I’m William Repetto, a first-year graduate student at Villanova University. This is the “‘Cat in the Stacks” column. I’m your ‘cat. I’ll be posting about college life, about learning and growing here at Villanova, and, of course, about the Falvey Library’s role.

Wow, wildcats. The end of the semester is upon us yet again. Now a graduate student, I am somehow still surprised every time the end of the semester comes around so quickly.

At the beginning of the semester I can recall looking at all the syllabi and thinking, “Wow. How am I going to get this all done in 15 weeks?” But here we are again, with the work winding down, cranking out those final assignments/last few hours of studying.

This was also my first semester as ‘Cat in the Stacks, and, trust me when I say, we here at the Falvey Memorial Library are both surprised and very proud of the many events, activities, and even spaces that we brought to you this semester.

Way back in August (remember those days?), I sat down in my first graduate classes, but I also sat down to bring you my first ‘Cat in the Stacks: a Cup of Cat-feine. Around the same time, the rest of the Falvey Communication & Marketing Team, of which I am a part, sat down to plan out the semester. We saw Hispanic Heritage Month coming up, the pending visit of Elizabeth Kolbert, the opening of a new reading room further down the road, and even heard stirrings of Harry Potter Halloween festivities (pictured below).

In my classes, as many of you did as well, I saw short reaction papers, presentations, and longer term projects on the agenda. To tackle the organization required, I utilized many of the tools I learned about here at the Falvey – including Browzine and a word-processing app recommended by Sarah Wingo called Scrivener (with a price tag low enough for this graduate assistant to afford!).

Meanwhile, we were up to our old tricks here at the Falvey: bringing you information on Twitter, Facebook, and our own blog. But we also did some innovative things this semester. Who could forget this year’s VUFind Summit? And how about the opening of the Dugan Polk Family Reading Room?

These events were about making sure that we brings you the same awesome services (technology, spaces), but with updated resources that conform to your needs. (The Dugan Polk Family Reading Room famously has more outlets than seats!) Our continued innovation, and construction projects (photo below), reflect our dedication to the Villanova Community to bring interactive and modern amenities to anyone seeking to use our resources or facilities.

On a personal level, my own work has benefitted immensely from innovations at the Falvey. I keep up-to-date on Browzine, especially on the Milton Quarterly Journal; I can be spotted in the Dugan Polk Family Reading Room, typing away at several essays (sometimes at once), on some weekends; and I’ve been using Zotero to keep all the sources straight in my head and on the page.

(On some weekends, you can find the ‘Cat in the Stacks writing away in one of those big armchairs. Don’t tell the stacks, though; they might get jealous.)

Here we are, though, 15 tough weeks of classes from that first ‘Cat in the Stacks, from those first days of classes. While the library continues to change, and a new semester will bring new classes, try to keep in mind those things that stay constant: the library’s commitment to your success, your own commitment to perfecting your studies, and my commitment as ‘Cat in the Stacks to helping you make sense of it all.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Holidays!

Article by William Repetto, a graduate assistant on the Communications and Marketing Team at the Falvey Memorial Library. He is currently pursuing an MA in English at Villanova University.