REMEMBER WHEN
On My Nightstand By Andrea Stanfield
My work as an academic librarian places a lot of emphasis on scholarly research and empirical studies, but as a born English major, I recognize other ways of knowing about the world because of my lifelong love of fiction. Queens has a dynamic Friends of the Library (FOL) group that brings a wide variety of authors to Charlotte. I arrived at Queens in the middle of the 2023 fall semester, and, sadly, I missed Rebecca Schenck’s talk about her book “I Have Some Questions for You.” Her novel also happened to be the first book I read for the book club I joined when I got to Charlotte, and I had plenty of questions I would have liked to ask about that novel!
Fortunately, I was able to check out “The Caretaker” here at Everett Library and read it before Ron Rash’s visit as part of FOL’s March Book and Author event. I have since added his books “Serena” and “Above the Waterfall” to my list. Book and Author features two writers, so I also discovered Fiona Davis’s “The Spectacular,” which takes place in 1957 in New York City. I love
Competition Heated Up in ‘The Oven’
stories set in New York and in keeping with that theme, I am currently reading Xochitl Gonzalez’s “Olga Dies Dreaming,” set in New York in 2017. Since summer is approaching, I’ll be consulting my “to read” list at Goodreads and making a reading plan for the second half of the year. All suggestions are welcome!
Photo courtesy of Everet Library, Queens University Archives
Before the pristine, three-story Levine Center for Wellness and Recreation was erected at Queens, there was the Ovens Athletic Center. It was home to the Queens basketball and volleyball teams, a frequent host to NBA basketball team practices and, as many may remember, a building that lived up to its nickname, “The Oven.”
The Oven was known for its warm indoor temperatures because it was built without air conditioning. It accommodated a full-sized indoor basketball court with bleachers on only one side that could barely hold all the fans. It was oſten overflowing during Homecoming, and some considered it a tough arena for opponents to play in with the heat.
Andrea Stanfield is the director of Everett Library and the Dorothy Colmer Bailey Librarian at Queens. She has over 15 years of experience in academic libraries and has published and presented on the topics of training students for peer reference activities and using active learning in information literacy instruction.
Not only did the temperature of the environment provide a home team advantage for Queens, but the fans always did their part as well. At one point, there was a “Lazy Boy” section of sofas, conveniently located courtside where select students would taunt the opposing team. And, of course, there was the memorable voice of Professor Emily Seelbinder that announced many of the games.
While the Ovens gym is no longer in existence, the electric energy at the games continues to be a part of each athletic experience at the modern-day Levine Center. Go Royals!
—Charmain Lewis ’98 SPRiNG 2024 3
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