The DNL Report

The latest issue of our Library newsletter, Beyond the Stacks, has been published to DigitalCommons@Fairfield.

Download and read Volume 6, Issue 1 here.

Included in this issue are stories about how we support our vibrant campus community, empower student research, and foster a culture of reading via engaging initiatives, along with numerous photos highlighting what we’ve been up to!

Subscribe to Beyond the Stacks to receive future issues directly to your inbox. 

Looking for a leadership role for your resume? Have ideas to improve the Library? Do you want to learn about the Library while connecting with other students and staff?

Our Library value's student voice and perspective. Undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to apply to share theirs and apply for a spot on the Student Library Advisory Board. Students do not need to be a library super-user to apply. We are interested in all class years and majors, students living on and off campus. Meetings are held just 2-3 times per semester. Fully online students or students taking classes at the Bellarmine or Austin campus are encouraged to apply, and special meeting accommodations will be provided to attend virtually or provide feedback outside of scheduled meeting times.

Visit the Student Library Advisory Board webpage for more details and apply (by 9/26/25): fairfield.edu/slab

Updates:

• Over the summer, Facilities added six new classrooms to the Upper Level of the Library. There may be some additional activity in the building over the coming days as Facilities continues to prepare the spaces and clean the building.
• Students taking classes in these new classrooms, 312 A - F, can find them at the back of the Upper Level though the book stacks. There is even a new entrance to access the classrooms more directly, accessible via StagCard, on the Bannow side of the building. To help maintain a quiet environment for visitors and students studying in the building, please be mindful of your noise level when walking through the building to classes.
• The DVD collection has been moved to the lower level of the building, near the book stacks.
• Curriculum Collection and Young Adult (YA) books are still on the upper level but now are located near classrooms 312 A - F.

Let’s start the academic year strong! Here’s how we can support you….

• DiMenna-Nyselius Library building hours are posted on our homepage under the large catalog search box. There is also 24/7 study space in the Innovation Lab and Cafe via StagCard swipe. View hours here.
• Access our resources by searching our catalog, or through our Research Guides. We also have Citation Guides and Tutorials.
• Our friendly librarians are here to help you! They can help you find and cite sources, brainstorm topics and research strategies, and provide study tips. View all the ways to get help from a research librarian. Drop-in hours start on 9/2. FYI, our 24/7 chat box is staffed by real librarians – it is not an AI tool!
• Reserve our study rooms from the Library homepage by clicking our Reserve a Room link.
  • Need a space to work with a group and you didn’t book a room? Try the “Collaboratories” on the lower level, which is a drop-in space for group work.
• Your StagCard is your Library card! Borrow materials at the Library Services & Information Desk. View borrowing policies here.
• We have a lot to offer but we don’t have everything so if you need a journal article or book, we can try to get it for you (at no cost to you) through our InterLibrary Loan service. Just sign in with your NetID, or make a quick account if you are a first-time user, and submit your requests.
• We ship physical items to 100% remote students and faculty (at no cost to you)!
• Make appointments to meet with Writing Center and Math Center tutors. Appointments should be available starting the second or third week of the semester and hours will be posted to their sites. The Science Center posts tutoring times on Life@Fairfield.
• We recruit members for the Student Library Advisory Board at this time each year. Apply by 9/26.
• We have added a TON of new events to our library calendar from academic to wellness to civic engagement. View all library events here. And please view our Study Skills programming flyer below.
• We will be presenting an archival exhibition this semester, First Day Covers: Remembering Historical Events through Stamp Collecting (1942-1953), curated by librarian and University Archivist, Elise Bochinski. The exhibit will be on view through the end of the semester.

There’s much more we offer to our students, faculty, and staff at Fairfield University. Follow us @fairfieldulib on Instagram and visit our website fairfield.edu/library.  

Would you like to collaborate on an event, book display, exhibit, or anything else? Email Lisa Thornell lthornell@fairfield.edu

Events the first week of classes:

At the end of each spring semester our Library awards two annual $1,000 prizes, presented to an undergraduate and graduate student winner or team, recognizing exemplary scholarship through effective research strategies and demonstrated use of the DiMenna-Nyselius Library’s resources, services, and staff expertise. This year an honorable mention was also awarded with a $500 prize. Winners were honored at a reception in the Library auditorium on May 1st, attended by librarians, library staff, faculty, administrators, and family. The winners of the 2025 Library Research Prize are...

GRADUATE TEAM WINNERS: Alexa Greco, Emily Sgritta, & Alexandra Giuffra

Alexa Greco, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, graduating Winter ‘25; Emily Sgritta, School Counseling, graduating Spring ‘26; Alexandra Giuffra, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, graduating Winter ‘25

“The Impact of Types of Parental Involvement on the Treatment of Anxiety Symptoms in Children Eight to 12 Years Old”. COUN 6568: Research Methodology, Spring 2025, Dr. Jocelyn Novella, Assistant Professor of Counselor Education

In their essay submission, the team demonstrated how they conducted a literature review to identity a gap- how "parental involvement" is defined- and propose a research question and framework for a study. They determined that "parental involvement" could be broken down to attendance at counseling sessions vs. psychoeducation provided at a distance and used quantitative and qualitative research articles to provide the most valuable data, methodology, and statistical support for backing their research proposal. Dr. Novella, who invited librarian Vic Johnson to lead a research class each semester, said she feels that "the iterative process of presenting each research step to peers in the class (literature review, developing a research question, choosing a qualitative or quantitative method) developed in these students a thorough understanding of this level of inquiry."

UNDERGRADUATE WINNER

Max Limric, Class of 2025, Majors: English and Spanish. Minors: Educational Studies and Latinx, Latin American, & Caribbean Studies

“Linguistic justice: The evolution of translation theory in a 19th and 20th-century translation of Cabeza De Vaca’s exploration narrative”. ENGL 2031: Early American Literature, Fall 2024, Dr. Elizabeth Petrino, Professor of English

In praise of Max's work, Professor Petrino stated: "He is an avid researcher and writer who used the library resources available to him to write a dual-language essay that draws from a variety of sources, employs library services in its preparation, and demonstrates his excellence in research." Max shared in his submission essay: "I utilized the library’s online resources to find many translated versions of Cabeza de Vaca’s “Reclación”, his exploration narrative; but because of his identity as a Spanish explorer, his relation is written in Spanish and I needed to find the original copy. After finding it, I needed to analyze it through a translation theory lens and note biased translations in contemporary translations of de Vaca, which library journals provided." Max incorporated sources spanning a variety of disciplines such as social history, journalism, indigenous studies, and translation. He started with texts on "Course Reserves" at the Library and drew on other secondary sources from two literary and language traditions, and other media such as films from the Library's Kanopy database, and requested a book of interviews through InterLibrary Loan, to give a fully rounded and rich understanding of Cabeza De Vaca’s cultural history and relevance, both in early America and in the contemporary world.

UNDERGRADUATE HONORABLE MENTION

Samantha Gulachenski, Class of 2025, Major: International Studies and Politics, Minor: Philosophy

“Breaking Barriers from the Top: The Role of Government Initiative in Rwanda's Gender Equality Transformation” INTL 4999: Senior Capstone Seminar, Fall 2024, Dr. Alfred Babo, Associate Professor of Sociology & Anthropology.

Samantha's paper explores "the unique gender development trajectory of post-genocide Rwanda and analyzes the successes and setbacks of the state-led approach." Her research methods combined a theoretical framework with anthropological analysis, statistical data, interview testimony, and case studies. She mentioned a library instruction session and utilizing the advanced search and filters which helped hone her research strategy to ultimately review over sixty sources. "Fairfield has taught me that the strongest research is built on reputable, peer-reviewed scholarship, and strengthened by prioritizing current material (especially when addressing an ongoing gap in the literature.)...As my focus shifted from feminist analysis to government-led gender policy, my searches evolved as well—from broad inquiries like “Is Rwanda feminist?”, which yielded few relevant sources, to more precise questions such
as “How does the Rwandan government implement and enforce women’s rights policies?”, which created the necessary evolution to my thesis."

We would like to thank the 2025 LRP judging committee, which was comprised on librarians and faculty from the Faculty Library Committee: Carolina Añón Suárez, PhD, Assistant Professor of Spanish, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures; Tiara Arnold, MLIS, Research Services Coordinator, DiMenna-Nyselius Library; Brendan Aucoin, MA, MSIS, Head of Systems, DiMenna-Nyselius Library; Vic Johnson, MLS, Assessment Librarian, DiMenna-Nyselius Library; Regina Kim, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Managment; Jennifer Mottolese, MLIS, Research & Outreach Librarian, DiMenna-Nyselius Library, Jennifer Schindler-Ruwisch, DrPh, Associate Professor of Public Health & Chair of the Faculty Library Committee.

To learn more about the Library Research Prize criteria, or view the judging rubric, visit fairfield.edu/libprize