UMass Amherst Libraries

Adult peregrine falcon perched in nest box with Spider-Man Photoshopped to be hanging upside-down from the nest box opening, reading a copy of a Spider-Man comic omnibus.

The Caw-mazing Spider-Man? 🤔🕸️🦅😆
Happy Spider-Man Day! You can check out volumes of Spidey and other superhero comics at the Libraries.

#SpiderManDay

Du Bois Center Senior Research Fellow Lecture: Phillip Luke Sinitiere “Living in those boxes”: Archive Stories from Researching W. E. B. Du Bois In 2019, historian David Levering Lewis described his early research excursions into W. E. B. Du Bois’s...

Join the Libraries and the Du Bois Center for a special summer lecture by Senior Research Fellow Phillip Luke Sinitiere!

“Living in those boxes”: Archive Stories from Researching W. E. B. Du Bois
July 30, Noon-1 p.m.
Du Bois Library, Du Bois Center

Link: libcal.library.umass.edu/event/14933512

YouTube video by UMass Amherst Libraries Radical Aliveness & Belonging: Exploring the Intersections of Spirituality and Social Change 1/2

Brother David, whose papers are in our Special Collections and are part of our significant holdings documenting social change movements and activists, traveled from Austria to participate in the symposium. (2/2)

Link: youtu.be/TXLL0Na9MZY?...

Brother David Steindl-Rast in a panel onstage during the symposium.

Brother David Steindl-Rast turned 99 this month!
The Radical Aliveness and Belonging Symposium 9/27/19 was inspired by the life & work of Brother David, a Benedictine Monk known as the “grandfather of gratitude” & one of the most important figures in the modern interfaith dialogue movement. (1/2)

W.E.B. Du Bois comes home to Great Barrington: Sculpture unveiled at Mason Library - The Berkshire Edge “The significance of this event is that we need to uplift my great-grandfather’s radical commitment to justice,” Jeffrey Alan Peck told the audience at the ceremony to unveil the statue of his great-g...

Link to the article: theberkshireedge.com/w-e-b-du-boi...
Link to the Du Bois papers in the Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center: credo.library.umass.edu/view/collect...
Link to the Du Bois Center: duboiscenter.library.umass.edu

(4/4)

...and our W. E. B. Du Bois Center, which makes his writings against injustice, inequality and prejudice available and accessible to everyone throughout the world. This impressive monument stands as both a tribute and a call to continue Du Bois’s pursuit of peace, justice and equality." (3/4)

The University Libraries are proud to be a part of Du Bois's enduring legacy. As the Chancellor states, "Civil rights leader and NAACP co-founder William Edward Burghardt Du Bois’s legacy endures at UMass as the namesake of our main library (renamed in his honor in 1994)..." (2/4)

L-R:  Dean of Libraries Curtis Brundy, W. E. B. Du Bois Center Director Whitney Battle-Baptiste, and UMASS Chancellor Javier Reyes.

7/19: a new sculpture of W. E. B. Du Bois was unveiled at the Mason Public Library in his hometown of Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Dean of Libraries Curtis Brundy, W. E. B. Du Bois Center Director Whitney Battle-Baptiste, and UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes, were among those in attendance. (1/4)

Parody of "Jaws" poster that says "Caws" with a pigeon flying and a large image of a peregrine falcon chick's head and open mouth below it.

We're gonna need a bigger nest box...
Happy Shark Week! 🦈

#SharkWeek

Du Bois Center Senior Research Fellow Lecture: Phillip Luke Sinitiere “Living in those boxes”: Archive Stories from Researching W. E. B. Du Bois In 2019, historian David Levering Lewis described his early research excursions into W. E. B. Du Bois’s...

Join the Libraries and the Du Bois Center for a special summer lecture by Senior Research Fellow Phillip Luke Sinitiere!

“Living in those boxes”: Archive Stories from Researching W. E. B. Du Bois
July 30, Noon-1 p.m.
Du Bois Library, Du Bois Center

Link: libcal.library.umass.edu/event/14933512

Carolyn Davies, a lecturer in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences in the College of Natural Sciences, has published a new open educational resource (OER) Adult Psychopathology, with support from the Libraries’ Open Education Initiative.

Link: www.library.umass.edu/news/umass-a...

Adult female peregrine falcon Merriam perched in nest box on the Du Bois Library roof.

We have some sad news. It appears as though Merriam is gone. While we will continue to look for her around the area, it is most likely that she has been either killed or driven off by a new, unbanded female that has begun to pair bond with Webster: unfortunately, not an uncommon occurrence. (1/7)

Aerial view of UMass Amherst, including W. E. B. Du Bois Library and Lederle GRC Lowrise, where the Science and Engineering Library is located. Text: "Facilities Update: The Libraries will be closed Friday, July 4 through Sunday, July 6, reopening Monday, July 7."

Facilities Update: The Libraries will be closed Friday, July 4 through Sunday, July 6, reopening Monday, July 7.

Ecologists from #UMassAmherst & the Northeast Regional Invasive Species & Climate Change Management Network launched a #Climate-Smart Gardening guide & our experts have shared some examples that will work for sunny, moderately moist garden beds in MA.

bit.ly/3Tqr4JT

Du Bois Library in background. Foreground has white flowering and red flowering bushes from the Courtyard.

It's hot out today! If you need a place to keep cool, stop by the Libraries! We're open until 5 p.m. and have plenty of spaces to sit and chill.

One of our Powergrine Girls taking off! #NESTFLIX

Aerial view of UMass Amherst, including Du Bois Library and Lederle GRC Lowrise, where the Science and Engineering Library is located. Text overlay: "Facilities Update."

Facilities update: The W. E. B. Du Bois and Science & Engineering Libraries will be closing early at noon on Friday, June 13th. The Wadsworth Library will be open for regular hours. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The Libraries announce a new journal, Counseling Scholarship and Practice in Educational Communities (CSPEC), being published in partnership with the Ronald H. Fredrickson Center for School Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation (CSCORE). 

Link: www.library.umass.edu/news/umass-a...

Aerial view of UMass Amherst, including Du Bois Library and Lederle GRC Lowrise, where the Science and Engineering Library is located. Text overlay: "Facilities Update."

Facilities update: The W. E. B. Du Bois and Science & Engineering Libraries will be closing early at noon on Friday, June 13th. The Wadsworth Library will be open for regular hours. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Richard Nathhorst retrieving peregrine falcon fledgling 96/CA Buttercupt from beneath the cooling tower on the roof of the Du Bois Library.

Buttercup helicoptered down into the walled area of the Du Bois roof and needed a hand from the falcon team to get back up to the nest box. It's very common for young fledglings to get a little stuck like this, and she's completely fine, if a little embarrassed at her misadventure.

Juvenile female peregrine falcon 94/CA Blossom standing on the parapet on the Du Bois Library roof.

Blossom here would like to announce that the Powergrine Girls fledged this weekend! We'll be keeping a close watch on the cam to try and capture clips of them flying to share with you.
#NESTFLIX

UMass Amherst’s Seed Library cultivates sustainability, art and access At its core, the seed library promotes community self-sufficiency and ecological resilience, encouraging visitors to grow food, flowers, and native species adapted to the local climate.

Thanks to the Daily Collegian for featuring the Mass Aggie Seed Library in our Science and Engineering Library!

Link: dailycollegian.com/2025/05/umas...

The video recording of our 5/23/25 Banding Day is officially posted! It is available on the UMass Amherst Libraries YouTube channel as part of the Falcon Curriculum playlist.

Link: youtu.be/WtVglASAY2Y

Illustration of peregrine falcon holding a paintbrush painting a rainbow. Below, colorful photo of books leaning against each other with gold background. Logos of UMass Amherst Libraries and UMass Amherst Undergraduate Student Success Center. Text: "Color Our World. #UMassReads 2025."

The annual #UMassReads challenge is underway! What's on your summer reading list?
Link: bit.ly/umassreads25

3 female peregrine falcon chicks Photoshopped to have hair like Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup from the Powerpuff Girls, respectively. Text: "The Powergrine Girls."

Pie chart of the results of the Falcon Chick Naming Contest Final Voting Form 2025: Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup: 21.4% Corn, Beans, Squash: 18.5% Arwen, Eowyn, Galadriel: 11.2% Dorothy, Blanche, Rose: 10.8% Hamp, Berk, Woo: 9.0% Charlotte, Anne, Emily: 8.4% Clotho, Lakhesis, Atropos: 7.9% Monica, Rachel, Phoebe: 5.1% Winifred, Sarah, Mary: 4.1% Balerion, Vhagar, Meraxes: 3.7%

Introducing...The Powergrine Girls! 💗
94/CA: Blossom
95/CA: Bubbles
96/CA: Buttercup
Thanks to everyone who participated in our annual naming contest!

The Office of the Provost and the University Libraries are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Open Education Initiative (OEI) grants at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Link: www.library.umass.edu/news/umass-a...

3 female peregrine falcon chicks sitting on a blanket.

Banding Day & Naming Contest!

Happy Banding Day! We are proud to introduce our Class of 2025 falcon chicks:

94/CA: Female
95/CA: Female
96/CA: Female

And now they need names! Announcing the official annual public naming contest for the Du Bois Falcon chicks! Here's how it works:

Adult female peregrine falcon lying down in front of nest box opening with white chick poop on her feathers. A chick in the background is giving her a look.

We continue to work with MassWildlife in monitoring Merriam. On a lighter note, if you're wondering what that white stuff is all over Merriam's feathers: lying down in front of the nest box opening puts her right in the chicks' poo-zooka range, and they are certainly eager to show off their skills.😆

Katina Magazine Announces Editorial Leadership Updates  - Charleston Hub May 16, 2025 - Charleston, SC, USA — May 13, 2025 — Katina Magazine, the digital publication that addresses the value of librarians to society and elevates their role as -

Curtis Brundy, dean of University Libraries, has been named editor-in-chief of Katina Magazine, a digital publication that addresses the value of librarians to society. Brundy previously served as senior editor of Katina’s Open Knowledge section.

Link: www.charleston-hub.com/2025/05/kati...

Please note that during this period:

-Intermittent power outages may occur.
-Fire alarms may be triggered as part of the testing.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

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