Lauren Slingluff, the new library director at the University of New Haven, has a wall lined with a shelf of books of different genres and time periods, ranging from “War and Peace” to “The Canterbury Tales” to “The History of the Colony of New Haven.” She described that location as “a great Zoom background.” A coffee table in the middle of the room carries fidget toys for students, and her desk contains “Burke’s Peerage,” a mammoth novel offering a comprehensive history of the English royal family which she uses as a laptop stand.

Slingluff has over a decade of experience in collegiate library services. In that time, she served for four years as the associate dean of the University of Connecticut’s library, as well as seven years in multiple roles at Wheaton College Massachusetts.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in religious studies with a minor in gender and sexuality studies and graduated as magna cum laude from St. Lawrence University. She also received her master’s degree in library and information science from Simmons University. Slingluff got her start in librarianship as an undergraduate student, working in her university’s library archives and special collections. Her motivation to continue in the field came from her love for learning.

“When you work in an academic library, you get to learn all the time,” she said “Every time you support someone on their research project, you’re getting to learn about their topic with them.”

Slingluff has over a decade of experience in collegiate library services. In that time, she served for four years as the associate dean of the University of Connecticut’s library, as well as seven years in multiple roles at Wheaton College Massachusetts.

One thing that Slingluff especially appreciates about the University of New Haven is the quaintness of the campus and how it lends itself to an increased dedication to students’ success.

“I was getting tours on campus and people knew each other,” she said. “This is the environment I want to be in: collaborative, creative people [with] a sense of community and a really clear purpose that is all about student success.”

Slingluff is using her first two months as a “listening tour” to find out exactly what the campus community likes and dislikes about the current state of the library. One thing she is looking to implement in future semesters is a variety of “stress-busting” events around midterm and final exams such as board game nights and therapy dog visits, in order to bring students relief during the most stressful times of the academic year.

Many students currently use the library for its auxiliary functions, such as the Center for Learning Resources, Writing Center, group study and printing areas. But it seems that many have lost sight of the primary function of the library: being set free in a labyrinth of literature with the ability to explore texts, where the prevailing noise is merely the whisper in your head as your eyes gloss the pages.

To combat this, Slingluff said that she wants to market the library as more of a place where “the books are front and center,” with the inclusion of leisure reading stations and increased awareness about special collections and archival material. “University should be a time where you are pursuing knowledge and developing yourself as a whole person,” she said. “That means that you get to pursue things that are of interest to you, and the library wants… to make sure that happens.”

In her quest to help create “the library of the future,” Slingluff wants to make the library a more collaborative space where students know that the librarians and staff are committed to aiding them in their academic journey.