It feels impossible, but it was only a little more than four months ago that the River Campus Libraries (RCL) had to close all of its physical locations. Although the libraries never stopped serving students and faculty, there’s no replacing the experience of being in Evans Lam Square, the Carlson Science and Engineering Library, or any of its other spaces. So, when an opportunity to reopen in June unexpectedly knocked on the libraries’ door, no effort was spared to answer.

Dear Colleagues,

What do you think you will remember about the COVID-19 pandemic a year from now? Will you remember how your feelings evolved and what day-to-day life was like?

Same questions, only it is 10 years from now. How much do you think you will still remember?

Adopted in 1946, resolution 59 of the United Nations General Assembly recognizes freedom of information as an “integral part of the fundamental right of freedom of expression.” As crucial access points, libraries must extend and open access to information wherever and however possible. 

This is where the conversation on sustainable scholarship begins. 

Few people go about their work thinking, “This will get their attention.” Most of us are so focused on the work itself—getting it right, doing a good job—that we don’t think about who’s noticing or even caring.

People notice. People care.

Melinda Wallington, library section supervisor in Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, experienced this truth when she learned she is the recipient of the 2020 River Campus Libraries Staff Service Award.

Rarely, if ever, has the job market been this daunting for our nation’s undergraduate students. At the University of Rochester, students can lean on resources like The Meliora Collective and the Gwen M. Greene Center for Career Education and Connections for help pursuing their career interests, including securing summer internships.

Thank you for your time, attention, and input during these challenging times. I hope that you are still doing as well as can be expected as we greet the summer months.  

Several thousand days ago, in 2019, actor Paul Rudd was a guest on YouTube’s hot wing-based interview series “Hot Ones.” Toward the end of the episode, Rudd and host Sean Evans, decide to add a dab of the previous nine hot sauces on their final wing. Their impromptu decision resulted in an exchange that has been immortalized in meme-form. It went like this:

Rudd: Look at us. Hey. Look at us.

Evans: Look at us. Who woulda thought?

Rudd: Not me!