Graphic by Sesame Gaetsaloe/The Choate News
The Andrew Mellon Library has expanded tremendously since the appointment of its new director, Dr. Sherry Marrotte Newman, in 2018. Dr. Marrotte Newman has brought about much change and growth with her vision to make the library the academic hub of Choate.
Over the last two years, Dr. Marrotte Newman has created more flexible spaces in the library and purchased new equipment for students to check out. This equipment includes green screens, professional-grade video tripod stabilizers, several microphones for iPads and smartphones, small vinyl cutters, and Zoom H6 Handy Recorders.
To fully utilize this new equipment, more dynamic spaces for student creativity and collaboration, such as the media room for audio and video recording, have also been integrated. The Math Center was recently introduced, and all class textbooks have been added to the Library collection. Dr. Marrotte Newman also launched academic support sessions geared toward supporting students in all aspects of academic life. In addition, the Library now runs various contests to promote resources and raise awareness of all the services offered.
Dr. Marrotte Newman said, “Transitioning solely to online definitely took a bit of planning, but the fact that the library subscribes to over 50 databases, has over 120,000 ebooks, and has an incredible team of people made it easier to keep essential resources available to faculty and students during this term.”
She pointed out new features and policies that have been implemented in the past few months to further ease the transition. “We created Chat Hours, so the library would remain open to help students and faculty as they transitioned into the online learning environment; in addition, we continue to add more ebooks and videos as needed to support instruction,” Dr. Marrotte Newman said.
She went on, “Our Chat support services go beyond research assistance as we also provide assistance with iPad apps, finding and accessing videos and online newspapers, and navigating online spaces such as Canvas and Zoom.”
Most recently, the Student Writing and Math centers have joined the Chat area to continue offering tutoring. (To find out more about the Chat Hours, Dr. Marrotte Newman recommends visiting the library website.)
While Chat Hours provides invaluable assistance during this remote term, Dr. Marrotte Newman also finds value in continuing these online services upon the return to campus. “This term, we have come to understand how valuable access to virtual support is to the community,” she explained. “The virtual Chat will definitely remain active when we return to campus as this will open up library access to day students, underformers during study hours, and any Choate community member in general.”
Dr. Marrotte Newman is also collaborating with ITS to implement a tech support area in the library as a resource for students who have questions or issues with technology. For example, the librarians have been creating video tutorials to help patrons navigate and use library resources, attending Zoom classes to guide students in research and citations, revamping the summer reading list, digitizing archival material to make them accessible online, and searching for video resources for teachers to use for online learning.
As the Library strives to support students during this virtual term, Dr. Marrotte Newman hopes to modify the Library into the ultimate online resource for students. Adapting to the struggles of online learning that the community has faced this term, she and her team of librarians continue to offer services to all those in need and to prepare the Library for when students and faculty return to campus.
“The Library is not just about books and research,” Dr. Marrotte Newman said. “It’s about access to various spaces, resources, and programming. I hope that students will come to appreciate the library as such.”
