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.

Details regarding her services will be shared once we have them.

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!

Isabella Kessler - The Stars at KLIC: Journey Story of our Staff

 

By Isabella Kessler

For most of my education, I've been much more concerned with surviving than thinking far into the future. As a child, I struggled specifically with reading - I couldn't read until the 2nd grade, and was the last to come around in my class. I used to think to myself, "Why would anyone read and write for fun? It's so hard!" A couple years later, I had the highest Accelerated Reading score in class and a blossoming affinity for creative writing.

I found myself auditioning for the Chattanooga Center for Creative Arts, which allowed my to nurture my growing passion for writing while taking Honors and AP high school courses. When it came time to start thinking about post-high school plans, CCA encouraged us to use Free Application day to apply to any colleges that caught our eye, and began hosting visits for representatives of different schools in the region. One of which was Berea College, most notable to the high school senior for the fact that it does not charge its students tuition. No, really! Although their acceptance rate was low (12% in 2022), I figured there was no harm in applying, and four years later, I sit before you as a proud Berea Alum and the first in my family with a Bachelor's degree.

I went into Berea with a very vague inkling of what I wanted to do for a degree, let alone a career. I ended up on the Communication track for its flexibility, and discovered my deep love of Media Analysis (I attended the Southern States Communication Association's Undergraduate Honors Conference twice with papers that focused on some of my favorite works of fiction). Alongside my courses, I also had to opportunity to work as a Technical Services Librarian at Berea's Hutchins Library, and by the time of graduation, the answer to the career question has become so clear: libraries! Of course I want to work in libraries! So many different aspects of research and community come together to make an academic library such as Chatt State's. Also, there's nothing better than getting to be around books all day.

Chatt State allows its students so many opportunities when it comes to professional development and career-building. Study abroad, participate in campus workshops, befriend your instructors, be a work study - the #1 thing I was most grateful for after graduation was having work experience under my belt. You never know where you'll discover something that can change your life forever, so always be open to opportunity.

Edible Book Festival to be held on October 27, 2026

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: 

First image: The Very Hungry Caterpillar; second image: The Shire from The Lord of the Rings; third image: Alice in Wonderland

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!