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University Libraries

Library Fall Programming: Virtual and Vast

By Katy Kelly

This fall, University Libraries faculty and staff offered seven asynchronous programs in partnership with Housing and Residence Life’s AVIATE program, reaching 5,281 students. With a pivot to virtual programming, we developed new and engaging content on a variety of topics using platforms like Springshare’s LibWizard and Google Forms. Take a look at the results of our fall semester programming lineup. 

Making Memes: Visual Literacy and Internet Culture

In August and September, Bridget Retzloff and Jillian Ewalt invited students to learn about visual literacy while creating their own memes. Students watched a short interactive lecture on visual literacy, memes, and finding public domain images; participated in an activity to find an image and create or remix a meme; and then shared their images and answered reflection questions. 567 students received PATH points, and we all benefited from seeing some student meme examples that accurately reflect the vibe of 2020.

I'll Vote for That: The History of Voting Rights and Why You Should Vote

Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, Amy Rohmiller, Diane Osman, Patty Meinking and Shari Neilson created a program describing a brief history of voting in the United States and illustrating the importance of voting. Students used free nonpartisan resources to make their own voting plans for the election. The program drew 551 participants. 

In Search of Community: 170 Years of UD History

Have you ever wondered how long sheet signs have been a part of UD life? Do you know which building is the oldest one still standing on campus? Amy Rohmiller and Kristina Schulz created an interactive online scavenger hunt through UD’s history to answer these questions and more (answers: since 1962 and Zehler Hall). By exploring online resources from University Archives and Special Collections, 971 Flyers learned about the heritage and traditions that make the UD campus community so special.

Citizen Web Archiving: Preserving Websites for the Common Good

With American culture and social justice movements documented on the web daily, who is preserving this information for future researchers and the public? In this session designed by Kayla Harris, Christina Beis and Stephanie Shreffler, students learned about the process of web archiving, the web archive collections curated by the University Libraries, and the importance of working to preserve history and legacy on the Internet by acting as a citizen archivist. Part of the program included archiving a web page using the "Save Page Now" tool on the Internet Archive. The program drew 1,343 students. Comments from students about their learning experience included, ““I thought it was interesting that you can archive things online, no matter who you are,” and, “I think this is important as each person is interested in different things, and so the websites archived by institutions will be different from the websites archived by the general public.”

The Student Neighborhood: Then & Now

Heidi Gauder and Bridget Retzloff marked the 100th anniversary of UD’s name. In 1920, St. Mary's College was renamed University of Dayton to reflect the close relationship that the University and the city strove to build. The 1920 U.S. Census and the 1919 Dayton City Directory revealed who lived in the neighborhoods surrounding UD 100 years ago. These individuals and families came from all around the world and worked in many different industries, and many of the houses where they lived are still standing today. After completing a self-paced activity, 37 students learned more about the neighborhoods’ historical occupants and then shared what they learned with others using Google’s MyMaps tool.

Let's Learn Together! LGBTQ+ Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination

Kristina Schulz, Zachary Lewis, Patty Meinking and Diane Osman — members of the University Libraries diversity and inclusion team — developed this program to support UD’s annual Community Means Everyone week. The program included information about LGBTQ+ rights and anti-discrimination protection laws in Ohio and the United States. Students could better understand how differences in laws affect those in the UD community who identify as LGBTQ+. As a result of this program, 708 students became more aware of inequality and how this affects our community.

On Paper: Nativity Imagery in the Marian Library

From the pages of books to postcards to stamps, the images in the Marian Library’s latest Nativity exhibit explore depictions of Christ's birth in the humble yet versatile medium of paper. Jillian Ewalt, Kayla Harris, Shari Neilson and I developed a supplemental workshop for students, inviting them to view a selection of beautiful and artistic representations of Christ’s birth from around the world; learn more about the Marian Library; and contemplate the diverse depictions of Nativity imagery featured in the exhibit. Overall, 1,104 students participated in this final program of the semester.

Watch for more great programs

This programming lineup connected faculty and staff interests, creativity and expertise to the community we serve and the mission of the University. Our AVIATE steering committee coordinated programs this year using Google Sheets, prompted by the new mostly virtual work environment brought on by the pandemic. 

Keep up to date on the variety of upcoming programming on the University Libraries and Marian Library blogs, which also include articles by faculty and staff about their daily work and research interests. 

— Katy Kelly is an associate professor and the University Libraries’ coordinator of marketing and engagement.

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