Reflecting on Chapman’s Homecoming Weekend 2015, the
Leatherby Libraries
would like to thank all who attended our wonderful events and the families that visited Chapman University! The Leatherby Libraries was well-represented this year with several compelling talks and entertaining celebrations.

Friday

homecoming-004
If you were unable to attend the library’s Friday lectures, we are here to tell you what you missed out on! In the morning, Doug Dechow, Ph.D., Leatherby Libraries, and Jana Remy, Ph.D., 
Wilkinson College
discussed the highly interdisciplinary field of digital humanities. At Chapman University, digital humanities can be found in the classroom in the form of new digital humanities courses—English 521: Humanities Computing and English 584: Introduction to the Digital Humanities—and in research projects such as the digitization and analysis of the University’s War Letters Archive (WLA), a part of the
Center for American Letters
. The two professors explained all aspects of D.H. and showcased the way Chapman has adopted this method of research and problem-solving.

Later that day, Dean Charlene Baldwin met with members of the Chapman community for her event, Dialogue with the Dean. In the
Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections &
Archives
, students have a chance to interact with history and scholarship at a more immediate level by looking at original documents and artifacts from the past. At Dean Baldwin’s talk, guests handled some of the library’s most unique treasures—and learned how the library remains relevant in a university in the 21st century.



 

Saturday



On Saturday, the library hosted its second Homecoming Book Sale and Author Showcase on the Attallah Piazza. This sale brought in over $500 for the library’s use, selling gently used books throughout the day. Families coming back from Chapman 5K or attending the Chili Cook-Off enjoyed browsing through the books.

The Book Sale had many Chapman alumni tabling throughout the day.
Rick Grimes
’68 was our special guest at the booth, selling his book Heather and Buddy Go to School along with Classroom Construction. From noon to 2pm, the author
Kevin Staniec
’01 and Ryan Gattis hosted a booth for
Black Hill
Press/1888
as authors presented their individual publications. Representing the independent publishing house were: Jon-Barrett Ingels ’01,
How to Succeed by Failing
, Kate St. Clair ’16,
Spelled
, and Brett Arnold ’10,
Avalon
. From 2-4pm, Karyn Planett ’70 and Geoff Thompson were at the table, promoting their book, 
How to Capture Your Travel Stories in Words and Pictures.
 Finishing the event, alumnus
Seth Casteel
’03 was at the library table celebrating the success of his
Underwater Babies
!



 

Inside the library, the Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives and
Sala
and Aron Samueli Holocaust Memorial Library
hosted an open house from 1pm-4pm. This allowed families, students, and visitors to explore the arts and treasures of the beautiful Leatherby Libraries, meet some of the staff and librarians, and learn more about the many programs, awards, benefits and services offered to Chapman University graduate and undergraduate students, alumni, faculty and community members. A self-guided tour of the arts and displays of the Leatherby Libraries was also available.



Thanks to all who visited, attended our events and contributed to this homecoming weekend to make it such a success!