Charles E. Shain Library

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Charles E. Shain Library

The main library at Connecticut College

06/19/2026

This Juneteenth we are reading, learning, and growing 📖🎉 These titles offer perspectives on Black history, culture, resistance, and triumph. Explore Shain Library or your local library to find more titles to add to your TBR! 📚

06/17/2026

Who said the library is just for studying?☀️😎 Our digital collections allow you to binge audiobooks, stream theatrical performances, learn a language, or kick back with a magazine. Let us know how you are using the library this summer! ☺️📖

06/11/2026

The Linda Lear Center and Arboretum staff recently rediscovered the story of how the Washington Entrance to the Arboretum came to be from a certificate of authenticity regarding the Washington Elms planted. On this day in 1932, the Garden Clubs of Connecticut presented Connecticut College with four Washington Elm trees to be placed at the newly constructed Arboretum entrance. The entrance’s construction was made possible by a $2,007 donation from the Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution. After the dedication ceremony, College President Katharine Blunt and the Executive Committee of the Connecticut Arboretum announced the formal appointment of Professor George S. Avery as director, marking a significant moment in the College’s Arboretum history.

Today, one of the four original trees survives; it is a large healthy tree unscathed by Dutch Elm Disease which has devastated millions of trees. As we celebrate the 94th anniversary of the dedication ceremony, we also recognize the significance of the Washington Elm trees. The original Washington Elm was present at birth of the nation when George Washington took control of the Continental Army on July 3, 1775 on the town commons of Cambridge, MA. Although this tree fell in 1923, many clones and descendants were grown and distributed throughout the United States in 1932 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Washington’s birth. It only seems fitting to have a Washington Elm witness the history of the Arboretum’s growth.

06/03/2026

It’s Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️, and we are spotlighting stories that celebrate, educate, and inspire!☀️From groundbreaking memoirs to page-turning fiction, these titles showcase the diversity and resilience of LGBTQIA+ communities. Explore Shain Library or your local library to find more titles to add to your TBR! 👀📚

06/01/2026

Over the weekend, Connecticut College welcomed alumni back to campus for reunion festivities! The Linda Lear Center hosted “Become Part of Conn History: Tell Your Story for the College Archives,” an oral history project where alumni captured and preserved their memories of their time at Connecticut College.

We’re grateful to everyone who participated and shared their stories. Pictured are a few of the alumni and interviewers who made this year’s project possible:

1. Anne Baade, class of 1981, and Drew Ketterer, class of 1971
2. Joe Mastrangelo, class of 1976, and Judy Heldman Oxman, class of 1971
3. Ashley Hanson, class of 1982, and Eva Cahalan Shea, class of 1991
4. Dr. Patricia Di**le, class of 1976, and Bailey Rodgers, Linda Lear Special Collections Librarian

All oral histories are transcribed and added to Digital Commons, where anyone can access them online. Oral histories from previous years are available now. Keep an eye out for these new stories coming soon!

05/27/2026

Happy 119th birthday to Rachel Carson, the scientist and writer who changed how we see our relationship with the natural world 🌊✨

The Shain Library and Lear Center are honored to steward The Linda Lear Collection of Rachel Carson, a remarkable archive compiled by Carson’s biographer, Dr. Linda Lear. The collection includes oral histories from Carson’s colleagues, personal correspondences, and Dr. Lear’s research notes.

The collection is open for research at the Linda Lear Center. Whether you’re a scholar, student, or environmental advocate, these materials offer an intimate look at Carson’s life and lasting impact.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” —Rachel Carson 🌿

05/17/2026

Congrats on finished the spring semester! 🎉🎓Now, let’s tackle those summer goals together. We are open all summer with spaces to work, research, and recharge. Our hours may vary for holidays, so check the link in our bio for the most up-to-date schedule. 🗓️

05/15/2026

We’re still basking in the evidence of all your hard work 📖💪 Thanks for making the library your go-to-study spot during finals! The dedication, the focus, the hustle 🥳👏 You crushed it, Camels! 💙

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New London, CT

Telephone

+18604392655

Website

http://libraries.conncoll.edu/

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