Penn State University Libraries

05/28/2026

Join us this afternoon at 4 p.m. Eastern time for our free opening reception to celebrate our new Special Collections exhibition,
“Paper Paradise: Three Centuries of Pennsylvania German 'Fraktur' and 'Scherenschnitte,' ” on display through Oct. 30. The reception is next to the Exhibition Room in Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, 140 Curtin Road on the University Park campus. Don't miss the many special events scheduled through the summer and fall, listed in the news release:

An exhibition titled “Paper Paradise: Three Centuries of Pennsylvania German 'Fraktur' and 'Scherenschnitte,'” features distinctive paper arts from the cultures known as Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania Dutch, on display May 28 through Oct. 30 in the Eberly Family Special Collections Library.

05/27/2026

Today we recognized several outstanding employees during our annual University Libraries Awards online event, during which we also recognized of employees with milestone work anniversaries and those who have contributed many volunteer hours to support student events and committee work.

Several colleagues gathered in Pattee Library and Paterno Library's Leisure Reading Room on the University Park campus to congratulate on-campus award winners — who received framed certificates and small Nittany Lion shrine statues with engraved plaques — and to enjoy some networking time and socializing over charcuterie.

We will have more from the event to post here soon, but we thought we'd share a few photos from the gathering. Congratulations to all of today's honorees!

05/21/2026

Join us!

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: PA Digital Rights - Fair Use Workshop. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

05/20/2026

Kudos to the 94 students across Penn State's campuses University-wide who received one of our Undergraduate Research Awards for excellence in information literacy!

Penn Staters, please tag a student you know on our list:

Penn State University Libraries presented its ninth annual Undergraduate Research Award: Excellence in Information Literacy honors at the end of the spring 2026 semester to 95 students at 19 Penn State campuses.

05/19/2026

Now an open access journal managed by our Librarian Angela Davis, Educational Media Reviews Online (EMRO) is one of the only open access sources for critical analysis of video content for higher education.

The journal's readership and reviewers include filmmakers, distributors, students and instructors.

Penn State University Libraries Open Publishing has relaunched Educational Media Reviews Online, bringing a long-running, open-access media review resource into a new home as an open access journal for contributors and readership from the library, documentary film, and education sectors.

05/18/2026

State College area friends — save the date and help our neighbors in medical need during our June 9 blood drive! Sign up for an appointment directly here or follow the directions in the original post below.

https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?dt=WB:PL:DR:PM&ed=06%2F09%2F2026&order=DATE&range=10&sd=06%2F09%2F2026&zipSponsor=16802

Join us June 9 for the Penn State University Libraries' first Summer Blood Drive. There are fewer blood drives in the Summer, and more demand. We're counting on you to help others in our community! Sign up using the QR code below, or search by date or "PSU" at redcrossblood.org.

05/14/2026

Big graphic novel news from the Pennsylvania Center for the Book — this year’s Lynd Ward Prize awardees!

🎉 We are excited to announce the winner of the 2026 Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize as The Weight by Melissa Mendes from Drawn and Quarterly!

The 2026 jury wrote that The Weight “...is an incredibly raw and powerful story... It has strong characters that feel real and true: It is a haunting story that is honestly told.”

Black Cohosh by Eagle Valiant Brosi from Drawn & Quarterly and Endsickness by Sofia Alarcon from Conundrum Press were named 2026 Lynd Ward Prize honor books.

The Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize is presented annually to the best graphic novel published in the previous calendar year by a living U.S. or Canadian citizen or resident. It honors Ward's influence in the development of the graphic novel and celebrates the gift of an extensive collection of Ward’s wood engravings, original book illustrations, and other graphic art donated to the Penn State University Libraries by his daughters Robin Ward Savage and the late Nanda Weedon Ward.

To learn more about the 2026 Lynd Ward Prize awardees: https://www.psu.edu/news/university-libraries/story/weight-melissa-mendes-wins-2026-lynd-ward-graphic-novel-prize
Conundrum Press - Canada

05/10/2026

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your story. We will miss you!

Wishing you all the very best; please come back and visit 🥹🫶

Alt Text:
Montage style vertical video with slow piano music and voiceover. Video clips show different parts of Pattee Library and Paterno Library. Shots: 1. Looking up at the front of Pattee/Paterno Library, 2. Inside the Pattee Mall entrance showing chairs and desks outside the computer lab 3. Outside the main doorway into the main part of the library near the commons services desk focusing on the stairway to upstairs, 4. Pan across Knowledge Commons desks with computers and students working, 5. Stacks bookshelf with lots of colorful book spines, 6. Paterno Family Humanities Reading Room AKA Harry Potter room with cushioned chairs and ottomans, wood tables with lamps and chairs with students, 7. Inside the mall entrance showing grand piano and "Interwoven" exhibit wall decal, 8. overview of the Barbara Hackman Franklin Atrium, 9. Outside the Curtin Road Entrance showing students working at tables, 10. overview of Foster Auditorium and Special Collections hallway entrances, 11. Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Global News Center with tables and chairs and a few students, 12. Stacks with a lot of books and an empty study carrel next to window, 13. Overview of Pattee Mall with blue sky, trees and people walking, 14. Exterior on Pattee Mall side with orange and yellow tulips at the bottom, 15. End slate with shades of blue and the Penn State University Libraries Logo at the bottom

05/09/2026

Congratulations to our three Guentter Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis finalists, who are standing in front of bound copies of their theses: from left, First Runner-up Elisabeth Groff, Second Runner-up Noah Frank, and the 2026 Robert F. Guentter Jr. Grand Prize Winner, Hannah Bucher!

They are joined by Schreyer Honors College Dean Patrick Mather (at far left) and University Libraries Associate Dean Nathan Hall (far right).

Congratulations, students, and best wishes as you graduate this weekend!

Learn more about the finalists, their theses, and this annual award we co-sponsor with the Schreyer Honors College:
https://www.psu.edu/news/university-libraries/story/2026-guentter-outstanding-undergraduate-thesis-finalists-present-work

cc:
Penn State College of Health and Human Development Penn State Health Policy and Administration Penn State Eberly College of Science Penn State College of Engineering Penn State Mechanical Engineering

05/08/2026

Join us at 11 AM ET this morning on Zoom to hear presentations from scholars whose research has benefited from access to our incredible Special Collections Library! Details:

The Eberly Family Special Collections Library at Penn State University Libraries will host a virtual program featuring presentations by the 2025-26 research grant awardees on Friday, May 8, via Zoom.