Events and Exhibits: Upcoming Events

Murray Library looks forward to hosting events during the 2024-25 academic year.  All events are free to attend, unless noted ($).
All Messiah Students and Messiah Employees are welcome to join us for these events.

Any events open to the public are noted.

Take a look at the library’s past events and displays!

Upcoming events for Spring 2025

• Trivia Night:
  • Friday, January 24, 7 PM
  • Doors open at 6:45 and trivia starts at 7 PM
  • Put your knowledge to the test at Trivia Night!  We’ll have four rounds of trivia to test your knowledge in a variety of categories. Gather with your friends to form a team or join up with friendly folks when you arrive. Teams can include up to six players. Awesome prizes await the top three teams! Snacks provided, too.
• Exploring Civil Rights Through Artifacts: David Crane at Messiah University
  • Monday, February 3, 7 PM - David Crane, author of Making the Movement: How Activists Fought for Civil Rights with Buttons, Fliers, Pins, and Posters, will speak in Hostetter Chapel, sharing insights into how grassroots activism shaped the Civil Rights Movement through creative and powerful messaging.
  • Co-Sponsored by Messiah Press, Murray Library, the Office of Diversity Affairs, and the Department of Art and Design
  • Crane's traveling museum of artifacts, a fascinating collection of memorabilia from the era that highlights the role of design and storytelling in social justice movements, will be on display in Murray Library from January 24 - February 4.
• Pages in Peace: A Read-What-You-Want Book Club
  • Friday, January 31, 3:30-4:30 PM (Library Athenaeum)
  • Bring your own book or choose from our suggestions
  • Grab a snack
  • Read for about 45 minutes
  • ​​​​Share what you're reading with fellow book lovers
• Bingo Night
  • Co-Hosted with the Office of Sustainability
  • Friday, February 7
  • Doors open at 6:45 and bingo starts at 7 PM
  • 10 Rounds of Bingo with prizes for each round. All bingo supplies will be edible or biodegradable for a sustainable good time. Snacks provided!
• Humanities Symposium: Living Digitally
  • Loving to read: Initiating positive reading habits in a digital childhood: Wednesday, February 19, 7 PM

  • Today’s children are learning to use technology before they learn to read, but reading is still a fundamental skill for success in school and in life. How do children learn to read and learn to love reading in a digital world?

  • Literacy Education Professor Sarah Fischer, Ph.D. will introduce the science and scholarship surrounding learning to read.

  • Panel conversation consisting of a parent, student, and librarians will discuss the ways in which they have negotiated the challenges and rewards when helping children develop an identity as a reader. Panelists: Janet Vogel, Sarah K. Myers, Emily Reed

  • Story time and activities for children will be provided in the library's Athenaeum. Hosted by MU pre-education students.

• Mini Golf in the Stacks
  • Friday, March 28, 5:15-8:15 PM
  • Create a mini golf hole for this year’s Mini Golf in the Stacks. We are looking for some creative holes that show off what you are doing in your corner of campus - students can design holes that promote their major, clubs can show off what they have to offer or departments can let students know what opportunities there are for them. It’s truly up to you!
  • Contact Sarah at smyers@messiah.edu to get your questions answered or to sign up to create a hole.
  • Tee times for attending mini golf coming in March!
• Sow and Grow: March 20
• 7th Annual Living Library: April 9
  • Immerse yourself in the pages of the books right in front of you. The 7th annual Living Library Project is where Messiah students, faculty and staff become open books, sharing their personal stories with readers. The Living Library is designed to build a positive framework for conversations that can challenge stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue. The Living Library is a place where real people are on loan to readers.
  • Sign up to be a book.
    • Do you have a story to share? Please consider participating as a “book” in the Living Library at the Murray Library. As a living book, you would be sharing your story with others (small group – less than 10 people) in the Messiah University community in a moderated 25-minute session. Please complete this application to be a book no later than Friday, March 7. https://messiah.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_37v5VgYD9SA3g5D
  • Questions may be directed to Dr. Todd Allen, VP for Diversity Affairs, at tallen@messiah.edu or to librarian Liz Kielley at ekielley@messiah.edu.
• National Library Week 2025: April 6-12
• Poetry reading
  • Tuesday, April 15, Noon to 12:45 PM

  • Take a break, and bring your lunch or just your love for poetry! In honor of National Poetry Month, students from Dr. Matt Roth’s Formal Poetry Workshop (ENGL 312) will be reading their original compositions in Cafe Diem. Enjoy the creativity of our student poets, sip on coffee refreshments, and immerse yourself in the beauty of language.

  • As a special bonus, attendees will be invited to take home free poetry books, provided by a generous donor.

• Alix Gates Honors Presentation: April 23, 3 PM
• Exam Cram during Finals: May 4-6
• Grad Night for the Class of 2024: May 8

Stay up to date on Murray Library's activities!

Instagram: @MUMurrayLibrary

Facebook: Search for MUMurrayLibrary

Contact: Library@messiah.edu

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Messiah University may at times use photographs, audio and/or video recordings of employees and students for purposes of education, publicity and student recruitment on behalf of the university, via the Internet, print publications and other media. Should an employee or student (or the parents or guardians of such persons who are under the age 18) NOT want to be photographed or recorded, or have his/her name or “directory” information used in connection with any such recording, that person must notify the university in writing. Individuals who choose to opt-out are also responsible for removing themselves from areas in which photography and/or recording is taking place, or notifying the camera operator of their opt-out status. Failure to do so may result in that individual’s inclusion in a photograph or recording and will be treated as consent for the university to utilize that photograph or recording accordingly.