Stop by the the Nexus Library Instruction Space on the Main Floor of Gutman Library on Thursdays from 12-2pm to get research help and chat with librarians. You can win prizes like gift cards, and we’ll provide free coffee and snacks. Bring your laptop for help with your work. Thursday, September 21 – Thursday, November 30.

Register at Jefferson.libcal.com/calendar/AcademicCommons/coffee, or just drop by! We can’t wait to see you for Coffee with a Librarian!  

The Gutman Library is thrilled that Annika chose to create signage for the library for her Experiential Graphic Design course. Annika’s project will be on display at the Gutman Library, on the Main Floor, in the display cases across from the Check Out Desk for the Fall 2023 semester.

We sat down with Annika to learn more about her project and what excites her about graphic design, wayfinding, and libraries.

What is your name, major, and class year?
My name is Annika Zitto. My pronouns are she/they. I’m a Visual Communication Design major in the Class of 2025.

What made you decide to become a Visual Communication Design major?
Even before I knew what graphic design was, I was paying attention to it in the world. I loved infographics as a kid and I was always taking notice of the typography on signage. Graphic Design is my concentration within Visual Communication Design.

Could your project be implemented in real life?
This project is purely hypothetical but I was very intentional to ensure the design was feasible. Consider, for example, the blade signs, used to show the range of books available in each aisle. Since library collections often change or move around, the Dewey call numbers on the blade signs feature removable vinyl. As the collection is moved around, the numbers can be removed and adjusted to reflect the aisle’s new contents. Shelf dividers can also be arranged based on the library’s collection. To ensure that the signs would look clean with a variety of dewey numbers, lining numerals were used to keep the numbers spaced evenly.

What inspired you to do this project?
When I was asked to choose a location on campus to make signage for, I immediately chose the library. During the school year, I am constantly visiting and borrowing books from the library. One of my professors even called me the “Library Advocate,” because of how often I am sharing resources and cool finds with other students in my major. I knew this project would allow me to use my design skills to conceptualize an ideal library experience.

What’s your favorite thing about libraries?
My favorite thing about libraries is the visual and physical exploration of finding new books. Actively browsing the shelves leads me to finding books I would have never thought to search for digitally. The tactile experience of browsing and flipping through books really peaks my curiosity.

Why is wayfinding so important?
Good wayfinding is so important because it allows us to access and navigate the world we live in. Signage that facilitates efficient wayfinding is an essential component to creating accessible spaces. It makes it possible for people to find their destination. It also enables people to discover new parts of a place they often visit. Since wayfinding is constant in our lives, it’s important to give it proper attention when designing a space. Bad wayfinding can be stressful, time consuming, confusing, and inaccessible to many. Good wayfinding flips this around, creating an accessible and enjoyable user experience on each front. Efficient design utilizes identifiable, consistent, patterns so people can predict the experiences they will have in the space and navigate accordingly to access what they’re looking for. To provide accessibility to a variety of users, it will utilize differing cues, such as type, color, and multisensory elements, to guide people through the space. It can also evoke a sense of the place’s identity, connecting users to the place through its wayfinding design.

What career paths are you interested in pursuing after graduation?
After graduating, I plan to pursue a career in information design with a focus on sustainability. I want to use information design to increase accessibility to and awareness of environmental knowledge that when known by many, has the power to change our world, legislation, and quality of life for generations.

This past year, I was a research assistant for Dr. Radika Bhaskar, where I designed visual information about bioplastics for educational outreach. Working under Dr. Bhaskar, I engaged my intellectual curiosity for the intersections between user experience, accessibility, environmentalism, and urban design. I hope to explore these topics more in my future research and career.

How can people get in touch with you to collaborate?
If you want to see more of my work, be sure to check out my design Instagram which is linked on my Link Tree. Feel free to reach out to my Jefferson email to connect.

I am also the President of Jefferson’s AIGA Professional Association for Design chapter. Any student is welcome to drop by one of our meetings to connect. If you’re interested in collaborating with AIGA, direct message our official Instagram account!

Is there anything you’d like to mention that we didn’t ask?
I’m grateful to have the opportunity to showcase my work and share my passions. I am so thankful to everyone who helped me bring this project to life!

I want to thank Renee Walker for teaching this course. I really enjoyed it! I also want to thank Jess Jahnle and the rest of the team at the Surface Imaging for their help with creating this display. We were able to get some incredible prototypes printed through the Surface Imaging Lab that truly elevated the project. Finally, biggest thanks to the Gutman Library organization for hosting my display and to Megan Donnelly, Outreach and Engagement Librarian, for collaborating with me to create it.

Join us Tuesdays this fall at Gutman Library to watch riveting documentaries, enjoy snacks, and connect with others. Each film centers on themes of ancestry, identity, and home. These events are open to all; registration isn’t required but encouraged to ensure we have enough snacks! RSVP at jefferson.libcal.com/calendar/academiccommons/documentary

Tuesday, September 12, 7pm: Three Identical Strangers
In Three Identical Strangers, three strangers are reunited by astonishing coincidence after being born identical triplets, separated at birth, and adopted by three different families.

Tuesday, October 17, 7pm: Descendant
Descendant tells the story of the descendants of survivors of The Clotilda, the last known ship to bring enslaved people from Africa to the United States. Descendants celebrate their heritage and take command of their legacy in this moving portrait of a community actively grappling with and fighting to preserve its heritage while examining what justice looks like today. The first five people to register will receive a free copy of Barracoon by Zora Neal Hurston. Barracoon is an oral history of Cudjo Lewis, the last survivor of the Atlantic slave trade.

Join us after the film for a discussion facilitated by Slade Roff, LCSW, East Falls Student Counseling Center. 

Tuesday, November 14, 7pm: Blind Ambition
Blind Ambition is an underdog story for the ages that follows an unlikely team of Zimbabweans turned sommeliers who shake up the international wine establishment when they compete in the World Wine Tasting Championships.

Tuesday, December 5, 7pm: Flee
December’s documentary film night will be run in conjunction with the LGBTQA+ Film Nights program and together we’ll watch Flee. Flee tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, as he reveals his hidden past, one that threatens to derail the life he has built for himself and his soon to be husband. 

We hope to see you at one or all of our documentary film nights! RSVP here.

New at Gutman Library: Fidget spinners, play therapy toys, and resources! If you’re needing a moment to decompress, feeling distracted and want to focus, or interested in learning more about play therapy, check out these two new collections.

The Play Therapy Collection
Donated by the Community & Trauma Counseling department, the collection offers a wide range of books, workbooks, and play examples for practitioners, researchers, and those with a general interest in play therapy.

Where is the collection? The collection is stored in the popular books section across from the Circulation Desk on the Main Floor.

The Fidget and Stim Toy Collection
The collection includes a wide variety of fidget and stimulation toys (fidget cubes, wacky tracks, slugs, and more), that allow for students to decompress, engage in play, and regulate their emotions. This collection aims to normalize the practice of fidgeting and stimming.

Where is the collection? Behind the Main Floor’s Circulation Desk! Students can check out one item for four hours by leaving their Jefferson ID with us.

What is stimming?
Stimming (or self-stimulation) is a self-regulatory behavior that includes movements such as hand flapping, finger-flicking, rocking, speaking phrases, sounds, and other repetitive motions in order to keep oneself calm. Often done in times of stress, this behavior is usually seen in people with autism or those who fall under the neurodivergent umbrella.

Fidget and stim toys allow for this behavior to be carried out in a safe and consistent way that will often not disrupt the person’s daily life. While neurodivergent individuals often use these tools, it is completely normal behavior for everyone to engage in, especially when feeling stressed or distracted.

We hope you enjoy these resources!