November 2026 Library Newsletter

In this edition: 
❔Information Literacy & Instruction Survey
🎂 Edible Book Festival Results
🖍️ Zines 101
📚 Family STEM Storybook Night
🌙 Late Night at the Library
📘 Native American and Indigenous Peoples Month
🐶 Therapy Dogs
⏲️ Fall Hours

Information Literacy & Instruction Communications Survey
Thanks so much to everyone who has already responded to our request for feedback regarding communications from the Information Literacy & Instruction (ILI) team. If you haven't yet, would you please take a moment to fill out this brief form?

Your responses will help your ILI Team evaluate and improve how we communicate to the campus at large. All faculty and staff are welcome to participate.

Edible Book Festival Results
The Edible Book Festival was a smashing success! Thank you to our amazing bakers who wowed everyone with their creativity, and the 107 attendees at the event who voted for their favorites. You can see all the amazing entries and winners on the Edible Book Festival Guide.

Zines 101 
November 4th, 3:30pm, library mobile classroom
Zines are small, self-published books, and they are inexpensive to create. 

Join us for a discussion on the history of zines and zine making basics. Attendees will have a chance to make their own mini zine during the workshop. 

Family STEM Storybook Night! 📚🔬
Calling all Chattanooga State students, faculty, and staff with children!
Bring your children for a FREE evening of stories, hands-on STEM activities, and family fun!
📅 November 10, 2026
🕔 5:00–7:00 PM
📍 Chattanooga State Community College

Come enjoy an evening of learning, exploring, and making memories with your children through fun, STEM-based storybook activities!

AND come check out our curated display of children's books through November 13! 

Late Night at the Library
Late Night at the Library will be held on Tuesday, November 17! This completely free event is from 5pm - 10pm (food served at 6pm) and is an opportunity for YOU to fight procrastination and get working on those end-of-semester research papers and studying for exams. The library is here to support you and make studying a little easier.
 
Start by setting a goal for the evening on our goal-setting board - when you complete it, our library staff will cheer for you! We'll keep you fueled for the hard work ahead with catering from Chick-fil-a, snacks, coffee, and tea!
 
Celebrate your achievements with a spin on the library prize wheel or relax with coloring or a puzzle. Take a break from studying with karaoke in the mobile classroom from 8pm - 9pm! Get the boost you need to finish the semester strong at Late Night at the Library!

Native American and Indigenous Peoples Month

The month of November is Native American and Indigenous Peoples Month. In his November 2025 proclamation, President Trump stated that we should "celebrate Native Americans’ enduring contributions to our Nation’s greatness."

Explore our library guide to discover valuable resources, including relevant websites, local parks, and digital selections from Libby, along with books on food and culture. Find the guide at https://library.chattanoogastate.edu/nativeamerica

Additionally, the library recently purchased four new Indigenous-authored books that are not yet featured on the guide:

The Buffalo Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
PS3560.O5395 B84 2025
Selected as One of The New York Times's 100 Notable Books of the Year / Bram Stoker Award Winner for Superior Achievement in a Novel / Libby Award Winner for Best Horror
A historical novel tracing the life of a vampire who haunts the fields of the Blackfeet reservation looking for justice.

Shards of Silence by Brian Lee Young
PZ7.1Y747 Sh 2026
In his first YA novel, Brian Lee Young bridges the generational divide between a Navajo teen at an elite prep school and his great-grandmother's experience at a federal boarding school for Indigenous students. The book is a call for community healing and a coming-of-age story.

That Which Feeds Us: A Hawaiian Gothic by Keala Kendall
PZ7.1.K47425 Th 2026
National Book Award Finalist
A native Hawaiian teen travels to a luxury island resort in search of her missing twin sister and uncovers the dark side of paradise in this supernatural thriller. The book explores the true cost of paradise.

How Settlers Get Away with Murder: The Killing of Indigenous Women and Two-Spirit People in the Americas by Liza Black
HV6529.B525 2026
This book is a forensic history of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

Therapy Dog Schedule
The Library's therapy dog schedule for fall has arrived! Get some much-needed stress relief with our rotation of therapy dog visits. 
                                              
November 2026
11/3, 1pm - 2pm
11/10, 11am - 2pm
11/11, 11am - 12pm
11/17, 1pm - 2pm

December 2026
12/1, 1pm - 2pm 

Chris Frazier - The Stars at KLIC: Journey Story of our Staff

 

By Chris Frazier

My journey to this library was rather simple actually. I moved to Chattanooga three or so years ago, holding an entry-level IT job at the time. I was wildly unhappy with that job for a variety of reasons, and one day I sat down and talked about potential future plans with my spouse, Vix. I had never been to college before, and truly didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, and Vix said to me, “What if you were a teacher?” To explain, Vix is an art teacher and when we met, they were working towards their education degree.

The idea of doing this, seeing the difficulties that they experienced and continue to experience daily, was intimidating. It was the only option, however, where I felt that sort of spark. That inspiration. “Yeah, I could give that a try!” I got excited. I applied to Chatt State and put in my two week notice at my old job once I was accepted.

That first semester of college was scary but thrilling. I was doing way better than I ever thought I would. Unfortunately, things on the financial front were getting dire. I needed a job, pretty badly. I applied for a student worker position at this library, but unfortunately there were no open positions, so I had to expand my search. I did substitute teaching for awhile, held a job at Belk for maybe 3 days before I decided that it was too much for me, and eventually landed at a position at a Circle K in Collegedale.

Working at the Circle K was pretty miserable, but I was paying the bills, if only barely. Eventually, a position for work study opened up here at the library, and I applied once more. This time I got an interview, and soon after a job offer! Sadly, I could only work 20 hours a week at the maximum, so I still had to stay on at Circle K to make ends meet.

That is until one day, Andrea told me that there was a permanent part time position opening up that would pay more than work study and allow me to work more hours. I immediately applied and bit my nails waiting through the process of interviewing and waiting to hear if I was going to get the job or not. Good news, you’re reading this blog post so you were kinda spoiled from the beginning on how that ended up!

I am still plugging away at classes here in Chatt State for now, but this work combined with my work study experience has cemented my decision to eventually work towards my MLIS so that I can try and be proper librarian in an academic library just like this one! Possibly even this one itself!

 

October 19, 2026, Announcement from the College President about Susan Jennings

Dear Chattanooga State Family,

It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that our former colleague, Susan Jennings, passed away last night.

Susan served as the Dean of Library Services from 2012-2025. Prior to Chattanooga State, Susan held positions at Appalachian State University, the International Mission Board, and Virginia Commonwealth University.

In her time at the College, she was a champion for the Augusta P. Kolwyck Library and Information Commons, which she led with passion and pride.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Ashford

Library blog admin postscript 

Please read about Susan’s work that was highlighted in the post titled Happy Retirement, Susan Jennings!

In the retirement post, the incredible leadership that Susan exerted was recognized. A champion of the Kolwyck library, a champion of all libraries. Incredible events such as Edible Book Festival and Late Night. Elected positions in the American Library Association and in the Tennessee Library Association. Hiring staff. Staff interview series. An inclusive leadership style. Incredible listening skills and people skills. And complete renovation of the Kolwyck Library space. A major rebranding to the now accepted reference of the library – KLIC. Kolwyck Library and Information Commons.

Thank you, Susan. We will always love you.

 

Library Newsletter October 14, 2026

 In this edition: 
🎉 Edible Book Festival
📚 Edible Book Festival Baking Display and Inspo
🎉 Family STEM Storybook Night
📚 Digital Book Club
👂 October Audiobooks
🐶 Therapy Dogs
⏲️ Fall Hours
📅 Save the Date - Library Events

Feedback Needed
The Information Literacy & Instruction team is trying to improve our communication with faculty and staff, and we need your feedback! Please fill out this brief survey to let us know how we have been doing. Thank you!

Edible Book Festival
Celebrate spooky season by entering ChattState Library's Halloween-themed Edible Book Festival!  

Love books, baked items, and the cozy feel of the spooky season upon us? The Edible Book Festival is for you! 

We invite you to enter YOUR literary edible creation inspired by all things Halloween, spooky season, and fall vibes. We're excited to see what fantastic, literary-inspired baked creations our students, faculty, and staff can create! Enter as an individual, a group or club, or a department/division. 
Attendees will vote for their favorites for each award: Best Overall, Most Fun/Best Pun, and Most On-Theme. After winners are announced, the edible creations can be devoured! Coffee, tea, and water will be provided. 

What is the Edible Book Festival? Simply put, an edible creation based on a book. Here are some examples: 
gray cake with white fingers sticking outred heart-shaped cake with berries on topEdible Book Festival winner with a blue cake with a shark sticking out of ittwo tiered cake with white bottom layer with red designs and top layer with black and white fondant and a fondant pig on top
First image: IT by Stephen King; second image: The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe; third image: Jaws by Peter Benchley; fourth image: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Don't have time to enter?  Join us at the event to vote for your favorite creation and after the winners are announced, the edible creations can be devoured! 
Sign up to participate in the festival (no later than 5pm on Tuesday, October 20, 2026) and compete for prizes and bragging rights! Or join us on October 27 from 2pm - 3:30pm to vote for your favorites and enjoy edible books. 
See you at the festival! 

NEW - Baking Display and Edible Book Festival Inspo
Get some baking tips and see past entries for some inspo for Edible Book Festival! 

Family STEM Storybook Night
November 10, 5 to 7pm, Library 
Family STEM Storybook Night will bring children and caregivers together for an evening of literacy, STEM exploration, and hands-on learning. The evening will begin with a STEM-themed story time, followed by several activity areas where children and families can build, create, explore, and learn together. Education students will help facilitate the activities and interact with families throughout the evening. At the end of the event, everyone will come back together for a short closing and goodbyes.
This event is open to student, faculty, and staff caregivers and their families. 

Digital Book Club
Our monthly book club for faculty, staff, and students is going strong, and you may join us at any time!

Each month, we will have access to UNLIMITED digital copies of the selected title through the Libby app. We also have a print copy available in the library as well as a digital audiobook option.

We chose writers with ties to Tennessee to launch this new experience, starting with the great Ann Patchet. This month we are enjoying Tennessee Book Award winner Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson. 

October - Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson
November - The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke

The club is very informal and mostly asynchronous. You may choose from two options for virtual discussion: Fable and Padlet. Fable is a reading tracker app, and Padlet is browser-based and will allow you to post to a shared board. For those who want to meet in-person, we will have an informal gathering in the library on the last Friday of each month around noon. Bring your lunch!

Please use the form to indicate your interest in participating: KLIC Monthly Book Club Interest – Fill out form and If you have questions, please reach out to Sara Beth. 

October Audiobooks
An Authenticated History of the Famous Bell Witch Authenticated History of the Famous Bell Witch by Martin V. Ingram
During the early 1800s, in Robertson County, TN, an invisible, talking poltergeist terrorizes a family in their home. Written in 1894, this history stands alone the single most important source for historians of the Bell Witch haunting. Listen to this history along with interviews of descendants of those featured in this story.

Dolly Parton, Songteller Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton
Dolly lives on in this exclusive audio telling the stories behind stories of her most valued songs. The audiobook highlights nearly 100 of her most popular songs.

Never Split the Difference Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It by Voss, Chris
A former FBI hostage negotiator provides lessons on developing skills to influence others whether it’s at home, at work, or in one’s community.

OceanOcean: Earth’s Last Wilderness by Attenborough, David
Take a voyage to a place that is the least explored: the ocean. Explore 8 ocean habitats and hear about astounding discoveries that could lead to a fully restored marine environment.

Son of a WitchSon of a Witch by Gregory Maguire
In the sequel to Wicked, a decade after the witch from Wizard of Oz melted, readers are left to wonder is Liir, a young man, Elphaba’s son? What powers does he have? What can he do in the land of Oz since the melting of the Wicked Witch of the West?
If you don’t see an available title in Libby, ask the library to consider purchasing it!

Therapy Dog Schedule
The Library's therapy dog schedule for fall has arrived! Get some much-needed stress relief with our rotation of therapy dog visits. 
                                              
October 2026
10/14, 11am - 12pm
10/20, 1pm - 2pm
10/27, 11am - 2pm

November 2026
11/3, 1pm - 2pm
11/10, 11am - 2pm
11/11, 11am - 12pm
11/17, 1pm - 2pm

December 2026
12/1, 1pm - 2pm 

Fall 2026 Library Hours
The library is here for you evenings and Sundays! We are open Monday - Thursday, 8am - 8pm; Friday, 8am - 3pm, and Sunday, 1pm - 5pm. Check out all of our hours and closings on our website. 

Save the Date for Upcoming Library Events
October 27, 2026, 2pm - 3:30pm: Edible Book Festival, Halloween Edition
November 10, 2026, 5pm - 7pm: STEM Family Storybook Night
November 17, 2026, 5pm - 10pm: Late Night at the Library
November 30, 2026 - December 4, 2026: Pre-Exam Stress Relief Week

Come see us at the library!