UMass Science Fiction Society

UMass Science Fiction Society We are a lending library of around 9000 books located in the basement of the Campus Center 108 in the same area around the Collegian.

The University of Massachusetts Science Fiction Society (UMSFS for short) is the second largest Science Fiction and Fantasy lending library on the east coast. We pride ourselves on having a relaxed atmosphere where students and non-students alike can stop in, relax, and engage in intelligent, if silly and sometimes absurd, conversation. UMSFS is also one of the oldest RSOs on campus, and is home t

o about 9,000 volumes of Science Fiction and Fantasy writing. We are also always on the look out for new books, and new members. We are located in the basement of the Campus center near The Collegian & WMUA; go down the stairs, through the Collegian doors, and we're right down the hallway to the left. Our door is labeled "Sci-Fi Meeting Room". Trust us, you can't miss it.

01/18/2022

Hello all, I wanted to provide an update on the library situation so y'all know where we stand. We tried many different avenues and at this point, there is no realistic path forward to getting a new library space, nor do we expect one to exist in the near future. I know it's upsetting, but it's the reality of the situation. Shy of someone buying us a building on campus, we're not going to get another space. I don't expect there to be another update about the library, but if there is, I'll let y'all know.

Today, UMSFS held an awareness raising event for Apple the horse (pictured in the pen) as the debate over whether or not...
11/19/2021

Today, UMSFS held an awareness raising event for Apple the horse (pictured in the pen) as the debate over whether or not horses exist has been a central focus of UMSFS meetings this semester, and because Apple recently collicked, was hospitalized at Tufts for a week, and racked up considerable medical expenses.

A little background on Apple: she is a miniature horse who is part of The Achieve Collective, a western MA non-profit which teaches people with disabilities how to ride horses. TAC is a small non-profit, so a $3,000 medical bill is a big deal.

If you are interested in supporting TAC, whether or not you believe horses exist, here is a link to the GoFundMe Page for Apple: https://gofund.me/2bc08656

Hi all, we have a new update regarding a future home for UMSFS, and unfortunately, it's not a positive one. We received ...
06/17/2021

Hi all, we have a new update regarding a future home for UMSFS, and unfortunately, it's not a positive one. We received an email yesterday from Vice-Chancellor Brandi Hephner LaBanc, in response to the email we sent to Chancellor Subbaswamy, which essentially said that after our year of temporary storage in Bartlett is over, we may be able to acquire more storage off campus in addition to putting some books in Student Union lockers to "function" as a library. They are not willing to grant us an exception to the new policy that RSOs may not have space on campus. Obviously, this is not a viable solution for UMSFS, as we need a room in order to store our books. Additionally, at the current moment, there is insufficient storage space to keep any of our shelves- another huge issue for UMSFS.

As a result, we have decided to take more drastic action. There will be a news segment between 4:30 and 5 PM EST today airing about our situation on the local Western MA news. We hope to follow this news story up with written statements to the press in various MA newspapers. Here is the written version of the story: https://www.westernmassnews.com/news/umass-science-fiction-society-concerned-for-book-library-after-losing-office-space/article_90857896-cf9b-11eb-9f4a-a343455d5163.html?block_id=994434

We have also set up a change.org petition. We would really appreciate it if you would sign and share this petition as widely as possible. Here is a link: https://tinyurl.com/SaveSciFiLibrary

We are now also calling on our alumni- that's you folks- to contact Chancellor Subbaswamy and explain that the solution proposed is not acceptable and that the UMSFS, along with the Games Hobbyist League and the Anime and Manga Club (who we share a room and library with) require space on campus to keep operating as a library. (If you have ever donated to UMass and feel this would keep you from donating again, we would not be upset if you included this information in your message).

Contact for Chancellor Subbaswamy:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 413-545-2211

If you send an email please bcc [email protected]

Thank you all for your continued support. It really means a lot to the current e-board and members as we continue the fight to operate our library.

Photo 1 Image Description: Several empty wooden shelves that used to be filled with books.
Photo 2 Image Description: Several white boxes against a wall, stacked five boxes high that contain the UMSFS books. This is an image of the storage facility the books will be held in until a more permanent solution is reached.

06/10/2021

Hello all, we have an update on the loss of the room for the Science Fiction Society Library. As of now, it is unlikely that UMSFS will receive an exemption from the new policy of RSOs not being allowed to have space, nor has a new space been identified. Unfortunately, the UMSFS library will be going into indefinite storage, starting June 15th.

We have made some positive progress: we have been working with Johnny Tooson and the SGA, who have been very helpful in negotiating on our behalf and getting us into the conversation. We are very grateful for their help. Additionally, we sent an email to the chancellor's office, and were told today that conversations have begun as a result of the email we sent.

We will let you know once we have any new significant updates. Hopefully they will be positive!

-Elodie

04/06/2021

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the UMass Science Fiction Society is losing its space in the campus center. We are currently in conversation with the university about getting a space for our library, however they currently have a policy against granting RSOs permanent space. If any alumni of the club would be willing to submit a short few sentence testimonial about what the club and the library has meant to you, we would greatly appreciate it and it would show the university how important our club is. You can submit testimonials to [email protected] with your name and class year included. Also If you happen to know where the club library was located when you were a member, it would be very helpful if you included that information as well.

02/06/2020

Come join us, tonight at 7 in the scifi library for filk! Gather as we sing classic science fiction songs or bring your own song for us to sing. See you there!

11/11/2019

Join us tonight in the scifi library at 7 for a showing of Over the Garden Wall!!!
Hope to see you there!

10/17/2019

Join us tonight at 7 in the scifi library for spooky milk and cookies story time! Bring your favorite short stories to read (10 mins or less)! Feel free to bring your own work if you want. The spookier the story the better. Milk and cookies will be provided!

10/10/2019

Who's ready for a spooky good time?! Join us tomorrow at 7 in the scifi library for board games! We'll be playing all our spooky favorites such as Betrayal at the House on the Hill.

10/03/2019

Who's excited for spooktober?
Join us tonight at 7 in the scifi library for a showing of 'Night of the Living Dead'!
It should be a fun and spooky time. We hope you all can make it!

09/19/2019

Hey everyone!
Tonight is our second meeting. That's right! Come on down to the sci-fi library and we'll play a variety of games including a library scavenger hunt. Sounds like fun!
The meeting is 7-9 tonight in the sci-fi library in the basement of the campus center. Hope to see you there!

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Amherst, MA
01003

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