Jacqueline (Jackie) Mirabile.

“She was unflappable, kind, and had a wonderful dry humor. Above all she was kind, always kind.” —Jutta Seibert, Librarian for History, Art History and Global Interdisciplinary Studies

The campus community and Falvey Memorial Library are saddened to hear the news of the passing of former library staff member Jacqueline (Jackie) Mirabile. Born and raised in Vermont, Mirabile, a devoted Catholic, played the piano and organ at local parishes to help fund her education. She was Valedictorian of her class at Mount Saint Mary Academy, graduated Trinity College with a major in history, and earned a master’s degree in library science from Simmons College.

Before joining the Falvey Library staff, Mirabile worked at the Free Library of Philadelphia and a regional patent company. She was the second full-time reference librarian hired at Falvey Library by then head of reference Louise Green in 1982. “For nearly thirty years, Jackie provided dedicated, exemplary professionalism as a reference librarian (and team leader for information and research assistance) at Falvey Library until retirement in 2011.” She taught numerous research sessions as the liaison librarian to the psychology and education & human resource departments. “Mirabile also served on Falvey’s Management Policy Group (MPG), communication team, and the University-wide Villanova Quality Improvement (VQI).”

Mirabile was dedicated to providing exceptional service to the Villanova community. As former co-worker Barbara Quintiliano wrote, “The real effort to provide service is the one thing that has remained constant throughout the evolution of her profession, and her favorite aspect of the job was ‘finding what the patron wants’—something all librarians know well as the love of the hunt.” She was a great resource for Villanova University students, faculty, staff, and her Falvey co-workers. As Seibert reflected, “I was lucky enough to work with Jackie for more than 10 years. She never tired of mentoring new staff members and her extensive knowledge of Catholic reference sources, Villanova history, and census data were often a lifeline for me. After she retired we bought season tickets for the Villanova Theatre as a way to stay in touch and we had a great time going to the shows together.”

Her colleague Laura Hutelmyer, former Acquisitions & Electronic Resources Coordinator, expressed her gratitude in working alongside Mirabile. “Jackie was always such a great resource for so many things, but what I appreciated the most were her book recommendations. While we worked together it was easy to find Jackie, discuss our favorite books and get ideas for new reads. When she retired I really missed her and our discussions. Fortunately, one spring I was invited as a guest to the Retiree Luncheon, and there was Jackie! I made a bee line for my book buddy and we picked up right where we left off. When I think of Jackie I will always remember her calm demeanor, her smile, and the friendship we developed over the love of books.”

When she wasn’t reading (or sharing recommendations), Mirabile enjoyed gardening and puzzles—specifically Scrabble. Demian Katz, Director of Library Technology, credits Mirabile with helping to start the first Falvey Library “game lunch,” a tradition that continues with library staff. “I very much enjoyed working with her,” said Katz. “The first iteration of ‘game lunch’ was a small group of us, including Jackie, playing Scrabble on a regular basis. Jackie always won—she was an astonishing Scrabble player—but it was fun regardless of its inevitable end.” Luisa Cywinski, Director of Access Services, often referred to Mirabile as “The Queen of Scrabble.”

Mirabile passed away on Dec. 31, 2021, in Haddonfield, NJ. She was 84. View her full obituary here. For more on Mirabile’s work at Falvey Library, view her retirement announcement. Jackie will be greatly missed at the Library and throughout the community.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

Nicole Daly, Service Desk Coordinator.

Nicole Daly recently joined Access Services as the Service Desk Coordinator. Supporting the University’s teaching, learning, and research goals, Access Services provides a number of services to patrons including access to and maintenance of Falvey’s collections, library information and assistance, support for library equipment and technologies, placement of selected print or scanned materials on Course Reserves and Blackboard, and delivery of materials that are requested through Interlibrary Loan or E-ZBorrow.

“Working in Access Services, you do a bit of everything” said Daly, who works alongside Michael Sgier, Service Desk Coordinator, supervising the service desk and the library’s student employees. “I also manage course reserves, so if there is a specific book or book chapter(s) that a professor would like their students to have access to, I work to ensure that resource is available at Falvey.”

Graduating with a BA in Psychology from Arcadia University, Daly earned a MS in Psychology from Villanova University. Her master’s thesis examined sex differences in susceptibility to stress-induced increases in binge drinking. Daly and her colleagues’ research “Brain 5-HT Deficiency Prevents Antidepressant-Like Effects of High-Fat-Diet and Blocks High-Fat-Diet-Induced GSK3β Phosphorylation in the Hippocampus” was published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience.

While attending Villanova, Daly a native of Bristol, Pa., worked at the Yardley branch of the Bucks County Free Library as a Customer Service Associate. During her academic journey at Villanova, Daly discovered another career path. “I had some wonderful professors at Villanova and they always wanted you to find your fit…your place in the field. Working in a library had always been a passion of mine, and I realized I wanted to pursue a Master’s in Library and Information Science (MLS).” Currently enrolled at San José State University, Daly plans to graduate with her MLS next year, also earning an advanced certificate in Digital Assets with a focus in Data Analytics and Data Driven Decision Making.

Knowing of Daly’s plans to work at an academic library, Abby Cengel, former Falvey Library Access and Collections Coordinator, urged her to apply for an opening at Falvey Library. “I worked with Abby at the Bucks County Free Library, and she urged me to apply for the position. Having worked at Villanova, Abby knew that it would be a great opportunity.”

Her transition from the lab to library provides her with the research background that will inform her future work as a social sciences librarian. “They do work really well together. Working in a library you are the information professional…working to connect and find resources for your community. I was already doing quite a bit of that as a researcher in the field.”

In her free time, Daly enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and baking. “I recently made a cookie dough cheesecake. I’m a big cookie person, so I frequently make a bunch of cookies recipes. I love baking these lemon ricotta cookies (that are supposed to have icing on them) but I always end up eating them before they can be frosted.”

Before the pandemic, Daly and her mother would frequent the cinema multiple times a month to keep up on new releases. Currently she is watching more television and recommends “The Witcher,” “Shadow and Bone,” and “A Discovery of Witches.” She recommends the book series for those screen adaptations as well.

Daly’s desk is located in Access Services on Falvey’s first floor (Email: ndaly3@villanova.edu). Stop by and say hello if you see Daly at the service desk! “I loved Villanova while I was here and I’m happy to have this opportunity at Falvey Library.”

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

Emily Horn recently joined Resource Management and Description as Resource Management and Description Coordinator. Helping to build and cultivate Falvey Library’s collection, Horn assists with acquisitions, licensing, description, discovery, and access to resources for the Villanova University community.

Horn grew up in Lower Merion and attended Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., where she earned a BA in American Studies with a dual minor in religion and writing/rhetoric. Her thesis focused on southern Jewish communities and the Civil Rights Movement. “I was also interested in labor history and examining the way labor activism in fiction interacted.”

After graduating from Trinity, Horn moved to New York and began working as an assistant to a literary agent with the Trident Media Group Literary Agency. “I had a couple of different jobs there…I began working as a receptionist, then became a part-time assistant to an agent specializing in children’s books, and an assistant to the chairman of the agency.” Grateful for the opportunity to learn about the publishing industry, Horn realized she wanted to focus on the talent side of the profession. She took a job with ICM Partners, one of world’s leading talent agencies, working as an assistant to an agent focused on event planning. “ICM represents a number of people across the spectrum, not solely authors. We worked with actors, broadcasters, directors, journalists, and public figures. I managed the contracts and logistics for many speaking events.”

Before joining the Falvey Library staff, Horn worked for Penguin Random House in their speakers bureau coordinating author events. In addition to event management and marketing, she also wrote weekly newsletters and numerous authors biographies. “It was fun to be close to that environment,” said Horn, reflecting on her interactions with a number of prominent authors including Bryan Stevenson (2018-2019 One Book Villanova selection), George R. R. Martin, and her favorite author Ottessa Moshfegh.

Horn’s experience working in events aided her transition to resource management and descriptions coordinator. “[This role] is like solving millions of puzzles. It makes you prioritize: what’s the most important thing, and how do we actually get that thing done? That’s what really intrigued me about this opportunity. I wanted to transition to a more academic environment, but also I liked solving these puzzles. Asking, “Is there another way that would be more efficient to complete a task? Is there a way that accounts for this one exception that always trips us up?'”

Working alongside Danielle Adamowitz, Resource Management and Description Coordinator, and Megan Ausen, Resource Management and Description Coordinator, Horn assists in ordering books that are requested by the campus community and processes those acquisitions across many mediums (books, e-books, streaming videos, etc.). “The actual act of acquiring these things must be as streamlined as possible because every acquisition has a stack of paperwork that goes with it. There’s licensing agreements, invoices, and digital records…numerous things need to happen to acquire a resource.”

In her free time, Horn enjoys reading and writing [at least 500 words daily]. A published author, her first book, Mindful As F**k, was released in October 2020 (Simon & Schuster). Writing a lot of comedy, Horn frequently freelances for Reductress, a women’s joke magazine [similar to The Onion].

“I’m grateful to be at Falvey Library. I really appreciate that everyone is invested in teaching and learning, and that it’s a collaborative and friendly environment.”

Horn’s office is located on Falvey’s second floor. (Email: emily.horn@villanova.edu.)

Her summer reading recommendation is Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe. The book details the Sackler family’s role in the Opioid crisis.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

Danielle Adamowitz recently joined Resource Management and Description as Resource Management and Description Coordinator. Helping to build and cultivate Falvey Library’s collection, Adamowitz manages acquisitions, licensing, description, discovery, and access to resources for the Villanova University community.

Adamowitz grew up in north Jersey and studied English and Education at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. After interning in trade publishing in New York City, Adamowitz moved to south Philadelphia and began working in academic journal publishing full-time. “I’ve always worked on STEM journals in Editorial departments. Most recently, I managed a portfolio of computer science journals and worked with academic editors, authors, and peer reviewers to publish research related to software engineering. I especially enjoyed focusing on accessibility and discoverability of content, as well as ethics cases.”

Volunteering in libraries for many years, Adamowitz volunteered at the William Way LGBT Community Center before joining the Falvey Memorial Library staff. “I’ve wanted to make the move from publishing into libraries for a while, so I’m happy to be at Falvey! I found the opportunity on the Villanova job site, and I was so excited to see a posting that would allow me to use my previous professional and volunteer experience.” Working alongside Emily Horn, Resource Management and Description Coordinator, and Megan Ausen, Resource Management and Description Coordinator, Adamowitz assists in ordering books that are requested by the campus community and processes those acquisitions across many mediums (books, e-books, streaming videos, etc.).

In her free time, Adamowitz loves reading and spending time outside. “Walking, swimming, hiking, gardening, or driving to the beach with my dog. I also love exploring Philly, even after years here–there’s always a new mural or restaurant to discover.” Her office is located on Falvey’s second floor.

(Email: danielle.adamowitz@villanova.edu).

Joining the Falvey staff this summer, Adamowitz is anticipating the fall semester on Villanova’s campus. “I’m looking forward to meeting more faculty, staff, and students in person!”

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

Photo of Jackie Smith courtesy of Rob LeBlanc, First Year Experience & Humanities Librarian.

Imagine being greeted by a Falvey Library staff member every time you entered the building. In the late ’90s, patrons were welcomed by a door checker who would review credentials as Falvey Library was once a government documents depository open to the public weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Jacqueline “Jackie” Smith, Finance & Administration Specialist, recalls the layout of the Library when she began working as a part-time secretary in the Reference Department in 1994.

“Falvey’s first floor was the bulk of the Library. As you came in the main entrance (past the door checker), the Reference and Periodical departments were off to the right [where the Holy Grounds café is now]. The Reference office had one telephone and one computer in the office shared by three staff members. The Griffin Room was the office for periodicals and Speakers’ Corner [once referred to as ‘Tech Services’] was where we catalogued all of the books.”

Smith, currently the Library’s Finance & Administration Specialist, will be retiring on July 9, after more than 26 years of service to Villanova University. She first learned of a job opening at Falvey Library from a friend who saw the posting in the New of Delaware County newspaper. Smith, who was working for her local public library, decided to apply for the position. Working as a part-time secretary in the Reference department, Smith was offered a full-time position in 1995 where she worked in both the Reference department and Tech Services. “Falvey Library was very cohesive…everybody did everything. It was a really great learning environment.”

In 1996, Smith joined Head of Reference, Louise Green (Interim Director, Falvey Library, 1996-2000), in the Director’s Office where she worked until 2000. When Joe Lucia was hired as the new director (2002-2013), Green returned to Head of Reference and Smith returned to her split position, working in Reference and Tech Services juggling multiple projects for both departments. One of her favorite tasks was assisting librarians with class preparations. “When librarians would teach instruction classes, I would type up the exercises [the librarians] had planned to do to get students accustomed to using certain databases and academic resources. That was interesting because I always enjoyed the questions; what exercises the students were doing for different classes. I always learned something new. My entire Falvey career has truly been a wonderful learning experience.”

She also enjoyed her time spent in Special Collections. “I loved going up there. I assisted on the Sherman-Thackara Collection and often I would just sit there in awe looking at the handwriting of those beautiful letters—the language of the letters, the sentimentality that came through was just wonderful. Special Collections was my favorite place at Falvey. Working there was a treat.” In Tech Services, Smith worked on a number of projects—cataloguing books, managing supplies, and bill paying, to name but a few. “We had so many book orders that were all paid by check. We would order through our book vendors, and we would have huge stacks of invoices that would have to be sent for processing. And, of course, everything was on paper back then, so you can image how high the stacks of invoices were.”

In 2005, Smith began working in the Director’s Office as Finance & Administration Specialist, a position she’s held until her retirement. Smith aided in the Library’s transition of book vendors from Blackwell to Yankee. Additionally, she helped develop the current ledger structure in Voyager that Falvey has used since its implementation in 2009. The project, which took Smith and her colleagues years to complete, was a long process of trials and errors.

“It became obvious that the Library needed to have some kind of allocation for purchase orders in order to do a budget for various disciplines and that’s when the Voyager reports began. Trying to collaborate and coordinate the reports was a long ordeal. We had to determine how we wanted Voyager to function—dollar amounts, fund codes for disciplines, etc. It was mainly to get a budget in place because we [Falvey Library] do have bills to pay, so we needed some kind of accounting structure.”

After 26 years at Falvey Library, Smith is looking forward to spending more time with her family and grandchildren. She will be traveling to New Orleans in the fall with her husband and plans to drive to Washington state in the near future. “I’ve never visited the west coast, so I’d like to explore Oregon, Washington, California, and I would like to see the National Parks.” Smith is also the Vice President of the Father John J. Hickey Catholic War Veterans Auxiliary. Her father was a former member, so in his honor, she manages the auxiliary’s youth activities.

Smith enjoys playing board games, especially Scrabble, and plays Trivial Pursuit on Zoom with her cousins who live in England every other weekend. She frequently plays Mahjong with friends (originating in China, Mahjong is a rummy-like game played with tiles rather than cards). Frequently meeting her sisters for meals, Smith recommends visiting “Dining Under the Stars” in Media, Pa. (once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted). She recommends Hidalgo—”They have the best Mexican cuisine.” Catching up on some reading, Smith is excited to begin The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. The novel centers around “four Chinese American immigrant families in San Francisco who start a club [The Joy Luck Club] playing Mahjong for money.”

Reminiscing on her time at Falvey Library, Smith voiced her gratitude for her colleagues. “There are so many people responsible for helping me get to where I am today. From reference librarians, to tech services, to friends in the Library helping me along the way, offering their time and expertise…I just want to say thank you. Its been a wonderful learning experience. I thank everyone who has worked with me for their help and support over these 26 years. I would like to especially thank my fellow Finance & Administration team members. Their help, support, advice, guidance and friendship will never be forgotten and is truly appreciated.”

The entire Falvey staff thanks Smith for her 26 years of service to the Library and Villanova University community! Best wishes, Jackie, and enjoy retirement. Once a Wildcat, Always a Wildcat!

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

By Regina Duffy

There is no denying it: 2020 has been difficult in so many ways. Even Time Magazine agrees. The cover of their December 14 issue boldly states that 2020 is “The Worst Year Ever.” It is hard to argue with that logic. With a worldwide pandemic, the contentious U.S. Presidential Election, as well as other national crises coming to a head, including social and racial justice issues, the unstable economy, and environmental problems, it has been beyond challenging.

The year has affected everyone in some way. If we take the time to reflect on the events of 2020, it can be hard to imagine a better 2021, but I think we should still be hopeful.

Looking for a bit of inspiration, in preparation for this blog I asked the Falvey staff to send “…thoughts about how we all persevered this difficult period and any positive wishes/words of encouragement for the Villanova community as we head into 2021.” When I look back at this, it is a hard task indeed. Did anything good come from 2020? What, if any, positives can we take from this year to make next year and the years that follow better for all?

I got a few responses from staff.

Demian Katz, Director of Library Technology, wrote that “2020 has been an incredibly challenging and exhausting year, but I am optimistic that some of the lessons we’ve learned will continue to benefit us in the future, even after the pandemic subsides. We have all been forced to come up with new strategies for communicating and meeting, and I think some of these things will actually help us to be more efficient and to stay more closely connected in the long term.”

Beaudry Allen, Preservation and Digital Archivist, shared that “…my hope for 2021 is the Villanova community continues to examine and confront the issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus. That the Aequitas: The Presidential Task Force on Race brings forth meaningful changes for all members of the Villanova community.”

Sarah Wingo, English Literature, Theatre, and Romance Languages and Literature Librarian said, “I really don’t have anything to say about perseverance because honestly I think that narrative puts a big shiny bow on a pile of garbage. This year has been hard, it continues to be hard, and the holidays will be hard as many of us will not be able to be with our families this year, everyone is just trying to do their best and make it through. That’s not perseverance, that’s survival. Mostly what I feel as this year draws to a close is relief that so far at least the people I love are safe and well, and gratitude for the support we’ve all been able to give each other through this extremely difficult year.”

I appreciate their honesty and gems of wisdom.

Their words got me thinking. Maybe the best thing to say about 2020 is that it’s almost over and that we muddled through the challenges together. We can acknowledge that it was hard and give ourselves grace. We are doing our best during a time that feels unstable and uncertain on many levels.

We all know that things were different at Villanova this year—We had to ensure a safe semester on campus. Services were modified, mask-wearing was enforced, in-person events were moved to virtual platforms campus-wide. A lot of hard sacrifices had to be made by everyone. The positive news is that faculty, staff, and students worked hard to adapt to the changes for the common good. And it really showed. We were able to successfully complete the fall 2020 semester on campus. Everyone should be proud about that.

Things certainly looked different at Falvey with the book stacks closed for public browsing and some seating removed. However, the Library staff were able to reimagine ways to support the VU community through this time. Throughout the semester, Falvey staff worked to offer some new services, including Contactless pick-up, scanning, virtual service desk, virtual events, as well as virtual librarian consultations. We hope this was a helpful support to the community.

So, while we know that the pandemic and the other tough issues we face aren’t going to magically end with the coming of 2021, hope is not lost. The truth is, we inch closer by continuing to do our best by opening ourselves up to learning, adapting, making hard sacrifices, and always remembering that sometimes it’s OK to be a little easier on ourselves.

Regina Duffy is a Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Memorial Library.

By Regina Duffy

There weren’t many things to celebrate in 2020; however, one thing that we can certainly celebrate is that the holiday season has officially arrived. Despite difficult times, we can take some comfort in sharing some safe and festive holiday traditions and even re-living memories of holidays past.

Like most people, I have some things that I simply must do to commemorate this time of year. Beyond admiring the colorful light displays in my neighborhood and taking my kids to visit Santa at Arasapha Farms, I have a couple days that are dedicated to wrapping presents. It’s just me, a large peppermint mocha latte, and some Christmas classics playing in the background as I tackle a giant pile of presents on the living room floor. No interruptions.

While I can’t say that the wrapping job I do is a great, the process is fun and makes me feel so accomplished.

Are you still looking for some seasonal inspiration? I asked the Falvey Library staff to share some holiday traditions they celebrate as well as their favorite memories.

Sarah Wingo, English Literature, Theatre, and Romance Languages and Literature Librarian: “We don’t have a lot of super specific Christmas traditions, just cozy fires in the fireplace and decorating the Christmas tree. My birthday is December 6, and growing up we’d always decorate gingerbread houses at my birthday parties, the gingerbread my mom and I would bake and assemble ahead of time. This always felt like the start of the holiday season.”

Demian Katz, Director of Library Technology: “It’s kind of ridiculous, but one of my favorite holiday traditions is cleaning out my personal inbox. I maintain a website as a hobby, and I receive a lot of email throughout the year from people with feedback and suggestions, but I never have time to act on them until the holiday break. Every year, I frantically catch up on all those accumulated messages, vow that I will do a better job of keeping up with communication, and then fail completely until the next holiday break.”

Susan Turkel, Social Sciences Librarian: “[I remember the] Christmas break during my first year in college. While I was home, I had all four wisdom teeth removed! So, I spent a few days over the holiday home recovering – watching TV, eating soft food, ice pack held up to my face.” (This is a tough way to spend a holiday break!)

Linda Hauck, Business Librarian: “Every year my kids have performed in Swarthmore Ballet Theatre’s Nutcracker which ran for two weekends in December. Parents were asked to volunteer to set up the theatre, apply makeup to the youngest dancers, and bake and serve fancy cookies at intermission. I’ve been baking Christmas cookies for the occasion for something like 12 years. I’ve had a lot of fun baking cookies to correspond to my daughter’s and son’s roles, including snowflakes, spice cookies, Christmas trees, linzer hearts, and springerle ginger nutcrackers. This year the performance has gone virtual. My daughter is off to college and son opted not to perform, which is just as well because while he still takes class, we don’t have the room in our home for him to dance full out on video. I’ll still be baking cookies to share with the dancers. Some of the other bakers and I will individually package them, and we are planning an outdoor drive by pick up. Sweet memories.”

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who took time to share with us. On behalf of everyone at Falvey Memorial Library, we wish you a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season, however you decide to celebrate this year.

Do you have any special traditions or memories? Drop your comments below to share some of your own holiday magic.

Regina Duffy is Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Memorial Library.