As part of our 2024-2027 Strategic Plan, the SLU Libraries & Museums have made it a priority to enhance our communication with the rest of the university community. To support that goal, we're introducing a twice-quarterly newsletter for faculty and staff to provide insight into our work and the resources we offer.
This month, we’re featuring the Center for Bosnian Studies, new SLU library employees, and art exhibits at SLUMA and MOCRA. An expanded version of each newsletter will be available in the newsletter archives. - Jennifer Nutefall, Dean of Libraries & Museums
Do you have questions, comments, or a topic you’d like to see in this newsletter? Send feedback to Kira Lovell at landmadmin@slu.edu.
This summer, SLU welcomed the Center for Bosnian Studies, a renowned institution that preserves the experiences of Bosnians living in diaspora and supports scholarship about Bosnian history and culture. This includes over 200 oral histories, primarily with survivors of the 1992-1995 Bosnian war and genocide, and the largest collection of Bosnian books, documents, artifacts, and ephemera in North America. These materials have been used in courses on human rights and international studies, and Center staff have demonstrated oral history practices for classes that use the method in their coursework.
Center for Bosnian Studies Director Adna Karamehic-Oates speaks at the ceremony celebrating the center's move from Fontbonne to SLU in May 2025. Photo by Patrick McCarthy.
The Center also partners with university and high school courses and organizes public events related to intolerance, genocide, remembrance, and more. On October 22, the Center will hold its inaugural event at SLU as it recognizes a new recipient of the Civic Courage Award with a ceremony and reception.
The Center for Bosnian Studies was founded as the Bosnian Memory Project at Fontbonne University in 2006, focusing on collecting oral histories from the Bosnian community in St. Louis. Its current name was adopted in 2020 to reflect the Center’s increased scope and impact. The Center’s collections will primarily be housed in Pius XII Memorial Library as part of Saint Louis University Libraries’ Distinctive Collections, and some materials will be integrated into the general circulating collection. Adna Karamehic-Oates, Ph.D., who previously served as director of the Center at Fontbonne, has taken on that role at SLU.
Photo by Patrick McCarthy.
If you are interested in exploring the use of any part of the collections in your course, please contact Adna Karamehic-Oates at adna.karamehicoates@slu.edu and digital archivist Rebecca van Kniest at rebecca.vankniest@slu.edu.
SLU libraries provide access to several news sites for students and employees, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. Visit our News Sources guide to explore available titles.
First Fridays in Grand Center: Enjoy an evening of art and special events with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCRA), Saint Louis University Museum of Art (SLUMA), and other museums and galleries in the Grand Center Arts District. First Fridays in Grand Center takes place on the first Friday of each month, 5-9 p.m. The next event will be October 3.
MOCRA will host a conversation between artist Athena LaTocha and MOCRA Director David Brinker Sunday, October 5, 2-3 p.m. in Anheuser-Busch Auditorium and on Zoom. See below for more information on the MOCRA exhibition that includes LaTocha’s work.
This semester, SLUMA and MOCRA will both exhibit selections from the Gerald R. and Mary Reid Brunstrom Gift of Art from Australia. Mary Reid Brunstrom previously helped organize two exhibits of Australian and Aboriginal art at MOCRA, and in 2024 she made a significant donation of works by Aboriginal and non-Indigenous Australian artists to SLU.
Two exhibits opened at SLUMA in September:
“Intersections” will be on display until May 31, 2026. “From War to the Classroom” will be on display until December 28, 2025.
MOCRA also unveiled two exhibits at the beginning of September:
Both exhibitions will run until December 14, 2025.
Q: What do pages of a 15th century illuminated manuscript, Amelia Earhart's flight record, traditional Bosnian clothing, Betamax tapes, and a 2-inch tall miniature Bible all have in common? A: They will all be on display at the Distinctive Collections & Digital Services faculty and staff open house! Come visit Pius Library on Wednesday, November 12 any time from 12-2 pm for an opportunity to see some of the University's historic treasures in its Archives, Rare Books, Vatican Film Library, Digital Services, and Center for Bosnian Studies. Visitors will also have a chance to try the historic practice of paper marbling. The open house is open to all SLU faculty and staff. Come for prizes, surprises, and a peek at our shared SLU history. We look forward to welcoming you!
Holly Reiter, Head of Research and Teaching, started August 1. Holly came to SLU from Oklahoma State University, and she has more than a decade of experience in academic libraries. Reach out to her if you need help with research support or integrating information literacy instruction into your courses.
She will serve as the interim liaison librarian for African American Studies, Aquinas Institute of Theology, Film Studies, Linguistics, Literatures & Cultures, Philosophy, Theology, Visual and Performing Arts, Women's and Gender Studies, Social Work, and Social Sciences. Contact her at 314-977-3083 or holly.reiter@slu.edu.
Adna Karamehic-Oates has joined the faculty of SLU Libraries & Museums part-time as the director of the Center for Bosnian Studies, a role she previously held at Fontbonne University. She can be contacted at adna.karamehicoates@slu.edu.
Rebecca van Kniest also joined SLU from Fontbonne University. Rebecca served as the project archivist for the Center for Bosnian Studies, and she will continue working with the Center's material as a digital archivist at SLU. Contact Rebecca at 314-977-5492 or rebecca.vankniest@slu.edu.
Susan Fuchs will begin as Health Science Librarian at the Medical Center Library on Monday, October 13. She was previously the Reference and Instruction Librarian at the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy. Susan’s contact information and liaison assignments will be listed in the MCL directory once they become available.
For a full list of library faculty and staff, as well as liaison librarian assignments, visit the directories.