NCompass Live - August. 7, 2019 http://nlc.nebraska.gov/NCompassLive/ SUNY Maritime College's Stephen B. Luce Library is located in a preserved 19th century fort. While working in a fort is certainly cool, it does present myriad challenges for librarians trying to move the Library into the 21st century. This presentation will highlight some of the major and minor challenges of working within a building designed for war, not learning. Presenter: Chante Hope, Student Experience and Outreach Librarian, SUNY Maritime College, Bronx, NY.

1. Life at Fort Schuyler: The Challenges Faced at the SUNY
Maritime College Library
Presented by: Chante Hope
You are
here!
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2. About Me:
● Student Experience and Outreach
Librarian
● Librarian for 10+ years, 2 at Maritime.
● Plan and coordinate events including
Library Lectures Series and Center for
Teaching Excellence Workshops.
● Provide Library Instruction and
Reference One on One Help.
● First Webinar Presentation!
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3. Fort Schuyler
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4. Construction
•Work began in 1833;
finished in 1856
•$740,000 spent on
construction
•Lack of skilled masons
and strikes slowed
construction
•Granite from Greenwich,
CT that was shipped by
schooner
• Irish laborers established
“Schuylerville” in the
Bronx
Fort
Schuyler:
A History
from the
Stephen
B. Luce
Library
Archives
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5. Description •Fort Schuyler is an excellent example
of an early French bastioned fort
•Three bastions were built overlooking
the entrance to the East River
•Shaped like a pentagon. Rumored to
have inspired the design of the U.S.
Pentagon
•Designed to garrison 1,250 men with a
total of 318 pieces of armament
•Tunnels interconnect various rooms in
the Fort. No evidence of tunnels that
extend under Long Island Sound
•No indoor plumbing
•Mess halls and officers quarters were
outside the fort; enlisted personnel
lived inside
Fort
Schuyler:
A History
from the
Stephen
B. Luce
Library
Archives

6. Becoming a College
Since as early 1928, Fort Schuyler had been identified as a
possible shore base for a Maritime Academy, so in 1932, when
it was first announced that the Army would leave the fort, a
proposal was made to New York Governor Franklin D.
Roosevelt.
Many obstacles had to be overcome, including New York
State’s own Robert Moses who wanted to convert the site
into a city park, but ultimately, the Maritime Academy’s
proposal prevailed, and a lease was signed by then
President-elect Roosevelt in 1934.
In 1948, the academy joined SUNY and changed into SUNY
Maritime College.
Fort
Schuyler:
A History
from the
Stephen
B. Luce
Library
Archives

7. About Stephen B. Luce Library
● Named after Stephen Bleecker Luce who was a
U.S. Navy Admiral.
● 2 Floors of a 19th century fort
● Approximately 25,000 Physical Resources
● 25 Full Stacks Shelves
● 15 Front Facing Stacks Shelves
● 12 Desktop Computers
● 2 Scanners
● 2 Printers
● Special Collections: Maritime Heritage Room,
Ship’s Library & Archival Collection
● 25 Ship Models that have have been “gifted” to the
library
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8. Fun Facts
● The Library used to be the
Mess Deck (Cafeteria) and
the original tables are used
today.
● Adjacent to the The
Maritime Industry
Museum.
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9. What challenges do you
think the Stephen B. Luce
Library faces?
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10. The 10 Ten Challenges Academic Librarians Face according to Jen
Cheng of Wiley :
1. Budget
2. Communicating about changes in the library
3. Declining patron request for Content
4. Career Advancement
5. Keeping up with changing technical requirements
6. Understanding research trends and the & the librarian’s role
in the research cycle
7. Staying current on policy changes
8. Managing library operations and tracking staff performance
9. Conveying the value of librarians to researchers
10. Managing continuous transition from a print to a
digital-based collection
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11. 2014 vs. 2019
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12. Circulation/Reference Desk
2014 2019
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13. New Office
2014 2019
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14. 2014 2019
The Long Hall
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15. Cafe to Display Area
2014 2019
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16. 162014
The Long Hall

17. 172019
Academic Success Center

18. 18
Present Day Challenges

19. 19
Uneven granite
makes it hard to
place furniture.

20. 20
Light only comes
from stack fixtures
and desk lamps.

21. 21
Empty shelves and
missing light
fixtures.

22. 22
We’re hot then
we’re cold.

23. Library is located far from the the rest of the rest of campus
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24. Pick a door.. any door!
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25. 25
Cell Phones Don't Work Here!

26. Thank you!!
Contact:
Chante Hope
chope@sunymaritime.edu
p:718-409-7237
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27. Bibliography
(2018, April 11). Field Trip: SUNY Maritime and Fort Schuyler. Retrieved from
https://urbanomnibus.net/2015/08/field-trip-suny-maritime-and-fort-schuyler/
(2019, August 5). Fort Schuyler. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Schuyler
(2019, February 25). The Top 10 Challenges Academic Librarians Face in 2016. Retrieved from
https://www.wiley.com/network/archive/the-top-10-challenges-academic-librarians-face-in-2016
Fort Schuyler (New York City) - 2019 All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos).
Retrieved from
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d671276-Reviews-Fort_Schuyler-New_York_Ci
ty_New_York.html
Maritime Museum. Retrieved from
http://www.sunymaritime.edu/about/visiting-maritime/maritime-museum
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