Libraries thrilled to host DukePlays party

It was a great pleasure for Duke University Libraries to host DukePlays: The Party! Friday night. It was the Duke community at its best: a diverse crowd (and it was a crowd!) of undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, faculty, staff, administrators and trustees, meeting, talking, laughing, learning and reminiscing about Duke history as they studied the exhibits of images from the University archives, having a great time together. This memorable evening confirmed that the library, the intellectual center for Duke students, can also be a social focus. Students spend countless hours in Perkins/Bostock/von der Heyden studying; why not party there once in a while?

I would like to thank seniors Rachel Weeks and Haley Hoffman, who sparked the idea for The Party and raised the funds that made it happen. Their contagious enthusiasm spread rapidly. Ilene Nelson, the Libraries' Director of Communications, deserves special mention too, for her hard work from the inception of the idea all the way into the early hours of Feb. 24. Our thanks also go out to all the volunteers, whose help was key in making the event such a success. And I would like to acknowledge the encouragement of Professor Bob Korstad, chair of the faculty Library Council, who understands very well the multifaceted role the Libraries play at Duke.

Deborah Jakubs

University Librarian, Vice Provost for Library Affairs