Atkins Library to Participate in Niner Nation Gives
For UNC Charlotte’s sixth annual giving day, we invite Niners everywhere to support the University during our 49-hour digital fundraising event. We hope you’ll join us April 7th through 9th for an online version of Niner Nation Gives, because even if we can’t be together right now - Niner Nation is Wherever You Are.
This year, Atkins Library will highlight four funds that support the academic success of UNC Charlotte students through technology, collections, programs, and study spaces. Join us on the Niner Nation Gives webpage on April 8th from 10 to 11 am when we’ll introduce you to Atkins library staff who will describe the various giving opportunities and how your support directly impacts our library and our students.
Year One of a Pandemic: A Look Back at Atkins Library
| I continue to have numerous resources just a click of a button away. The library staff go above and beyond to help and support students. - Graduate Student, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences * |
At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Atkins Library remained open for two weeks in March as the campus transitioned to online learning. We supported faculty, students, and others as they gathered library materials and equipment and consulted with librarians and staff on preparations for a rapidly-changing learning environment.
During this time, the library quickly shifted to providing research and instructional support virtually, through our chat service, email and phone, and online consultations. In many cases, librarians were available and engaged in Canvas courses to provide research instruction and assistance. Once the library building closed, from the end of March through August, we had dedicated staff who remained in the building to provide essential services to our community. Interlibrary loan continued to provide for our patrons, including document delivery from our print collection.
| The online library has helped tremendously, the fact that I can access the materials needed for my classes and not have to drive to campus to collect them has been very beneficial. - Freshman, University College * |
| The library website has more than compensated for the fact that I have not stepped foot inside the library since the 2020-2021 academic year. - Senior, William States Lee College of Engineering * |
The library provided laptops for students on extended loan periods, so they could continue their remote learning uninterrupted. We also provided a safe and easy pick-up service for print materials from the library collection. The library was even able to maintain access to our Special Collections & University Archives through digitization of materials, email consultations, and virtual instruction.
The library opened to students, faculty, and staff with reduced hours on August 31. Our library facilities and security staff worked tirelessly to prepare the building to be a safe and productive environment, and to maintain those conditions by enforcing mask and social distancing policies. Service desk staff returned to work to provide face-to-face assistance in the library. With many campus offices still operating remotely, the library provided a hub of in-person support and care for the campus community.
| I can feel safe coming into the library because I know the library is requiring everyone to follow COVID rules and regulations. - Senior, Belk College of Business* |
| Thank you for reopening with campus and providing adequate safety measures! I know with dorms closed...we don't have many people on campus or visiting campus, but this is a very comforting space for me and I'm glad I can be here. - Senior, Belk College of Business * |
We continued to lengthen loan periods and forgive fines and fees to accommodate continued remote work. For library users who remained off-campus, the library provided ongoing options for receiving or returning materials by mail or outside the building. Virtual consultations, service, and instruction have also continued to support various modes of access. To accommodate the needs of students, the library purchased over 200 additional laptops and added online tools to view building occupancy and laptop availability.
| During covid, virtual classes meant that all classes [were] digital and the library gave out laptops as a means for students to have accessible electronics. I use the laptops and I am satisfied that the library has allowed students to check out laptops for the entire semester. - Junior, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences * |
| I felt like I was being trapped in my dorm so going to the library for my classes helped me establish a working zone and my dorm as a sleeping zone. It really helped my mental health. - Sophomore, College of Computing and Informatics * |
*Anonymous answer to Atkins Library Student Survey Spring 2021 question, “In what ways has the library supported your academic and scholarly endeavors during the COVID-19 pandemic?”
COVID-19 Vaccinations: Science, Politics, Mistrust, and Misinformation Panel
The Atkins Library Digital Media Literacy Group is hosting a panel of speakers focusing on the COVID-19 vaccinations and the science, politics, mistrust, and misinformation surrounding them. Please plan to join us on Wednesday, April 21st at 1:00 PM for a 60-minute presentation followed by a 30-minute question and answer session. The panel will include:
- Zinobia Bennefield, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, UNC Charlotte
- Shi Chen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Health Informatics and Analytics, Department of Public Health Sciences, UNC Charlotte
- Melinda Forthofer, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences, UNC Charlotte
- Gibbie Harris, MSPH, BSN, Public Health Director, Mecklenburg County
- Kathleen Jordan, DNP, MS, FNP-BC, ENP-C, SANE-P, FAEN, Clinical Associate Professor, School of Nursing, UNC Charlotte
- David Wessner, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Davidson College
Please register for the discussion, and the Zoom link will be sent to you prior to the event.
Liberry Lager Update
Beginning in September 2020, Atkins Library partnered with Triple C Brewing to create Liberry Lager, a limited-release craft beer brewed in a collaboration between the research library and the Southend brewer. Atkins Library received 10 percent of every pint of Liberry Lager sold at Triple C Brewery and we are happy to report that we recently received a check from the brewery in the amount of $1,613. Thanks to Triple C for a fun and tasty collaboration, and thanks to all the Niners that supported us!
Digital Humanities at Atkins Library
By Natalie Ornat & Amanda Binder
Digital Humanities (DH) is the intersection between humanities research, teaching, learning, and publishing and digital methods, tools, technology, and culture. The work is inherently interdisciplinary and frequently collaborative. If that definition sounds broad, that’s because DH work is famously hard to define! Visit and continuously refresh the website What is Digital Humanities? and you will see the range of perspectives and definitions the DH community has on its work. This practice offers exciting and innovative avenues for scholars to share their research beyond the traditional bounds of print-based scholarship.
Academic libraries are institutions that traditionally help drive digital humanities work on college campuses. To support current and future practitioners here at UNC Charlotte, Atkins Library has become an informal DH hub that offers guidance and support through workshops, resources, and technologies. In spring 2019 the library organized panel discussions, a project showcase, and networking opportunities in the form of a half-day forum that helped attendees develop their projects and connect with potential research partners. In Area 49, the library’s innovation space, we have offered workshops on open technologies such as StoryMap and TimelineJS, along with exciting practices such as Twitter mining and data visualization.
As the ‘digital’ in digital humanities signifies, we’ve gone beyond the confines of the physical library. Members of our DH community can connect through our online discussion group and access resources, tools, and projects on our Digital Humanities Guide.
Atkins publishes an eBook on Bonnie Cone
In anticipation of the 75th anniversary of the university, which will be celebrated this fall, the library has published a new book about our founder. Jewel in the Crown: Bonnie Cone and the Founding of UNC Charlotte chronicles the postwar development of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from a temporary night school for returning veterans into a college, and eventually the fourth campus in the UNC system. Read more.
Create a Lasting Legacy
When you make a gift to Atkins Library, you invest in the future success of the 30,000 students we serve as well as help us support the research efforts of our renowned faculty. There are numerous opportunities in Atkins Library to create a lasting legacy by naming a study room, a creative technology space, some comfortable seating, or even the Atrium after a person of your choice. If you would like to discuss other ways to contribute to the collections, facilities, technologies, services, or programs of Atkins Library that support our students, faculty, and researchers, please contact Bob Price, Associate Dean of Planning, Innovation, and Engagement at 704-687-0490 or Judy Lekoski, Director of Development at 704-687-0084.
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