PARTNERSHIPS
Throughout the year, the Priddy Library collaborates with other USG departments, USG partner institutions, and outside organizations to develop and deliver special events. Past highlights have included: Destress Fest/Week, LGBTQ+ month book display, photo exhibits, and Towson Reading Night.
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Game Night (March 2023)
The library organized a fun event on March 28th, in partnership with student organizations and the UMCP Bachelor of Science in Information Science Program at Shady Grove. Students enjoyed playing various board and VR games, while also having the opportunity to socialize and improve their healthy study-life balance.
Towson Reading Night (November 2022)
Organized by the newly created Towson Early Childhood Students Club, Towson faculty collaborated with Priddy Library to host this event. For the Reading Night many children’s books were selected from Priddy Library’s diverse and multicultural children’s section and put on display in the collaboration area. There were members of the community who attended with their young children, as well as Towson faculty and other students. The children really enjoyed selecting books, and being read to by our future teachers. The event was enjoyed by all!
Towson Author’s Party (November 2022)
Priddy Library was so excited to host this first time event which is planned to take place annually! Students from the Early Childhood writing class demonstrated and showcased their writing skills with the creation of their own children’s books. These students are not only future teachers, but aspiring writers as well! The books were electronic, print, or hybrid formats. The students read their books to their classmates and other invited guests.
UMCP Photo Exhibit (2022)
​Students of Professor Ilse Genovese’s UMCP Communication class shared their photo assignments which were displayed in the library. The winners were selected by Priddy staff. The first prize went to Sophia Fakri for Hotel's Duel Faces.
Pride Month Display
(June 2023)
CSEF, the Library, and the newly formed Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion worked together to celebrate Pride Month at USG. For the second year, the Library and CSEF co-sponsored a special exhibit featuring books about LGBTQ+ issues and featuring LGBTQ+ characters. The display was set up at the front of the Library, attracting patron attention. The display was created in conjunction with a table in the Building III lobby with free pride pins, flags, and helpful information. For the month of June, the Library also featured a question on the “Open Wall” about what makes you proud which students had an opportunity to reflect upon their identities and accomplishments.
Destress Week (December 5-7, 2022)
Students had a chance to unwind with puzzles, games, and coloring books available in the main reading area. An obstacle course with hula hoops, Jenga, and jump ropes allowed for more active destressing.
Oral Health Fairs at Public Libraries
As a co-PI on The Narrative and Medical Education (NAME) Project, Assistant Library Director Eileen Harrington collaborated with fellow PIs from the UMCP English Department and the UMB School of Dentistry, and staff from Maryland public libraries to develop and deliver two oral health fairs in public libraries. One health fair was held at the Hyattsville Branch Library (Prince George’s Memorial Library System) and the other at the Long Branch Library (Montgomery County Public Libraries). About 200 people attended each of the health fairs. Activities included oral health screenings and education conducted by UMB dental students and UMB at USG dental hygiene students, as well as story times led by public library staff. Hosting the fairs at public libraries enabled easier access for participants, and many appreciated the chance to share their concerns and to access information on where to receive the low-cost care they needed. The health fairs also provided opportunities for experiential learning for dental and dental hygiene students and pre-health undergraduates.
The Narrative and Medical Education (NAME) Project is a narrative dentistry and medical education project focused on understanding and responding to racism in dental care by generating an innovative, replicable community-engagement model that disrupts ineffective traditional systems of care and seeks to understand the experiences of marginalized communities. It is a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional project that includes researchers from the University of Maryland, College Park, the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Indiana University, San Francisco State University, and the University of Iowa.
LAUNCHPaD On-Campus Project-based Internship Program
Recognizing an area of inequity in one of the key career preparedness experiences, Priddy Library staff collaborated with the Career and Internship Services Center to develop and launch the pilot of an on-campus, project-based internship program for USG students. The program affords students shut out of the traditional internship experience, due to income or eligibility, and partners them with on-campus project advisors who provide mentorship and supervision in completing ~3-month-long projects with deliverables that can be included in students’ career portfolios. Interns also participated in formal competency development workshops and events, including the Federal Career Expo, to further increase their career readiness, and to help them better contextualize their project work.
In Spring of 2023, 7 student interns worked on projects from 5 advisors, and held an event on 6/13 celebrating the interns and allowing them to share their experiences with the faculty and staff who made the program possible.