“A few years ago, before COVID-19 and before she retired, I bumped into Robbie and her family at a local ice cream parlor; it was so nice to see her smiling and surrounded by grandchildren. That is how I will remember her.” -Luisa Cywinski, Director of Access Services.

The campus community and Falvey Library are saddened to hear the news of the passing of former library staff member Roberta (Robbie) Rosci on March 7, 2023. She was 68. A resident of Drexel Hill, Pa., Rosci joined Villanova University in 1997. She retired in October 2020, after almost 23 years of service to Falvey Library. David Burke, Metadata Librarian, expressed his gratitude working alongside Rosci in Resource Management & Description. “I admired how she persevered in coming in to work no matter how sick she got (she had Multiple Sclerosis for at least the last 10 years while working at Falvey) and still preserved a friendly, good-natured demeanor.”

Rosci’s “greatest joy in life was being a mother and a grandmother.” Regina Duffy, Communication & Marketing Program Manager, fondly remembers the joy Rosci displayed whenever she spoke of her family and her late husband Michael (Mike) Rosci, Sr. “Robbie was a warm and welcoming presence at Falvey Library. I always enjoyed seeing her at our staff events and chatting about her grandchildren. Talking about them lit up her entire face—she was so proud to be their grandmother. Robbie will be greatly missed by all.”

Her colleague Laura Hutelmyer, former Acquisitions & Electronic Resources Coordinator, expressed her gratitude in working alongside Rosci. “Robbie’s job was to catalog books, but as many books evolved to an online format, Robbie was asked to take on special assignments that required training and perseverance. She always accepted these challenges and worked hard. Even as COVID-19 sent us all to work from home, Robbie attended every morning meeting via cell phone and participated fully, in spite of physical limitations, as part of the team. Robbie was devoted to Falvey Library and, for 23 years, continued a Rosci family Villanova tradition that began with her husband Mike. She was a kind co-worker and a good friend to many in the library.”

Margaret Duffy, Director of Finance & Administration, will remember Rosci for her kindheartedness and friendly smile. “Her family was everything to her…she was always so proud of her boys. As Robbie’s health declined, her husband Mike faithfully brought her to and from work every day, making sure she was settled at her desk, which is where she wanted to be. Robbie was determined to remain active and engaged in work at Falvey Library as long as she was able. I enjoyed sharing our conversations about grandchildren and seeing her at the year-end picnic at the preschool our grandchildren attended together. Robbie was a good friend and colleague at Falvey and will be greatly missed.”

Contributions in Rosci’s memory can be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. View her full obituary here. Robbie will be greatly missed at the Library and throughout the Villanova community.

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

“Every day I would wave to Robbie and her husband Mike as they left Falvey Library. My desk is near a large window and I always looked forward to our brief exchange. They were both kind and generous people.”

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.

Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins. Photo credited to New Line Cinema/WingNut Films.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Wildcats! Instead of swooning over the classic literary romances, this blog celebrates the other relationship we rely on—friendship. Commemorating confidants, Falvey Memorial Library staff shared their favorite novel(s) that spotlight friendship. So, find a comfy spot, grab some coffee (and chocolate), and check out one (or a few) of the recommendations below!

David Burke, Metadata Librarian: “The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien celebrates the friendship between Sam and Frodo.”

Sarah Wingo, Liaison Librarian for English Lit, Theatre, & Romance Languages: “Sam’s friendship to Frodo in The Lord of the Rings trilogy is for me one of the most beautiful friendships in literature. One of the only things I was annoyed with in the movies is Sam abandoning Frodo on the steps of Cirith Ungol, because Sam WOULD NEVER! They get separated in the books, but Sam does not leave Frodo.”

Jeannine Ahern, Finance/Administration Specialist: “I really enjoyed Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah.”

Roberta Pierce, Access & Collections Coordinator: “Firefly Lane—The Netflix adaption is really good.”

Regina Duffy, Communication and Marketing Program Manager: “Becoming by Michelle Obama. I thought it was a really compelling memoir. Michelle talks a lot about the importance of being able to lean on friends in tough times and making sure to keep space for them in her life, even when she thought she was too busy. Being that person of support for your friends is important as well.”

Luisa Cywinski, Director of Access Services: “I’d like to recommend The Help by Kathryn Stockett. The complicated friendship between exploited Black maids and a privileged White woman came across as honest and didn’t lead to a ‘happy ending,’ but instead highlighted the importance of talking about and exposing racism.”

Darren Poley, Associate Director of Research Services: “True Friendship: Where Virtue Become Happiness by John Cuddeback; Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship by Colin Duriez; Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh; The Diary of a Country Priest by Georges Bernanos; The Song of Ronald by an unknown author, translated by Dorothy L. Sayers; The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle; The Adventures of Tintin by Georges Remi; Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen; and The David Story: A Translation with Commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel by Robert Alter.”

Linda Hauck, Business Librarian: “The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes and The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer.”

Joanne Quinn, Director of Communication and Marketing: “Life is good!: Lessons in Joyful Living written by Trixie Koontz. Donna Chadderton sat in the desk next to mine for years when we both worked in Access Services. We talked about interlibrary loan and how much we hated troubleshooting the public computers. But most of all, we traded stories about our golden retrievers. At the time, our family had Duffy, and she and Ron, Professor Emeritus in Villanova’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, had Buddy. When Duffy passed away, she gave me a beautiful little gift book entitled Life is good!: Lessons in Joyful Living written by Trixie Koontz (a golden herself, owned by author Dean Koontz—who I suspect also may have had a hand in writing the book). The book was a treasured token of our friendship, and since Donna retired, I often think of her great dog training advice, her devotion to the Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue (DVGRR), and the many, many conversations we had about our fluffy BFFs.”

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

By Kallie Stahl

This week, the Curious ‘Cat asked Falvey Memorial Library staff,

“What are your plans for winter break?” 

Caroline Sipio, Access and Collections Coordinator

Jesse Flavin, Acquisitions and Electronic Resources Coordinator

Jeannine Ahern, Finance and Administration Specialist

Rob LeBlanc, First Year Experience Librarian

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library. She is traveling home to Ohio for the holidays.