To new students, I welcome you to the program and to those returning, I welcome you back. This is an exciting fall semester. We will be celebrating 75 years as a department here at St. John’s at the NYC Municipal Archives in November and I hope to see you there. This is an opportunity to celebrate, congratulate and commemorate our time and efforts in shaping and creating our program. Don’t forget about the fall symposium also taking place this November. This is an important year for our department. We will be getting rid of the comprehensive exam that was previously required to graduate and replacing it with the ePortfolio. Look for announcements throughout this fall semester regarding workshops that will help you learn how to best piece together this new requirement. The ePortfolio is a practical tool you will be able to use in job applications, presentations and perhaps our future symposiums and other events. I’d also like to take a moment to extend a warm welcome to the newest member of our faculty, Linda Lennon who joins us as the new coordinator for School Librarianship. As the semester begins I welcome you to explore internship opportunities, to take advantage of our academic service learning projects, or join a student library association chapter here on campus. As graduate students, prepare yourselves for a semester of hard work, but remember that this hard work pays off!
–Dr. Jeffrey Olson