We are so excited to welcome our new students to campus and our returning students back! We have some fun things planned for the first week:  Ice Pops and Back to School Photos: Wednesday, August 26th, 12 - 2pm  Come snap a back-to-school photo and grab an ice pop for one last summer treat!  Study Giveaways Celebrating our New Sensory Room and Newly Designed Scholar's Lounge: Tuesday, August 25th and Thursday, August 27th, 12-2pm.   Stop by our table in the atrium to learn about new library spaces and pickup a new highlighter or sensory item!           

SJU students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in an SJU250 Summer Book Club discussion of Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge, by Erica Armstrong Dunbar. Dunbar offers a well-researched account of the life of Ona Judge, Martha Washington’s chief attendant who risked everything to escape enslavement and achieve freedom. We are excited to dive into this book within the context of America's 250th anniversary as well as conversations around the removal, restoration, and ongoing proposed changes to an exhibit on slavery where Ona Judge once lived, The President’s House Site in Philadelphia.  Learn more and register for two virtual discussions on Wednesday, June 10th, and Wednesday, July 15th, at 1pm.  Sponsored by SJU Libraries and the History Department; co-hosts Jen Hasse and Jeff Hyson  

  Through generous support from PACE, SJU Libraries is set to launch new initiatives aimed at making our spaces and services more inviting and inclusive. We are adding resources and tools that support self-regulation, improved concentration, and stress relief for individuals with diverse sensory needs and learners of all types.  Sensory Friendly Seating:  Look for new egg chairs and low rockers available for lounging or quiet study on the second floor of Drexel Library.  Sensory Room: ​​ Our sensory room on the first floor of Drexel Library will be a dedicated quiet room for students needing a space to focus, self-regulate, decompress, meditate, or just take a beat. The room is equipped with various sensory resources, including a wobble stool, a chair-rocker, a night-sky projector, a weighted blanket, a sound machine, noise-blocking headphones, and a collection of fidgets and calming tools. Sensory Kits and Items Available for Check-Out:  Students will be able to check out the following items for in-library use, allowing for flexibility in creating their own sensory-friendly spaces within the library:    Sensory kit: contains small hand-held fidget items and self-regulation tools (HH, Lancaster, UC) Noise-Canceling Headphones: blocks out noise for improved focus and concentration (HH, Lancaster, UC)  Weighted lap blanket: provides a feeling of groundedness for improved focus and concentration (HH, Lancaster)  IRIS Pens: digitizes printed text to computers and mobile devices, and provides text to speech (HH)