The Andrew Mellon Library is instrumental in giving students the opportunity to appreciate different heritages, cultural history months, and traditional events at Choate. The library has aimed to celebrate different cultures for many years. Yet, as Ms. Courtney Jaser, Instruction and Digital Services Librarian who has been with the library for ten years noted, the library has increased its efforts in recognizing cultures and identities across campus more recently.
Behind the scenes, the library’s faculty and staff dedicate time to plan such initatives including coming together to discuss possible displays and events. Dr. Sherry Newman, Director of the Andrew Mellon Library, said, “The Digital Resource Manager holds once-a-month marketing meetings to go over the team effort of planning ahead.” The team then works with other faculty members, making use of their input and suggestions to properly curate exhibitions.
Currently, the library is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and LGBTQ+ History Month by hosting book displays that align with these observances. Beyond book displays, the library also offers resource displays of films available through Kanopy, as well as other resources, whether available through websites, podcasts, or other forms of media. Dr. Newman emphasized the main goal of the initiatives as enabling students to gain more cultural awareness.
The library has received positive reactions along with valuable feedback from students who appreciate the various displays. Sophie Alverdi ’25 said, “I think that they do a good job representing Hispanic Latinx culture, but I think that the library, in general, should probably advertise it more because I didn’t really hear about it.” When asked about what could be improved upon, Alverdi suggested that the library advertise their events more through platforms like School Meeting. Dr. Newman noted that the library appreciated the feedback they recieved. “We do have a feedback station, and all of our team members engage in conversations with students,” she said. Additionally, the library welcomes feedback through email to improve and expand their resources and opportunities.
The library hopes that members of the Choate community will continue to make use of the initiatives, especially students and faculty who have not yet had the chance to explore them.
