This fall we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Merrill-Cazier Library. One question that I am regularly asked is whether I ever had the chance to experience the “old” Merrill Library—and I’m always delighted when people share their memories of pranks, proposals, or the Fish Bowl. I did indeed begin my career at Utah State University in that building, and I treasure my own recollections of the canyon views, assisting students with our then extensive print reference collection, and navigating the wonderfully quirky Special Collections spaces.
In the fall of 2005, I was an Assistant Librarian and helped open our new building—intentionally designed to be bright, open, and flexible, with collaborative areas that reflected a modern vision for academic learning. At that time, the innovative design of our BARN, which now compactly houses more than half a million items, facilitated our ability to retain print collections while opening valuable space for student engagement. When visitors walk through our building today, they consistently remark on how beautiful and welcoming it is, and how energizing it is to see so many students studying, creating, and working together.
Time has proven how forward-thinking the design truly was. Twenty years ago, I could not have imagined podcast studios and 3-D printers drawing students into what is now our vibrant Innovation Hub. We have also welcomed in university collaborators such as the Writing Center and the Center for Academic Belonging & Learning Excellence (ABLE) to enhance students’ access to academic support in our space since we have become such a hub for student life. And we have incorporated amenities like a Clutch and Go and a special room for small children to accommodate the busy lives our students lead. Finally, while twenty years ago we felt cutting-edge simply by permitting food in the building and opening a café, I certainly did not foresee the day when nearly 2,000 first-year students would gather here for a pizza party with dirty sodas—and stand in line to ride a mechanical bull.
Two decades on, the Merrill-Cazier Library remains the heart of campus: a place to learn, create, collaborate, and connect. As we honor our past and serve the needs of today’s scholars, creators, and community members, I am excited for the next chapter in our story—and deeply grateful to our Friends for being part of it.
Jennifer Duncan, Dean of Libraries
David Advent Scholarly Communication Librarian
David Advent joined the Merrill-Cazier Library team this summer as the Scholarly Communication Librarian for the Research Publishing & Impact unit. In this role, he helps researchers from all disciplines navigate the scholarly publishing process with a focus on copyright and open access publishing.
David is brand new to Utah, moving to Cache Valley from Madison, Wisconsin. Originally from western North Carolina, David received his MLIS from UW-Madison and a MA in Literature from Florida State University. His research ranges from book history to issues of space/time in Harlem Renaissance literature to copyright literacy in graduate students.
Outside of work, David is an avid tennis and pickleball player and is very much looking forward to the upcoming ski season! He also enjoys rock hunting, antique book shopping, and creating book art.
Niyonta N. Chowdhury Evening Supervisor
Niyonta N. Chowdhury joined the Merrill-Cazier Library team this fall as the Evening Supervisor for the Access Services unit. In this role, they help keep the library running smoothly during evening and weekend hours—overseeing circulation, student staff, and the occasional technology mystery.
Niyonta is a Ph.D. candidate in Data Science and Research Methodology at USU, advancing literature in understanding how Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion work and faculty representation in higher education relate to undergraduate student retention and success. They have worked across campus in student support, student belonging, inclusive excellence, and more.
Niyonta loves research and scientific inquiry, coaching and mentoring, creative audio-making and creative storytelling, Scrabble, and long walks with whichever favorite pup they’re currently sitting.
After Hours
Event
Gives First-Year Students a Rowdy Howdy
Our fourth annual After Hours event was our most ambitious, fun, and successful yet. Every year, Library After Hours exclusively welcomes first-year students to explore the library, connect with staff, and discover key services and resources such as the Innovation Hub, Research Help, Special Collections & Archives, ABLE, the USU Writing Center, and the Logan City Library System. This year’s After Hours celebrated USU history with western-themed activities like a mechanical bull, hobby horse races, escape rooms, and a photo booth.
Year after year, After Hours makes a measurable difference in helping the library and its staff feel more accessible to students, empowering them to feel more confident and comfortable using the space and leveraging the USU Libraries' vast expertise and services to support their education, research, and holistic development.
First-Year students enjoy hobby-horsing (top right), escape rooms (bottom right), and a mechanical bull (bottom left) at this year's Library After Hours event.
Merrill-Cazier Library Celebrates 20 Years
of Curiosity and Community
This year, the USU Libraries celebrates the Merrill-Cazier Library’s 20th anniversary. The library opened its door after two and a half years of work, $40.8 million in construction costs, and the relocation of over 1.5 million volumes. Seven key concepts guided its design and spaces: Integration, Interaction, Flexibility, Connectivity, Functionality, Aesthetic Appeal, and Engaging. All of which were designed to ensure our campus community had a long-lasting space that could evolve with students and faculty’s needs and emerging technological trends
Today, the Merrill-Cazier Library continues to prove itself a necessary and increasingly vital space for the community as it meets the needs of present and future generations of students. This is highlighted by our recent opening of our Innovation Hub and the incorporation of the Office of Academic Belonging & Learning Excellence into our space. The building remains a locus for engaging with ideas and with one another, and by connecting the university community to resources, the Merrill-Cazier Library is the intellectual center of campus.
Library staff hand out birthday cake to a crowd of library patrons excited to celebrate the Merrill-Cazier Library building's 20th Anniversary.
USU Libraries' Outdoor Recreation Archive Informs Publication
Utah State University Libraries’ The Outdoor Archive, co-authored by Manuscript Curator Clint Pumphrey and Chase Anderson, Industry Relations Manager for the Outdoor Product Design and Development Program, celebrates a century of outdoor brand creativity through the pages and covers that defined adventure. Drawing from the Libraries’ Outdoor Recreation Archive, this visually stunning book highlights more than seventy iconic brands, from Columbia to The North Face, capturing how design, photography, and storytelling evolved alongside the spirit of exploration.
Featuring essays from leading photographers, designers, and athletes such as Chris Burkard, Jeff Staple, and Conrad Anker, The Outdoor Archive connects the artistry of outdoor branding with the cultural legacy it helped build. Each page invites readers to see the outdoors not just as a backdrop, but as a creative frontier.
This work exemplifies USU Libraries’ national leadership in preserving and interpreting outdoor recreation history, made possible by the expertise and vision of faculty and staff like Clint Pumphrey and Chase Anderson. The Outdoor Archive stands as both an inspiring resource for designers and a testament to the Libraries’ role in keeping the visual heritage of outdoor culture alive.
Have You Seen this Bull?
Animals at USU and the Search for GUS
In conjunction with the Special Collections & Archives exhibit, Animals at USU, the University Archives is collecting oral histories related to Gus the Bull. Utah State University’s live bull mascot, GUS (Go Utah State!), became an iconic symbol of Aggie pride in the mid-1970s. After the USU Athletic Council approved the bull as the official mascot in 1974, a nine-month-old bull was purchased and named GUS by student vote in 1976.
Known for his appearances at football games, parades, and spirited antics, GUS embodied the university’s agricultural heritage and community spirit. By 1980, managing a live bull became challenging, and USU transitioned to a costumed student mascot, GUS II, which eventually evolved into today’s Big Blue.
The University Archives is actively seeking stories, photographs, documents, and memorabilia related to GUS and GUS II. Alumni and community members are also invited to share their memories through oral histories.
If you'd like to contribute, please contact University Archivist Kelly Rovegno at kelly.rovegno@usu.edu
CONVERSATIONAL CHEMISTRY
The Science Behind Social Interaction
Dr. Stephanie Borrie, a professor of speech pathology and director of the Human Interaction Lab at Utah State University, presented an engaging lecture to over fifty students, faculty, and community attendees for this fall's Friends of the Merrill-Cazier Library Lecture Series.
Drawing from her National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research with people who have speech disorders related to neurological conditions, Dr. Borrie discussed the behavior patterns that facilitate meaningful communication. She shared insights into why and how disruptions occur and offered strategies for how communication partners can work together to improve success—showing that conversations truly take two.
Attendees gained valuable insight into the complex collaboration and coordination required for social interactions and how conversations shape the relationships and connections we share with one another.
Over fifty attendees enjoyed refreshments, music, and conversation at this fall's Friends of the Merrill-Cazier Library Lecture Series.
Team History: The Latter-day Saint Historical Enterprise, 1986–2025
On September 18, 2025, more than 200 community members filled Utah State University’s Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall for this year’s Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Lecture. The evening featured renowned historian Richard E. Turley Jr., whose work has profoundly shaped the study and preservation of Latter-day Saint history.
In his lecture, Team History: The Latter-day Saint Historical Enterprise, 1986–2025, Turley reflected on nearly four decades of collaborative efforts that transformed how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints researches, documents, and shares its history. Drawing from his leadership of the Church History and Family History Departments, he offered both an insider’s view of institutional change and a compelling case for the power of teamwork in historical scholarship.
Jennifer Duncan, Dean of Libraries, praised Turley's message: “Particularly as a librarian, I loved Rick’s sharing the impressive accomplishments of our colleagues in the Church History Department and all the many ways they are working to preserve our shared past for future researchers. Their work is a true gift to society.”
The annual Arrington Lecture, hosted by USU Libraries, honors the legacy of historian Leonard J. Arrington and celebrates the ongoing pursuit of rigorous, communityminded historical research.
Turley, a former managing director of Church History and Family History for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, brings over forty years of experience to the Arrington Mormon History Lecture.
Turley discusses efforts to recover rare daguerreotypes stolen from the Church Historical Department in the early 1980s.
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