Dear Friends,

As we start a new academic semester, I send my best wishes for wellness and success!

University Libraries kicked off the year by hosting nearly 1,800 students for our Late Night @ the Library celebration (pictured above). Students enjoyed dancing to music played by a live DJ, nearly 200 pizzas, Handel’s ice cream, eSports, button-making and a wide array of games, ranging from Mario Kart to jumbo Jenga, cornhole and more. We want to thank our many university partners who help us make this event a success: Kent State eSports, IT and Center for Student Involvement. Also, additional thanks to the conference bureau, university facilities management and housekeeping for helping behind the scenes. 

I want to share some thoughts on voting and Kent State’s values. As we head into a contentious election season, I want to remind everyone to engage as citizens and vote for the candidates they support. I encourage you all (and you can encourage our students) to reflect on and practice Kent State’s core values of respect, kindness and purpose in all we do. We support free speech, but this also means that we respect the views of others and tolerate ideas that differ from those we hold. These values are at the heart of what it means to be a Kent State Flash, and indeed, what it means to participate in our great society. As faculty and staff, we are the instructors and role models for our students. 

To vote, you need to be registered. University Libraries is proud to be a part of Kent State Votes, a university-wide nonpartisan coalition with the goal of encouraging Kent State students to be more involved and informed when it comes to voting in local, state-wide and federal elections. Check their website for deadlines (register to vote by October 7), voter registration tabling events and lots of other helpful information about voting. On Tuesday, Sept. 17, Kent State Votes will hold a Voter Registration Festival on the “K” in Risman Plaza. Best wishes for a safe, civil and respectful voting season. 

As we head into a new semester, I want to share updates on exhibits, services and events from University Libraries and our partners.

Exhibits:

• The General Election Exhibit: 20th Century Campaign, Election, and Inauguration Ephemera: This exhibit runs throughout the semester in Special Collection and Archives’ Marovitz Gallery on the 1st floor of University Library. 
• Military Mapping Maidens: This temporary, traveling exhibit features the story of 224 young women who were recruited by the Army Map Service in 1943 to research and draw maps by hand for the Allied war effort in World War II. This exhibit is offered in partnership with the Geography Department. It will be on display from September 9th through November 20th on the 1st floor of University Library. 

Services:

• Welcome Desk in University Library: We are excited to staff our welcome desk again this academic year to offer a friendly greeting to those entering the University Library during our busiest hours. The desk can also help with quick directional and technology questions, too. We have moved our welcome desk operation to the desk formerly staffed by the Financial Billing and Enrollment Center, which recently moved to the 2nd floor.    
• Adobe Creative Commons and Tutoring: In partnership with UL’s Student Multimedia Studio (SMS), IT has expanded its Adobe Creative Commons Campus offerings by establishing their Adobe Creative Commons. Available within the SMS, students can learn about Adobe products and receive tutoring and support for Adobe apps from Kent State student staff serving as Adobe Ambassadors. 

Events:

• May 4 Film Series: Fire in the Heartland: Kent State, May 4, and Student Protest in America: Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. in the May 4 Visitors Center, Taylor Hall, room 141 This is the first of three May 4-related films that will be shown throughout the fall semester. 
• Constitution Day Celebration 2024: Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. in University Library’s Harrick Garden Room, 1st floor Journalist and author Steven L. Herman will provide a keynote on the first amendment. Steven served as White House bureau chief for the Voice of America and wrote about this experience in his new book, “Behind the White House Curtain,” published by the Kent State University Press. Steve will join a student panel for discussion after his talk. Purchase a book at the event and stay afterward to meet Steve and have your book autographed.  
• The Branding Blueprint: Thursday, Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. at the Design Innovation Hub – Room 247 Join LaunchNET Kent State's graphic designer, Teddi Wilson, as they walk you through the basics of branding and how to apply it to your business during a one-hour workshop that will include a presentation and working session.
• An American Tragedy: Kent State on the Page – A Panel Discussion: Friday, Sept. 27 at 10 a.m. 137 Bowman Hall Co-sponsored by the History Department and the May 4 Visitors Center, this event features three authors: Brian VanDeMark, author of “Kent State: An American Tragedy”; Thomas M. Grace, author of “Kent State: Death and Dissent in the Long Sixties” (one of the students wounded on May 4, 1970); and Gregory S. Wilson, “Above the Shots: An Oral History of the Kent State Shootings.” The discussion will be moderated by Professor Kevin Adams. Books from the authors will be available at the event. 

We continue to be grateful to all of you, our partners, patrons and collaborators. Together we accomplish a great in contributing to our common missions. Thank you for your support and we hope to see you, online or in-person, in our libraries soon. 

Ken Burhanna
Dean, Kent State University Libraries