News & Events

Bjork Library received the 2025 Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education. The LEAD Award honors academic libraries’ programs and initiatives that encourage and support inclusive excellence and belonging across their campus. These include, but are not limited to research, technology, accessibility, exhibitions, and community outreach. Stockton University will be featured, along with 33 other recipients, in the March 2025 issue of Insight Into Diversity magazine.

Insight Into Diversity magazine selected Bjork Library for this national recognition because of the impactful work done across all library departments, much of which takes place behind the scenes to ensure equity and inclusivity are ingrained in our daily practices.

One highlight was the incredible efforts of our library's outreach team, particularly their monthly cultural and heritage celebration displays. These thoughtfully curated exhibits, presented both physically and digitally, shine a spotlight on underrepresented authors, works, and topics, further promoting awareness and diversity within our collections and programming.

We are proud to receive this recognition and remain committed to enhancing access, diversity, and inclusion in everything we do. This award reflects the hard work and dedication of our entire library team and our shared vision of serving as a resource and advocate for all members of the Stockton community.

At Friday's NJ Academic Libraries Conference, our Special Collections Librarian Heather Perez presented on a panel with two other members of the Archives and Special Collections section of the NJ Academic Librarians. In their panel, "Teaching with Primary Sources: Flexible and Fun Ways to Share Special Collections and Archives," the speakers discussed the art of teaching students to use special collections as it can sometimes be a challenge to keep them engaged while helping them to navigate the intricacies of working with documents. Heather shared one of her favorite lesson plans, "Speed Dating with Documents" which introduces a class to our Special Collections by allowing students to quickly explore and engage with different pieces.

Click here to learn more about Special Collections at Bjork Library.

At the NJ Academic Libraries Conference on Friday, January 10, Outreach Librarian Joyce DeStasio participated in a panel of four librarians from across New Jersey as part of the Marketing & Outreach section of the NJ Academic Librarians. In their panel, "Adapting to our Communities’ Needs through Marketing and Outreach," speakers each shared their library's current approach to communications and outreach, identifying that "meeting our users where they are" requires flexibility and dynamic marketing strategies. Joyce discussed the variety of work we've done to communicate and market the library renovations to the Stockton Community. This includes digital initiatives, such as website updates, presentation slides,  newsletters, and social media posts, as well as printed pieces such as flyers and signage both in the library and across campus.

To learn more about the library renovation, visit our renovation updates page.

On Friday, November 22, Special Collections Librarian Heather Perez delivered an engaging presentation titled Archives Aware: Demystifying Special Collections and Archives. This program, hosted by the Alliance Heritage Center with support from a Mellon Foundation grant, offered attendees a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the world of archiving and how special collections can enhance research.

Heather guided participants through the essentials of understanding archives, from navigating archival terminology to uncovering valuable resources for locating collections. She shared practical tips on making the most of time spent in the archives. The session also included an interactive component, inviting attendees to explore Stockton University's Special Collections. These featured an array of materials, including documents from local agricultural and historical collections. Participants had the opportunity to share their impressions and discuss their experiences with the collections in a collaborative setting.

Discover more about our Special Collections on our website, and be sure to contact Heather with any questions!

On Friday, November 15, our Metadata Librarian Stephanie Sussmeier presented a poster at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC) Fall 2024 Virtual Conference. Stephanie's poster "Successful Cataloging from a Distance" highlighted the new ways in which our cataloging department is working together and staying connected despite being physically apart during our relocation for renovation. Stephanie discussed not only the challenges encountered and changes implemented, but also the unexpected positives that emerged.

You can watch a video of Stephanie's virtual poster presentation at this link.

Another congratulations goes out to our Outreach Librarian, Joyce DeStasio on the publication of her book chapter "Common Reading Collaboration for First-Year Student Success" in The Small to Midsize Academic Library: Collaborations and Outreach. This is the first book in a new series, The Small to Midsize Academic Library, published by ACRL (Association of College & Research Libraries). Joyce's chapter details her approach to creating a library information literacy activity for our first-year seminar students. This interactive activity ties into the First-Year Seminar's common reading program and is one of the many ways Joyce and the other librarians work to support our First-Year Seminar students and faculty. 

If you are interested in learning more about our support for the First-Year Seminars or the common reading information literacy activity, please email Joyce for access to the book chapter or to ask any questions you may have. 

Congratulations to our User Experience Librarian Eric Jeitner and former Outreach Librarian Christy Goodnight on the publication of their article "Hearing Yourself Think: Ambient Sound in Library Study Spaces" in Weave: Journal of Library User Experience. In the article, they make an exploratory case that low-level, ambient sound is a crucial component of ideal study space for some students. The authors performed a thorough literature review and their own year-long study to present evidence that a sizable group of college students will seek out study spaces that contain “pink” ambient noise. Eric and Christy found that this demographic has been overlooked in the discussion surrounding how libraries negotiate sound within their walls and add important data to this conversation.

If you are interested in learning more, please email Eric for access to the article or to ask any questions you may have.

On Friday, October 18, our Assistant Director of Systems & Technical Services Natalie Wadley and Cataloger Nicole Barnabei presented at the ExLibris Users from the Northeast (ENUG) at Rutgers New Brunswick. Their presentation "Out with the Old, in with the New! Weeding for Renovation" detailed our library's deaccessioning and downsizing project. Natalie and Nicole were integral in preparing our library for renovation. Their presentation covered the technical and logistical aspects of the project, including the use of Alma, Analytics, Rialto, and Baker & Taylor's Sustainable Shelves program. They also discussed the tremendous staff and faculty involvement that allowed us to complete this project on time to move out of the library building by the end of Spring 2024.

If you have any questions about this project or the presentation, please feel free to contact Natalie or Nicole.

Congratulations to our Student Success Librarian, Cheyenne Riehl  on the publication of her article "Aren’t we All Student Success Librarians? Defining Your Public Services Role for Your Community (and Your Sanity)" in The International Information & Library Review's Perspectives on Public Services column. In the article, Cheyenne sets out to assist other academic Public Services Librarians in better defining and communicating their roles to their communities. She conducted an in-depth examination of best practices and drew upon established models that have proven successful in enhancing the visibility and impact of public services librarians. Cheyenne called upon her own experience in defining her title and role as a Student Success Librarian here at Stockton University's Bjork Library.

If you are interested in learning more, please email Cheyenne for access to the article or to ask any questions you may have.
 

Congratulations to Tiffiny Gipson on her well-deserved promotion to Assistant Supervisor of Access Services.

Tiffiny has been a dedicated member of the library team for seven years, during which time she has advanced through various roles at Bjork Library's Library Service Desk, also known as the Circulation Desk. In this role, she oversees the daily operations of the Access Services Department and manages the staff to ensure smooth, efficient service. You'll often find her at the Library Service Desk in C/D Atrium, where she is committed to providing high-quality service and helping patrons access library resources with ease.

Tiffiny can be contacted at Tiffiny.Gipson@stockton.edu.