Library News | Wright State University Libraries

Extended Finals Week Hours

Posted on December 2, 2024December 2, 2024 by webteam

Dunbar Library Finals Week extended study hours begin on Wednesday, December 4th and run through Thursday, December 12th. We have a number of Destress for Success activities scheduled during finals week as well.

Extended finals week study hours are:

Monday through Thursday – 7:30 am to 2:00 am
Friday – 7:30 am to 8:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Sunday – 10:00 am to 2:00 am

These extended hours are part of our mission to facilitate student success. Please refer to our website for detailed building hours.

Break Hours

Following finals week, the library will transition to break hours:

December 15th to 23rd – open Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm, closed weekends
December 24th to January 1st – Closed
January 2nd – 11th – open Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm, closed weekends
January 12th – regular hours resume

Toni Vanden Bos Appointed Head of Special Collections and Archives

Posted on November 26, 2024November 26, 2024 by linda

Image of Toni Vanden Bos — Toni Vanden Bos, Head of Special Collections and Archives

We’re pleased to announce Toni Vanden Bos has been appointed Head of Special Collections and Archives. Toni holds a Master of Arts in Library and Information Studies with an Archives Specialization from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.A. in History with Geography minor from Gustavus Adolphus College. Her career started at the Wisconsin Historical Society as a public records archivist, and then transitioned to academic archives working for the University of Texas-San Antonio as a processing archivist and later assistant archivist.

Toni has been a member of the University Libraries staff since February 2003 when she joined our team as an archivist just in time to experience the centennial anniversary of powered flight in the city recognized globally as the birthplace of aviation. Since then, Toni has managed media requests, outreach, preservation, and cataloging for the department; been a catalyst for starting the born-digital records preservation program, and implementation of the content management system ArchivesSpace; and secured grant funding for enhanced preservation and access to the collections. She has represented Special Collections and Archives and Wright State University at numerous events, presentations, and exhibits on campus and in the community. Most recently she has served as the interim assistant head of Special Collections and Archives from June 2024 – October 2024. Toni manages the talented and dedicated Special Collections and Archives staff, and oversees the day-to-day operation of Special Collections and Archives in preserving and providing access to significant historical collections documenting the history of Dayton and the Miami Valley, the Wright brothers and early aviation in the Miami Valley, and Wright State University’s history. Toni is also responsible for overseeing digitization projects and Wright State’s institutional repository, CORE Scholar. The archival collections are a wealth of information for research and a source of inspiration and pride for our campus and community. We invite you to visit the Reading Room on the fourth floor of the Dunbar Library anytime the doors are open during the department’s open hours. Everyone is welcome to view exhibits on the Wright Brothers and other archival collections, as well as browse the reading room book and journal collection. Researchers and visitors can also make an appointment ahead of a visit to meet with an archivist for help with accessing collections and starting research.

Staff Picks: Books

Posted on November 20, 2024December 5, 2024 by linda

Looking forward to some leisure reading during the winter break? Library staff have some recommendations for your TBR list.

If you enjoy audio books, visit Greene County Public Library or Dayton Metro Library and download their Libby app!

Between Shades of Gray by Ruch Sepetys

A great book about Russia during the Stalin era.

Recommended by Lisa Bleeke

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler

An interesting historical fiction about the Booth family before and after John Wilkes Booth’s assassination of Lincoln and the way it affects his siblings.

Recommended by Greg Jones

Christmas of the Reddle Moon by J. Patrick Lewis

A great Christmas Story.

Recommended by Chris Nimmer

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

A thought-provoking narrative non-fiction, set in early 1930s Germany and told from the viewpoint of William E. Dodd, America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s Germany.

Recommended by Leigh Duncan

La Vie de Guinevere by Paula Lafferty

An enjoyable Arthurian fantasy by a local author.

Recommended by Donna Bobb

Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

A fun modern twist on the Hades and Persephone myth, in graphic novel format.

Recommended by Lisa Rickey

Book cover Lucy's Story: Right Choices but Wrongs Still Left

Lucy’s Story: Right Choices but Wrongs Still Left by Larry Hamilton

This book dives into what I believe to be imaginative yet very regionally and historically accurate stories of America nearing the turn of the 20th century. The book touches on love and pain, power and struggle, and normalities and extremities of life just before, during, and just after the Civil War.

Recommended by Adam Randolph

The Midnight Club by James Patterson

A suspenseful tale of a powerful mobster who runs up against a very determined cop and his faithful crime fighters.

Recommended by Barb Conklin

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

I thought this was a creative way to use library imagery to tie together topics such as mental health/suicide, regret, hope, and family support. It’s a quick read that inspires positive reflection.

Recommended by Matt Shreffler

North Woods by Daniel Mason

I love generational tales and stories about houses. This one is both! It is a wild, spooky novel with beautiful descriptions of Western Massachusetts. Enjoy!

Recommended by Grace Ethier

Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

A reframing of Gladwell’s first book, The Tipping Point.

Recommended by Jane Wildermuth

The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche

A fascinating historical fiction tale about a female medicine woman who uses the power of stones to heal others. Taking place during the Black Plague in Italy, this story highlights the conflicts between magic and religion during this time period.

Recommended by Brenna McNulty

Skill Builders for Student Success

Posted on November 20, 2024 by linda

In addition to providing students with research materials, the University Libraries offers access to a variety of skill builders to enable students to acquire important skills for student success including critical thinking, study strategies, research skills and personal well-being.

Students can also gain practical professional skills through courses in leadership, marketing, finance basics, communication and entrepreneurship.

Specific modules are also available for technology and engineering. Find these resources and more on the library’s Services for Students page.

Sage Skills helps students develop the vital academic and professional skills necessary to success in higher education and beyond. Over 3,000 on-demand courses are available on a variety of topics.

StudentLingo is a series of workshops designed to support student learning, personal growth, and health and wellness. Topics include success strategies, learning to learn, academic and career exploration, personal management, and reading and writing strategies.

O’Reilly Online Learning offers thousands of courses for technology and engineering including the areas of programming, data analytics, software development, data architecture, project management.

Mometrix eLibrary is a comprehensive collection of test preparation tools, offering study materials for over 1,500 different exams, including Ohio Assessments for Educators study guides and practice tests. It also includes flash cards, practice exam questions, and study guides for the NCLEX-RN and the Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Exam. (Temporary access to this database and its contents was provided through the Students First grant. This database is available through 2026.)