Director's Message
Our 2023 Year-in-Review provides the opportunity to celebrate accomplishments, consider connections and impact, and focus on the future. While our mission is constant, how we achieve it evolves in response to user needs and behavior, trends in research and publishing, program growth at ECU®, and disruptive but exciting innovations such as generative artificial intelligence. The year 2023 brought new ways to support students’ well-being, personal growth, and academic success. We grew our support for open access publishing at ECU and will continue to be leaders in this area. We acquired and provided access to new electronic and print resources, which will ensure our students and faculty have access to cutting-edge research, a record amount of primary content, and coverage of topics previously underrepresented in publisher offerings and in our library. We brought exciting speakers to campus and curated exhibits that educated, inspired, and promoted Pirate™ pride.
It takes a great team to produce these outcomes. It is my pleasure to work with such a team at the East Carolina University® Main Campus Library! Our success is also due to the generosity of supporters like you. Thank you for contributing your time, talent, and treasure. We hope you enjoy this year in review and we invite you to be part of our future.
"I know that Brittani spent a lot of hours at the library studying as the peace and quiet and resources really helped her with her grades. We also liked to visit it as it was so nice and a cozy place to go to." - Bart Halbert, ECU parent
Exhibits and impact
Panels filled with photos and facts detailed ECU football’s history. Items on display included the 1963 Eastern Bowl trophy, from the Pirates’ first bowl win, a 1964 preseason playbook, championships rings, helmets, jerseys and as recent as a coach Mike Houston-signed game ticket from the Birmingham Bowl win on Dec. 27, 2022. One of the interactive components was game video from the 1970 ECU-Marshall matchup in Greenville.
Curated by Alston Cobourn
Our library hosted the traveling exhibition, “Navigating Jim Crow: The Green Book and Oasis Spaces in North Carolina” during Black History Month.
Exhibit programming included a guest lecture by Leesa Jones (pictured right), director of the Underground Railroad Museum in Washington, N.C. ECU students, staff and faculty and other guests gathered at the seven exhibit panels, developed by the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, to hear Jones provide insight and discuss local history on use of a Green Book while traveling during the segregated Jim Crow era.
"Resistance and Resilience: Black Travel Past and Present"
Charis Tucker, a doctoral student in the Howard Feiertag Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Virginia Tech University and a three-time ECU graduate, visited to lead a presentation in our Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery — Resistance and Resilience: Black Travel Past and Present.
“Finding Safe Spaces During Segregation”
Curated by head of North Carolina Collection Jennifer Daugherty, this exhibit displayed on the library's first floor coincided with the traveling exhibition “Navigating Jim Crow: The Green Book and Oasis Spaces in North Carolina” and featured materials from ECU Special Collections.
This exhibit curated by Saundra Heath Stanley highlighted many of the principals and teachers who served as early educators for Princeville Graded School (later renamed Princeville School) in Princeville, North Carolina. The exhibit spanned academic years 1883 through 1964.
"I am proud to be a member of the Friends of Joyner Library and as such, suggest that we ALL get to know our local Joyner Library a lot better and partake in and create more collections, exhibits and stories for the Library to compile and complete in the years to come." - DeDe Carney, Friends of Joyner Library Board of Directors
Meeting The Study Needs of Students
New-look study options on the library second floor now include a family room and study rooms with sensory features that produce a calming environment. The family study room was equipped with LEGO toys, magnetic tiles, puzzles, a tactile wall, interactive alphabet rug and many more items for children to enjoy. All caregivers are invited to use this space for them and their child to enrich their academic and studying experience.
Email responses to the opening of the family study room included: "I just wanted to say ... this room is AMAZING! "What a wonderful idea!" "WOW! This is absolutely amazing!!!"
Last year, students reserved study rooms more than 99,000 times, for more than 170,000 hours!
EVENTS & outreach
Spring 2023
Fall 2023
At right: Library employees participated in Y'all Means All photos on campus in October.
Our library had 93 events and programs with a total of 4,205 attendees.
Providing Services & Resources
Staff in the Colonel Richard M. and Betty Debnam Hunt Teaching Resources Center take pride in many collaboration and outreach opportunities, including instruction sessions for undergraduate and graduate classes, use of the Ann Rhem Schwarzmann Production Center and professional development sessions with the ECU College of Education and local educators. The TRC also participated in high school student visits with the Future Teachers of North Carolina Symposium.
ACQUISITIONS
NEW Library Resources!
This year ALS acquired and provided access to new electronic and print content for all its collections, including the Ronnie Barnes African American Resource Collection, manuscripts, rare books, university archives, teaching resources, music, government documents, reference and the general collection.
End of year funds from ECU have continued to provide opportunities to purchase primary source materials for humanities and social science researchers, journal backfiles for many subject areas, and e-book collections that support research and teaching across campus.
Special Collection Materials
University History and Records collaborated with student groups and others across campus to broaden our collections. Among the 1,100 books and other materials added to Special Collections, notable additions focused on underrepresented groups.
Putting technology in the hands of students and providing access is another way our library ensures education is more affordable. Last year, students checked out laptops and other equipment more than 24,000 times!
Alternative Textbook Initiatives
We lead ECU’s textbook affordability program, pairing librarians with faculty members in their transition to new course materials such as open textbooks, library subscriptions and other free materials. Since 2015, this has resulted in potential savings of more than $3 million for our students. Faculty currently participating in the 2023-24 Alternative Textbook Program save students more than $44,000 per semester.
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“One of the components I appreciate most in the alternative textbook awards is the dedication of and collaboration with our excellent librarians." -Anne Ticknor, chair of the ECU Faculty
Emphasis on Sustainable Scholarship
ECU Libraries is committed to making access to research more sustainable, affordable, transparent and open. Our sustainable scholarship initiatives help faculty share their research and creative ouput widely, increasing its impact and hastening discoveries.
The Open Access Publishing Support Fund reduces barriers to open access publishing and financially supports faculty, staff and graduate students.
ECU is a member of Carolina Consortium, established in 2004 and aimed at saving money on a variety of resources and services for libraries in North and South Carolina. We participate in 37 Carolina Consortium deals, which enabled us to realize cost savings of $8.1 Million over list price during calendar year 2022.
our REGION
“We Can Do Better” was the 1995-96 slogan used by the Citizens for Responsible Zoning during a public campaign that prevented Iowa Beef Processors, Inc., from installing a hog-processing plant in Kingsboro, a predominantly Black community between Rocky Mount and Tarboro.
The documentary film was supported by a 2022-23 Institute of Museum and Library Services-funded Library Services and Technology Act grant. Collaboration between ECU Special Collections, the Phoenix Historical Society and producer Frederick Murphy with A1 Day1 Productions in Charlotte led to the curation of the 34-minute film. Programs and viewings have been held at ECU and throughout eastern North Carolina, and in Raleigh in October in collaboration with N.C. State University.
Future focused. Innovation driven.
As a sign of its commitment to be a national model for student success, public service and regional transformation, East Carolina University released Future focused. Innovation driven. as its strategic plan for 2023–28.
ECU was one of 19 institutions in North America selected to participate in a two-year research project led by Ithaka S+R to assess the existing and emerging applications of generative AI that are most likely to impact teaching, learning and research, as well as the needs of institutions, instructors and scholars as they navigate the environment. Members of the Making Artificial Intelligence Generative for Higher Education research team are Wendy Creasey, Director of Digital Learning and Emerging Technology Initiatives; Jan Lewis, Director of Academic Library Services; Ken Luterbach, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, Science & Instructional Technology Education; and John Southworth, Technology Support Specialist – Supervisor in ITCS.
The ECU research team looks forward to learning more about current and future usage of generative AI, uses that would be beneficial for students, how generative AI is changing assignments and assessment, and how it has and will influence faculty research workflow. At the conclusion of the project, Ithaka S+R will publish shared findings and observations from all three project phases, with input from the cohort.
Paraprofessional Conference
The SHRA Assembly Paraprofessional Conference Committee planned and held the highly successful 19th annual Paraprofessional Conference. Follow-up surveys indicated 85% of respondents believed the conference was “very” or “extremely” beneficial, and 42% were first-time attendees!
More than 350 attendees registered, including virtual attendees from 8 states.
The conference gives staff and students the opportunity to network and attend presentations on a variety of topics. Presenters come from a wide array of institutions. The goal of the event is to provide training and information that will allow paraprofessionals to bring constructive change to their home institutions.
Twenty years in the making! We will celebrate our 20th anniversary of hosting the event, May 10, 2024. The focus of the conference will be "Engagement and Assessment."
Stewardship in Action: Our Stewardship Committee promotes the use of community service leave by employees to raise awareness and participate in ECU Sustainability and green initiatives. The committee organized several community service volunteer opportunities, including Gardening Days with ECU Sustainability, Greenville Adopt-A-Street clean-up, ECU Earth Week, JOY Soup Kitchen, Food Bank of Eastern N.C., and an ongoing newspaper drive for Habitat for Humanity.
Celebrating Achievements
Marie Thompson and her late husband James both served as members of the Joyner Library Advancement Council for many years. They generously contributed four awards to be given to student employees of the library on a yearly basis. Supervisors recommend student workers who demonstrate a strong work ethic, serve as examples for their peers within the workplace and contribute to the mission of the library.
During the 2022-23 academic year, the library employed 79 students. Three were hired post-graduation into full-time, permanent positions at the library. We implemented the GROW program (Guided Reflections on Work).
W. Keats Sparrow Writing Award
The W. Keats Sparrow Writing Award recognizes excellence in research and writing by students in East Carolina University’s English 1100 and 2201 composition classes. The award is sponsored by the Friends of Joyner Library and is named in honor of Dr. W. Keats Sparrow, Professor Emeritus of English and former Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Latest results:
- 1st Place: Evan Lloyd - Freshman majoring in nursing.
- 2nd Place: Billy F. Gordon, Jr. - Junior majoring in history.
- 3rd Place: Owen Jones - Junior majoring in nursing.
SOAD Graduate Student Art Exhibition awards
The annual School of Art and Design Graduate Student Art Exhibition features artworks by graduate students in ECU’s School of Art and Design. Diverse works include paintings and drawings, textile and metal designs, sculpture, photography, pottery, and more. Several awards are given on a yearly basis, including the Friends of Joyner Library Purchase Award.
Ways to support our library
The Friends of Joyner Library was established to foster the role of ECU's main campus library as a university and global resource.
The Friends sponsor programs focused on raising awareness of the library’s resources and support fundraising activities to develop and preserve collection development and facility upgrades.
The Friends of Joyner Library have historic maps of eastern North Carolina and prints available to purchase at $25 each, including this year of a landmark — the Wright Auditorium — located in the heart of main campus.
Leave your perpetual legacy at Joyner Library
Planned gifts are among the most convenient and tax advantageous ways to make a meaningful contribution toward Joyner Library at East Carolina University. These gifts, which can reduce estate tax, capital gains tax, and income tax include:
- Bequest provisions in your Will/Living Trust
- Beneficiary designation from your Qualified Retirement Plans 401k, 403b, and IRA
- Gifts of life insurance
- Retained Life Estates
Revenue producing gifts:
- Charitable Gift Annuities – funded by appreciated assets
- Charitable Remainder Trusts – funded by appreciated assets
To gain greater detail about these planned giving options as well as learn about membership in the Leo W. Jenkins Society, email Greg Abeyounis, Sr. Associate Vice Chancellor in University Advancement, at abeyounisg@ecu.edu
Our donors:
- Alice Arnold
- Ernest Avery Jr.
- Alan Bailey
- Carolyn Baker
- Morgan Barclay
- Ruth Barco
- Kay & John Blizzard Jr.
- Margaret & Robert Boles
- Brian Boyko
- Rachel Brassine
- Amy Bright*
- David Britt
- Catherine Bunch
- Frances Cain
- Deborah & Donald Cherry
- Sally Childs-Helton
- Alyssa Coleman
- David Conradt
- Hilda & Wayne Corey
- Jennifer* & Michael Daugherty
- Delores Davis
- Jonathan* & Carol Dembo
- Phillip R. Dixon P. A.
- Neil & Donna Dorsey
- William & Kaye Dotson
- Patricia Dragon*
- Christine & Douglas Duer
- Edward Ellis, Jr.
- Martha* & William Elmore
- Michael Enright
- Thomas Flynn
- Juli & Thompson Forbes III
- Alaina Furner
- Christopher & Zhan Furner
- Sabrina Furner
- Paula & Earl Futrell
- Bonnie & Robert Gaddis
- William Gee*
- David Gobel
- Dillon Godley
- Andrew Grace*
- Bart Halbert
- Theresa & Ricky Hardy
- William Holman
- Melvin & Lois Hoot
- Larry* & Caroline Houston
- Margaret Hudson
- Elizabeth & Robert Hughes IV
- Estate of Betty Debnam Hunt
- Harold & Jo Ann Jones
- Al Plummer Jones, Jr.
- Donna Keith
- Deborah & Hervy Kornegay
- Ann Laliotes
- Joseph Lee
- Janice* & Evan Lewis
- Charlene Loope*
- Patricia Lurvey
- Frances Mallison
- Laura & Kevin Mangum
- Ann & Hap Maxwell Jr.
- Marian & Richard McLawhorn III
- Kathryn Minnick
- Ashley Moore*
- Cecilia Moore-Cobb
- Azita Movahed
- Judith & William Neville II
- Samuel Newell
- Ree Van Oppen
- Michelle & Daniel Overby
- Donald & Vicki Peel
- Amanda & Greg Peterson
- Brandon & Linda Quick
- Mary Raab
- Kit Reddick
- Johnnee & Daniel Rice III
- Erin Roberts
- William Rowland
- Mark Sanders*
- Anne & Luther Sanders
- Todd Savitt
- Rejeanor & Carl Scott
- Thom Shields Jr.
- Ruth & Royce Shingleton Sr.
- John Silverstein
- Riddick & Jessie Smiley
- Christopher Smith
- M. Smith
- Rita Soulen
- Benjamin Speller Jr.
- Michele Stephenson
- Diane & William Strathy
- Michael & Alice Taylor
- Linda & Joseph Teel
- L. & Beverly Tetterton-Opheim
- Joseph Thomas*
- Marie Thompson
- Mary Kathryn Thornton
- Sven vanBaars & Jennifer Kendall
- Eric & Joi Walker
- Pamela Walthall
- George & Jane Wang
- Charles Ward Sr. & Beth Ward
- Jennifer & Chris Watson
- James & Cynthia Wease
- H. & Charlotte Weaver
- Ilet Wells
- James & Sherry Westmoreland
- Judith Whichard
- Heather White*
- Donna Whitley & Kacem Sebti
- Luther Williams Jr.
- Thomas Williams
- Elizabeth & Dennis Winstead
- Richard Wolfe & Joanne Kollar
- Ronnie Woodward*
- Harvey Wooten
* Denotes library employee