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Snell Library

Boston History on Display in Snell Library

The lower level of Snell Library now hosts a semi-permanent exhibit orienting visitors to the stories of Boston’s neighborhoods, activist organizations, and organizers available to them in the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections.

Wall exhibit in the Snell Library lower level labeled East Boston and Chinatown, with images and descriptions
Molly Brown/Northeastern University Library

Installed in March, the exhibit features highlights of historic events, notable leaders, and impactful organizations from the Mission Hill, Roxbury, South End, Chinatown, and East Boston neighborhoods who are represented in the special collections.

Visitors to the lower level are greeted with images of Boston leaders and luminaries such as Elma Lewis, Melnea Cass, Mel King, Mary Ellen Welch, and Carmen Pola, as well as organizations who are still working in Boston today, like Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción, the Boston Living Center, Freedom House, and La Alianza Hispana.

Wall exhibit in the Snell Library lower level with several images and captions
Molly Brown/Northeastern University Library

 

Wall exhibit in the Snell Library lower level featuring images and captions
Molly Brown/Northeastern University Library

 

The first iteration of the exhibit was selected and written by Reference and Outreach Archivist Molly Brown and has room to highlight future new organizations and individuals who donate records to NUASC or are celebrating significant milestones. It was designed in collaboration with Christopher Raia from MGA Partners.

Snell Library Renovation Continues; 4th Floor Closed

Work on the Snell Library renovation continued in earnest over the winter break. With construction moving to the 4th floor, furniture was removed from that area and reorganize on the 3rd floor. Temporary walls were also installed on the 3rd floor to cut down on construction noises throughout the building.

While work is being completed on the 4th floor, please note that that level will be closed for the spring 2023 semester. Library users should relocate to the first three floors of the library or visit the Northeastern University Spaces page to find other suitable areas on the Boston campus. The Curry Student Center, Marino Center, 300 Mass. Ave, and most academic buildings have open seating available for study purposes.

The basement level also remains closed for the semester.

The Snell Library renovation project is a top-to-bottom redesign that will provide:

Improved study space, including:

  • a major increase in seating to accommodate both quiet and group study
  • bookable group study rooms on several floors
  • single-person pods for phone and video calls
  • new study space on the lower level
  • a larger, enhanced graduate study room
  • improved acoustic dampening throughout the building

Creative and collaborative opportunities, such as:

  • an expanded creative and design production zone on the 2nd floor
  • a research-focused area that brings together advanced digital scholarship projects from across the university
  • a new café and large event space open to the public on the 1st floor

Improved access to our collections and services, including:

  • more space to highlight our unique archives and special collections
  • on-site access to high-use books
  • easier access to library and information technology services

Compelling views, inside and out:

  • welcoming, light-filled areas with panoramas of the campus
  • a glass-enclosed central staircase showcasing newly opened areas of the library
  • a wrap-around glass façade on the 1st floor with new, larger entrances

Please follow us on Instagram and Twitter or visit our website for up-to-date construction and renovation news.

February Workshops in the Recording Studios: Learn Podcasting, Video Recording, Sound Design, and More

Looking for a place to record your podcast or video project? Need to develop your media production chops? What is good sound design? The expert staff in the Library’s Recording Studios can teach you how in our multi-part workshop series beginning February 4.

Click each flyer to enlarge:

 
Flyer describing Intro to Snell Studios workshops Flyer describing Intro to Podcasting workshops
 
Flyer describing Intro to Video Recording workshops Flyer describing Intro to Sound Design workshops
 

Use the links below to register for a workshop. Each workshop is offered on multiple dates—click on “Show More Dates” for each workshop to see when it will be offered!

Register:

Questions?

Please contact Isaac Schutz, the Recording Studios’ Co-op, at i.schutz@northeastern.edu or 617-373-2465.

 

Students record video in the Snell Library Recording Studios

 

 

 

 

A New Look for the 4th Floor

Have you been up to the 4th floor of Snell Library since the spring semester started? We’ve made some changes! Over the winter break, we refreshed all the furniture on the fourth floor, and some of the 3rd floor furniture as well. This is part of a continuing program of improvements to the library in response to changing user needs.

What’s Changed, and Why?

Much of the furniture previously on the 4th floor was in the building when it opened in 1990, and it showed. It was time to replace it with more modern furniture that can meet the needs of our current student body. For example, we’ve heard feedback from students that you wanted more standing-level workspaces, so you’ll see more of those on the 4th floor.

A lot of the new furniture also has built-in power — none of the previous furniture had power. We’ve arranged the furniture to maximize access to power, although we’re still working on getting everything connected to the electricity.

Snell Library sees more than 2 million visits a year — so, getting furniture that can withstand high usage as well as be cleaned or repaired easily was really important, too.

Zones for Quiet Study

Before this academic year, the 3rd floor was designated as a quiet study floor, and the 4th floor was a silent study floor. Last year, we freed up quite a bit of space in the building by moving some of our books to off-site storage and consolidating the remaining collection on the 3rd floor. As a result, the entire 4th floor is currently able to be used for study space. Even on the 3rd floor, there is more floor space now dedicated to seating. 

The 3rd and 4th floors are now both considered quiet study floors, and the 4th floor is configured in zones that accommodate both quiet group study and silent individual study. So, there are places for study buddies to sit together, where it’s okay to whisper or talk quietly, as well as areas for you to work in solitude.

More Seats

When you come up to the 4th floor, it might look like there’s a lot of open space. Why not fill all that space in with furniture, so even more students can study? First, the fire code limits how many seats we can have on a floor, in order to keep occupancy at a safe level. Even if we didn’t have that limitation, keeping the furniture spaced out helps keep volume level reasonable for everyone using the floor.

With the furniture replacement, there are more seats on the 4th floor now than there were even last semester! We’ve increased seating by about 10 percent. And there’s now a wider array of functionality for a variety of uses.

Tell Us What You Think!

We’re planning to observe how the new furniture is used, as well as soliciting constructive feedback from students. We can use that information to rearrange furniture into configurations that might work better for folks. Beyond that, we’re always open to student input, and we definitely consider it seriously when planning any building or service changes. We want Snell Library to be an environment that is shaped by its users, from first-year students to faculty. Send us your feedback!

Hub Book Displays

If you’ve passed by The Hub in the recent weeks, you might have noticed something a little different has come to Snell: book displays! Twice a month, Snell will have a small book display that highlights our Hub materials. The Hub is home to our magazines, newspapers, Writing Center materials, and so much more. The Hub is where a lot of our new releases or popular works are, including many newly released movie titles. If you’re looking for a fun read or a new movie to watch, The Hub is the place to look.

We began in January by picking fun or interesting topics to highlight our wide range of materials. In February we displayed works by or about black authors to celebrate Black History Month. In March, we’re showcasing women of color. Such works will include The Veil by Rafia Zakaria, Narrative of Sojourner Truth by Sojourner Truth, and Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon. We will have books, e-books, and movies so there’s a something for everyone’s taste. So please come on by and check out these amazing works by women of color!