New year, new faces and new changes at the library

A new academic year always carries a particular kind of energy: new classes, new routines, new people, new questions, and, if we are lucky, a few unexpected discoveries along the way. As we begin this year together, I want to offer a very warm welcome to all Bennies and Johnnies, whether this is your first semester at CSB and SJU or your final year before graduation.

I am also beginning something new. My name is Mozhdeh Khodarahmi, and I recently joined CSB and SJU as the new Director of Libraries and Archives. I am still learning my way around, meeting people, asking lots of questions, and discovering what makes these communities so special. One of the things I am most looking forward to is getting to know you, our students.

Libraries are at their best when they are shaped by the people who use them. So, I hope you will tell me what is working, what could be better, what you wish we offered, and what might make the libraries more useful, welcoming, creative, or simply more fun. If you see me at Clemens or Alcuin, please stop and say hello. I would genuinely love to meet you and hear your ideas. You do not need an appointment, a formal proposal, or a five-page strategic plan. “Have you ever thought about…?” is a perfectly good beginning.

And now for a little “Did you know?”

Did you know that the libraries are not only places to borrow books, study, and get research help? You can also borrow things that might make you wonder whether you accidentally walked into an electronics store, a game room, or a production studio.

For example, our collections include games and video games, and the libraries currently loan Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 consoles, a PlayStation 5, and an Xbox Series X. Need something different? How about a VR headset, GoPro camera, podcasting kit, green screen, ring light, smartphone gimbal, projector, or even a birdwatching and skywatching kit? Yes, really.

So here is my question for you: Which of these surprises you the most—and, more importantly, what should we add next?

That question is partly fun, but I also mean it seriously. The libraries belong to this learning community, and I want us to keep thinking together about how our spaces, collections, technology, programs, and services can support your academic work, your creativity, your curiosity, and your life beyond the classroom.

Over the coming months, I hope the libraries will continue to be places where you can study and research, but also explore, create, connect, experiment, rest, and encounter ideas and people you did not expect.

So please consider this an open invitation. Come visit us. Ask us questions. Borrow something unexpected. Tell us what you need. Share an idea—even a wild one.

And if you happen to see the new library director wandering around either campus, please say hello. I will be very happy you did.

Wishing you a wonderful academic year. I look forward to meeting you.