Message from the Interim University Librarian: Charting Boundless Horizons
I am pleased to share the Drexel University Libraries’ impact report for 2024, which highlights our activities and accomplishments between January 1 and December 31, 2024. The information in this year’s publication demonstrates the Libraries’ commitment to designing, delivering, and maintaining systems and services that connect people, information, and technology critical for academic and life-long success.
The Libraries serves as a keystone to Drexel’s academic enterprise, and as you will see in the following pages, this year was filled with changes, challenges, and new connections. You will read about an array of projects and initiatives we took on in 2024, from launching a new course reserve system to expanding access to digital collections and faculty research and scholarly contributions. You’ll read about our collaborative partnership with a local museum, as well as partnerships with Drexel colleges and schools that allowed us to extend events and exhibits to the entire Drexel community.
I’m also proud to say the Libraries was named a recipient of the inaugural Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine in 2024. I hope you’ll read on to learn more about the award and the many diversity, equity, and inclusivity efforts we have undertaken over the last year to provide a welcoming and inclusive library environment.
In 2024 we also started the first phase of our work to integrate the Salus Learning Resource Center (LRC) and the Drexel Libraries. Drexel and Salus Universities completed their corporate merger in July 2024 and anticipate finalizing the merger in June 2025. This year, we began the work to integrate library systems, tools and resources and look forward to expanding and extending the Libraries’ resources, services, and staff to the broader Drexel community in the year ahead.
While all the activities and accomplishments mentioned are quite different, they all have a thread connecting them—they highlight a different aspect of the Libraries’ critical work to support our students, faculty and staff, and the many other communities to which we belong. All together, they are a remarkable record of our service, our resilience, and our dedication to our University.
Thank you for your interest and investment in the Drexel University Libraries. I hope you will enjoy these highlights from the last year and continue to follow our work and our progress towards fostering academic and personal success in today’s interconnected world.
Ann C. Yurcaba, Interim University Librarian
In 2024, the Libraries continued its work to support Drexel research and lower the cost of Open Access (OA) publishing by negotiating several transformative OA agreements. These agreements mean Drexel authors can publish their research as open access in eligible journals for free—without the need to pay article processing charges. To date, the Libraries has negotiated agreements with eight different publishers, including Elsevier, The Royal Society of Chemistry, Springer Nature, and ACS Publications, and has saved Drexel authors over $500,000.
The Drexel Libraries and the College of Nursing & Health Professions (CNHP) collaborated to bring the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) traveling exhibit AIDS, Posters, and Stories of Public Health: A People's History of a Pandemic to Drexel University. The exhibit was on display in Drexel’s Health Sciences Building from February 12 – March 22. The Libraries and CNHP also co-hosted a series of events to correspond with the exhibit, including an opening reception and a screening of the documentary, How to Survive a Plague. The Libraries also created a companion resource guide with additional information and resources about the AIDS pandemic.
In March, the Drexel Libraries welcomed the return of the exhibit Drexel Cartonera: Memorias al cartón to the W. W. Hagerty Library. Partnering with Assistant Teaching Professor Celeste Dolores Mann, the Libraries celebrated the opening of the exhibit with a reception and panel discussion on the Cartonera publishing movement and how writing and storytelling can be used to foster community and preserve and share cultural heritage. Panelists included Drexel students, faculty, and members of the Philadelphia community.
The Drexel Libraries launched a new course reserves management tool, called Drexel Libraries Course Reserves, in the spring. The new system integrates with both the Libraries’ catalog and Blackboard Learn and makes creating, accessing, and managing course reserve lists easier and more efficient. Libraries staff also created a helpful online tutorial to help faculty, staff and students transition to the new system.
University Archives staff continued their work to digitize archival materials in 2024. In May, staff completed a project to digitize more than 6,000 graduate theses and dissertations that were previously available in print format only. And in September, Archives staff finished digitizing all past issues of the “Drexel Echo,” the University’s first and oldest literary magazine published from 1907-1912.
The Drexel University Libraries was excited to partner with the National Liberty Museum (NLM) to host the joint exhibit truth* @ Drexel, a reimagining of the NLM’s original truth* exhibition for the Drexel community. The Libraries also hosted several corresponding events that expanded on the exhibit themes, including a tour and welcome reception and a screening of the film Fake: Searching for Truth in the Age of Misinformation.
In January, the Drexel Libraries was named a recipient of the 2024 Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine. The award recognizes the Libraries' exceptional commitment to creating an inclusive and equitable environment through diverse collections, accessible resources, and impactful programming.
In 2024, the Drexel Libraries hosted 37 events for nearly 450 attendees from Drexel and the Philadelphia community. Events covered a range of topics and themes, from workshops on using library technology and tools, to an introduction to open access publishing, to Welcome Week events and wellness activities.
Other events held in 2024 included the 12th Annual Celebrating Drexel Authors event; the opening event for Drexel Cartonera: Memorias al Cartón exhibit; a screening of the film "Fake: Searching for Truth in the Age of Misinformation”; and an interactive talk on how to succeed in college with Dr. Veronica Carey, an Associate Clinical Professor within the Behavioral Health Counseling Department at Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions.
The Drexel Libraries works to provide all members of the Drexel community with equal access to authoritative information and to create an environment of diversity, equality, fairness, inclusion, and respect.
In 2024, we continued to make progress towards these goals. From purchasing new books written by diverse authors that authentically reflect different people, cultures, ideas, and experiences to expanding our wellness resources and services to receiving the 2024 Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine, it was an eventful year.
The information below highlights just a few of the projects and initiatives we began in 2024 to foster a culture of inclusion and diversity within the Drexel Libraries and the University.
Featured Resource Lists & Heritage Month Programming
In 2024, the Drexel Libraries curated numerous resource lists to celebrate diversity and promote cultural awareness. These lists, shared throughout the year, included resources from the Libraries’ collections that addressed timely and essential topics to engage and educate our community.
For example, the Dr. King Week of Service & Reflection book list highlighted key works on civil rights and social justice, and the HIV/AIDS Awareness list focused on public health and health equity. Our Mental Health Awareness Month reading list included books of self-care strategies and tools for personal growth. And during Banned Books Week, the Libraries showcased a powerful display of banned and challenged books, emphasizing the importance of the freedom to read.
Additionally, the Libraries celebrated Women’s History Month with non-fiction book recommendations and staff picks showcasing female authors. Resources for Sexual Assault Awareness Month supported survivors and raised awareness about this critical issue.
Other heritage month programming included online and in-person displays in the W. W. Hagerty Library for Black History Month, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month, exemplifying the Libraries' dedication to promoting cultural awareness and appreciation year-round.
Wellness in the Library: Celebrating One Year of the Serenity Suite & Continuing a Commitment to Fostering Mental Health
The Libraries’ Serenity Suite—a dedicated room in the W. W. Hagerty Library where Drexel Dragons can relax, refocus, and reenergize—marked its one-year anniversary in November 2024. Equipped with light therapy lamps, meditation guides, and wellness tools, the Serenity Suite quickly became a cornerstone of the Libraries' efforts to support mental health and create an inclusive environment. To date, the Serenity Suite has had more than 400 advance reservations and nearly 100 walk-ins!
Throughout the year, the Libraries also organized several wellness-focused events for Drexel students, faculty, and staff, including creative art therapy events like a bookbinding session for Libraries staff, and Pop-Up Button Making and Collage Making for students. A Paws & Relax Therapy Dog event helped students relieve pre-exam stress, and our Mid-Week Recharge event held during Welcome Week introduced incoming students to the space with calming, ergonomic chair massages.
Engaging with Our Local Community
In 2024, the Libraries continued its important work to support the local Philadelphia community by organizing two staff civic engagement opportunities. Drexel University’s civic engagement leave allows faculty and professional staff to participate in volunteer opportunities with local non-profit organizations.
This year, the Libraries strengthened its community ties by volunteering for two organizations: the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC) and MANNA.
In June, 13 Libraries staff volunteered to help WePAC with a library service project at the Morton McMichael School in Mantua. Staff helped with a shelf read—the process of checking that books are shelved correctly and labeled properly to ensure access.
To end the year, 10 Libraries staff assisted in preparing meals for neighbors with serious illnesses through MANNA. Staff filled trays of food, made sandwiches and more. It was a hands-on, fulfilling way to give back, and MANNA’s kitchen was an inspiring environment to make a real difference in our community.
Each year, the Drexel Libraries submits data to IPEDS and the ACRL Academic Library Trends and Statistics Survey. These organizations use the data to create comprehensive portraits of academic institutions (and the impact that academic libraries have) across the United States. This and other sources of data are used to prepare the Libraries' annual "By the Numbers" summary.
The 2024 annual report covers the period of January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024. The data provided in this report reflects the fiscal year (July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024).
Copyright © 2024 Drexel University Libraries. All rights reserved.
Credits:
Art & Editorial Director: Rachel Weidner, Communications Specialist Data Visualizations: Haemin Kim, Senior Data Analyst Jaci Downs Photography Aubrey Rencevicz, Marketing & Communications Assistant Stacy Stanislaw, Communications Director Tainesha Ware, Program Coordinator, DEI & New Initiatives