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The cafe inside the Shapiro Library with students sitting at tables and in chairs in front of a huge glass wall.

Shapiro Library

Whether you’re online or on campus, Shapiro Library supports SNHU students of all kinds. Using innovative services and technologies, the library delivers information and instruction necessary for academic success and lifelong learning.

Shapiro Library provides online access to leading business, science, education, and arts and sciences databases. Our selection of over 250 databases contains full-text journals, magazines, reports and newspapers. In addition to these resources, we also provide information on copyright, intellectual property and open educational resources.

In the off chance you’re in need of an article or book not available in one of our online databases, our interlibrary loan and document delivery will obtain your request and send it electronically or via U.S. mail (for those living outside of Manchester, NH).

Need help conducting research? Contact one of our professional librarians via phone, email or chat and start your own personal research session. You can also find a full list of library contacts.

For students using the main campus, Shapiro Library moved into the Library Learning Commons building on September 2, 2014. In addition to library services, the Library Learning Commons also includes an IT help desk, the Wolak Learning Center, the Zachos Commons Café and the Innovation Lab and Makerspace. This 50,000 square foot, $18 million building is located at the center of campus and provides a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility for students to conduct their academic work.

Library Mission Statement

The mission of Shapiro Library is to promote successful academic careers and lifelong learning through the delivery of information and instruction using innovative services and technologies.

Library Hours

Visit the Shapiro Library's hours and events page to view hours, events, and book a group study room.

Library Faculty

Alex ManusAlex Manus

Vice President of Innovative Knowledge Management | Interim Library Dean

Dr. Alex Manus leads the Office of Knowledge Management and Information Science, in his role as Vice President of Innovative Knowledge Management and Library Interim Dean. Alex has been with the university for almost 15 years. During this time he helped stand up the online academic operations, worked closely with SNHU’s institutional accreditor, NECHE, as well as other programmatic accreditors and helped pave the way for the product organization. Alex teaches in the International Business PhD program as well as in the MBA program. He is working with the Shapiro Library staff and faculty to transform the library into a university-wide asset, the cornerstone of information, research and academic resources at SNHU.

Brian RyckmanBrian Ryckman

Associate Professor / Reference-Instruction Librarian

Prior to joining Southern New Hampshire University as an Assistant Professor and eLearning Library, Brian Ryckman served as a Reference and Instructional Librarian at Nova Southeastern University. During his time at Nova, Ryckman found that library technology was an increasingly important area of focus. He offered specialized instruction in EndNote software and APA citation style, and frequently created online tutorials, help sheets, and library guides using platforms like Libguides and WordPress. Ryckman also served on several committees at Nova, including the Online Media Committee and Website Redesign Committee.

Before joining Nova Southeastern University, Ryckman was the Library Director for Baker College of Owosso, where he was provided leadership and vision for library and campus projects. Ryckman devised and oversaw student-learning outcomes for library instruction sessions, and used his expertise to oversee the collection department and its budget.

Ryckman has also served as an Off-Campus Librarian for Central Michigan University, an Assistant Librarian for Grand Valley State University, and a Reference Librarian, once again for Baker College. He obtained his Master of Library Science degree from Wayne State University in 2006, and his Bachelor of Arts degree in French from Western Michigan University in 2001.

Christopher CooperChristopher Cooper

Associate Dean for Research and Learning

Chris Cooper has worked at the Shapiro Library since 2005 and in his current role as Associate Dean of Research and Learning since 2021. He provides leadership for the library faculty and their work in information literacy, content creation, and program developments.

Cooper majored in Art History and received his Bachelor of Arts from Bates College, his Master of Arts with a 20th Century American and European Art specialization from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and his MSLIS from Syracuse University."

Jennifer HarrisJennifer Harris

Executive Director, Information Science and Emerging Technology

Jennifer Harris joined SNHU in 2013 as emerging technology and systems librarian and has served in her current role since 2021. She is responsible for strategic planning and oversight of information science and emerging technology to support academic operations and university initiatives.

Harris earned her BA in English from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and her MS in Library Science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

Prior to her time at SNHU she worked at Mercyhurst University where she earned a Graduate Certificate in Applied Intelligence.

Josh BeckerJoshua Becker

Information Literacy & Assessment Librarian | Associate Professor

Joshua joined SNHU in 2015 as an information literacy and assessment librarian and assistant professor. He previously held the position of information literacy librarian at Western New England University’s D’Amour Library.

Becker received Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and History from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Boston University, and a Master of Library and Information Science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois.

Becker’s presentations include ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries) 2013 Biennial Conference.  Moderated Roundtable Discussion: Partnering with Faculty in a Student’s Major:  Successfully Promoting IL Instruction in the Disciplines.

Professional memberships include American Library Association and American College and Research Libraries. 

Karin HeffernanKarin Heffernan

Associate Professor / Reference-Instruction Librarian

Karin Heffernan joined SNHU in early 2016, bringing with her over a decade of library experience. Most recently serving as a Reference and Instruction Librarian at the respected Danforth Library at New England College in Henniker, NH, Heffernan also spent time as a Library Assistant at Proctor Academy’s Lovejoy Library in Andover, NH.

Heffernan holds degrees from a number of institutions, including a BA from Middlebury College, a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Rhode Island GSLIS, and a Master of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Over the years, Heffernan has been active within a variety of extracurricular fields, including athletics, performing arts, event planning, and volunteer work. Even before holding a formal role, Heffernan spent years volunteering with the Tracy Memorial Library in New London, NH, designing and teaching a wide variety of programs designed to engage both children and adults.

Shana M. ChartierShana M. Chartier

Reference and Instruction Librarian / Associate Professor

Reference and Instruction Librarian and Assistant Professor Shana Chartier joins SNHU with over five years of experience in campus libraries. Since 2012, she has served as an education resource librarian for Rivier University in Nashua, NH. Prior to that, she spent a year at Rasmussen College as a campus librarian.

Chartier has literary knowledge that goes far beyond the library. She is a published author, and her debut novel "Past Lives" was published in November, 2015. She also has extensive experience producing web content, including social media and blog postings. Among other things, she has produced guest blog posts on parenting for "The Today Show" and written several pieces for the Chicago Examiner.

Chartier earned a B.A. in Political Science from The University of New Hampshire in 2008, as well as an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Simmons College in 2010.

Steve RobichaudSteve Robichaud

Associate Dean of University Library

Steve Robichaud joined SNHU in 2008 as Technical Services Librarian and currently serves as Associate Dean Of University Library. In his current position, he oversees a number of University Library Services Teams including Collection Development, Information Services, Resource Sharing, Cataloging and Discovery and the Innovation Lab and Makerspace.

Prior to SNHU, Robichaud held positions at Clemson University and Fitchburg State College. He received his BA from Fitchburg State College and his MLIS from Simmons College.

Trisha PrevettTrisha Prevett

eLearning Librarian | Associate Professor

Trisha has worked at the Shapiro Library since 2014 and has been embedded in SNHU Online since July 2017. She focuses on integrating Shapiro Library resources and principles of information literacy into the SNHU curriculum and supporting student success with research processes. Prevett also teaches general education courses for SNHU Online. Prior to 2014, Prevett was a reference librarian at Nova Southeastern University. Prevett received her Bachelor of Arts in English/Secondary Education from Merrimack College and her Master of Library Science and Information Studies with a concentration in Information Literacy from the University of Rhode Island. Professional affiliations include: the American Libraries Association, Association of College & Research Libraries Distance Learning and Instruction Section and EDUCAUSE.

SNHU Archives

The SNHU Archives is an online institutional repository providing open, worldwide access to faculty and student research and materials related to the history of the University. The Academic Archive was initially made possible by a $500,000 National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Collection highlights include:

The library is constantly seeking additional materials to expand the archive. Ongoing projects include the digitization of student newspapers, university photographs, and additional faculty papers. If you have materials that should be included in the archive, please contact Ellen Phillips, Director of Open Educational Resources and Intellectual Property at e.phillips@snhu.edu.