy ending in which she miraculously feels better, she does offer hope, an antidote to her tendency to ‘feel like a negative presence in the world.'” — New York Times

THRILLER

Cover of Our Missing Hearts

Our Missing Hearts, Celeste Ng
Find it at Snell Library | Listen to the audiobook

“I won’t give away the splendid conclusion of Ng’s book: suffice it to say, the climax deals with the power of words, the power of stories and the persistence of memory.” — New York Times

“Our Missing Hearts is saddled by grief. But it is also propelled by hope, less a grim prognosis of the future than an impassioned call for a full reckoning with the past.” — NPR

“Taut and terrifying, Ng’s cautionary tale transports us into an American tomorrow that is all too easy to imagine — and persuasively posits that the antidotes to fear and suspicion are empathy and love.” — Kirkus Reviews

If you need more inspiration and are on the Boston campus, visit our table December 10th and 11th to check out books and get librarian recommendations.

Make sure to tell us about your book before the end of the month for a chance to win the prize drawing. For additional chances to win, log your reading with the Massachusetts Center for the Book, too!

As always, happy reading and good luck in the December Reading Challenge!

2024 Reading Challenge Update: October Winner and What You Read This Month

This month’s Reading Challenge winner is Berke Maltepe, who will be enjoying a digital gift card to Trident Booksellers & Café! Trident is an independent bookstore and a beloved institution on Newbury Street in Boston, where it’s celebrating its 40th anniversary. Congratulations, Berke!

Big congratulations, as well, to everyone who read a book this month and told us about it. There are two months left in the 2024 Reading Challenge, so keep reading! Hint: for more chances to win, make sure to track your reading with the Massachusetts Center for the Book, too.

The October theme was “a book about a time in history that you’d like to know more about.” Here are some of the history and historical fiction books that readers listed this month:

What You Read in October

Cover of I Must Betray You

I Must Betray You, Ruta Sepetys
Find it at Snell Library

“Ruta Sepetys writes historical novels that illuminate historical events that might not be so familiar to some readers. I Must Betray You is set in Romania in 1989 at the time when Communism was being overthrown in eastern Europe. A 17-year-old student named Cristian struggles to do the right thing when he is coerced into becoming an informant for the secret police just as the dictatorship that has oppressed his country for decades begins to fall. Like many of the author’s grim stories, this gripping novel ends on a hopeful note.” — Linda

Cover of Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Last Night at the Telegraph Club, Malinda Lo
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F. W. Olin Library

“Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo is a coming-of-age story in 1950s San Francisco, set against the backdrop of the Red Scare. Lily Hu is a Chinese American girl who is starting to question her sexuality after she reads a dime-store novel. She goes to a mysterious club, based on real bars in San Francisco, called the Telegraph Club.” — Galen

Cover of Doomsday Book

Doomsday Book, Connie Willis
Find it at Snell Library | Read the e-book

“The story follows Kivrin, a history student at Oxford who travels back in time to study life in the 14th century. However, due to some miscalculation, she arrives during the time of the plague, which is a period of devastation and mayhem in European history. Willis has written the book with detailed research and emotional depth. The Doomsday Book examines the resilience of humans when we come in contact with a catastrophic event, which makes time-travel both an adventure and also a poignant reflection on how we survive.” — Navya

Cover of The Book Thief

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F. W. Olin

“What I liked most about the book is that it’s written from the perspective of Death. It gives great insight into the atmosphere in WWII, but is still heartwarming, as it mainly describes the situation of a little girl. It also highlights how people risked their lives to uphold humanity in this time of hatred and injustice. It’s a book that really goes to the heart and is so well written—it’s a bit like art.” — Mirjam

Cover of My Brilliant Friend


My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F. W. Olin

“Absolutely loved it!.” — Nicole



And What to Read in November

November is a time to relax, with “a relaxing or soul-soothing book.” Here are some soothing suggestions. Need more ideas? Check out Northeastern’s curated selections of e-books and audiobooks! And if you’re in Boston, you can stop by the Snell Library lobby in person on November 19th and 20th for Reading Challenge stickers, bookmarks, and books to check out, and friendly librarians who love talking about books!

Covers of Legends and Lattes, What You Are Looking for is in the Library, Rest is Resistance, and The Psalm of the Wild-Built

Legends & Lattes, Travis Baldree
Find it at F. W. Olin Library | Read the e-book
Legends & Lattes is a cozy fantasy novella following Viv, an orc who has decided to set aside the barbarian lifestyle in favor of opening a coffee shop in a bustling magical city.

What You Are Looking for is in the Library, Michiko Aoyama (translated by Alison Watts)
Find it at F. W. Olin | Read the e-book
Tokyo librarian Sayuri Komachi has a gift: her book recommendations are able to provide readers with exactly what they need. What You Are Looking for is in the Library is a relaxing love letter to libraries, books, and readers.

Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto, Tricia Hersey
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F. W. Olin Library | Read the e-book
While it may not be a relaxing read, Rest is Resistance is an ode to rest and the transformative power of opting out of grind culture. Author Tricia Hersey connects our current obsession with productivity to systemized patterns of racism, misogyny, and anti-humanism.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Becky Chambers
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F. W. Olin Library | Listen to the audiobook
A self-aware robot meets a space monk, and together they set off on a journey to answer the question: what do people need?

As always, happy reading and good luck in the November Reading Challenge! Make sure to tell us about your book before the end of the month for a chance to win the prize drawing. And for additional chances to win, log your reading with the Massachusetts Center for the Book, too!