Category: Services

The Oviatt Library announces the addition of LibAnswers, our new resource for providing instant answers to common questions  and for offering help by email.

You can try out LibAnswers by typing a question into the form at the top of our Ask a Librarian page.  If someone else has asked a similar question, a link to the question with its answer will appear below.   If you don’t find the information you’re looking for, or want to ask a detailed question, you can go directly to http://libanswers.csun.edu, type your question, and click the ASK US button.  You can submit your question by email and receive an answer promptly.

Our Text-A-Librarian Service now has a new number: (818) 900-2965.

Text a Librarian lets you text questions to and receive answers from Oviatt Library reference librarians.

Use Text a Librarian to ask simple, quick questions (up to 160 characters) that can be answered in brief responses (up to 320 characters). If our responses exceed 160 characters, they appear as 2 messages.

Read more about our service at Text-A-Librarian FAQ

The library is open for extended hours during finals week (see Library Hours for the finals schedule).  While food is allowed in the Oviatt Library, smaller snacks are preferable to full meals for less mess.  Please clean up after yourself so that others can enjoy a tidy library.  If you find that someone has left a mess or a spill in the library, please let someone know at the Circulation Desk, located in the lobby of the library, or by calling Circulation at (818) 677-2274.

Check out our comfy new lounge furniture in Music & Media, East Wing, Second Floor. Purchased with funding from the Campus Quality Fee.  Thank you, CSUN students!

Next time you visit http://library.csun.edu on your mobile device, you’ll find the sleek, simplified version of our library web site for mobile users.  Desktop users can check it out at http://library.csun.edu/mobile.

To jump over to the Library’s main web site on your phone, select Full Library Web Site on the bottom red banner.

To return to the mobile site, select Mobile Site on the bottom of any Library web page

Save your students time and money with Library Course Reserves services.  This quick video shows you how.

On March 16, Library group study room 222 was dedicated as the Women In Science and Engineering Study Room in conjunction with a celebration of the Bonita J. Campbell WISE Endowment. View Event Announcement (PDF).

Have a question about the library, your research or anything we can help you with? Just text us!

Text us at 66746 and start the first question you send us with askoviatt.

Example:

askoviatt What are the library hours on Saturdays?

Service hours Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm. (standard message rates apply).  For more information, see our Text a Librarian FAQ

We have listened to your comments about the availability of Group Study Rooms in the Oviatt Library. To make group study rooms available to more students we have made a change in how these rooms can be used.

• Group Study Rooms are available for currently enrolled CSUN and CSU students and can be checked out on a first come, first served basis.
• CSUN students have priority use of rooms.
• During the Fall and Spring semesters, Group Study Rooms will remain locked until an eligible group checks out the room.
• Group Study Rooms 212, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225 on the 2nd floor are reserved for groups of 2 or more.
• Group Study Rooms 312, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325 on the 3rd floor are reserved for groups of 3 or more.
• Group Study Rooms 412, 420, 421, 424, 425 on the 4th floor are reserved for groups of 3 or more.
• Check-out contract must be signed by all members of the study group.
• CSUN and CSU photo IDs, of the required minimum number of students, are held in the Circulation area for the duration of the check-out period.
• The check-out period is 3 hours.
• Groups may renew the room at the due time, if there is no one waiting.
• Rooms may be checked out upon library opening and up to 1 hour prior to library closing.
• If the number of students falls below the required minimum, for 10 minutes or longer, the room reservation may be cancelled and privileges forfeited.
• Maximum occupancy limits must be adhered to or group study room privileges may be lost.
• Windows are not to be covered or obstructed.
• The lights must be on at all times.
• The entire group will lose Group Study Room privileges if a single member violates the University Code of Conduct or Library Rules of Behavior.

You will find more information on Study Rooms in the Library on our Study Rooms page.

Get Library updates, news and more at https://twitter.com/OviattLibrary.

Starting Saturday, May 9, at 8am, the Oviatt Library will be open continuously (24 / 7) during this year’s Spring Semester Finals Week, thanks to student-recommended funding from the CSU, Northridge Campus Quality Fee.

Most Library Service Desks and the Collaboratory will be open 24 / 7 during this period as well. Please go to http://library.csun.edu/About_the_Library/ovhoursspring09.pdf for exceptions to our 24 / 7 schedule and a more detailed listing of Library and Library Service Desk hours during Finals Week.

Thanks to the Campus Quality Fee, the Oviatt Library has a new student study / lounge space in the Northern area of the Reference Room, on the 1st floor. Because the funds came from the students, we want YOUR help in naming this new space!

Please send us your ideas for this space by Friday May 8th, 2009. The winning entry will receive a $50 gift certificate to the Matador Bookstore.*

Send your ideas to: susanna.eng@csun.edu

Please be sure to use your CSUN email address, or include your name and CSUN portal username with your ideas.

*Only entries from current students will be accepted

The Oviatt Library launched its new home page today. It features a “Quick Links” section that points to frequently used services and collections, a tabbed search form from which you can search our catalog, selected databases, digital collections, and the web site, and a highlighted “News” area.  Only the home page itself has changed — we anticipate that the tools and links provided will make the Library’s services and collections easier to discover.  Please give us your feedback using the Library Webmaster email form.

Facebook users — become a fan of the Oviatt Library! Leave a note on our wall or discussion board, or post pictures of the library. You can also add the Oviatt Library Search application, to search the Library catalog from your Facebook profile page.

We’ve added several new features to our Library Catalog.

• Send result to your cell phone
  When you find an item in the catalog you want to retrieve, click the “Send via Text Message” button to send the location, call number, title and author information to your cell phone (your cellular carrier may apply charges; not available for electronic text resources or unbound periodicals)
• Submit your search to WorldCat.org
  If you don’t find what you’re looking for in our catalog, you can submit your search to Open WorldCat by clicking the WorldCat button at the top of the search results screen. If you find the item you want in WorldCat, you’ll be able to use the FindText link to submit an Interlibrary loan request (FindText limited to CSUN users only).
• New Audio and Video
  The “New Audio” and “New DVD/Video” lists are now conveniently linked in the right-hand box on all search screens

On our new Find Articles and Research Data page you will find over 60 pages of librarian-recommended subject-specific databases, with descriptions and links. Each page includes a Multisearch option that allows you to select and search up to 10 databases simultaneously.  Users can save, download, and email records. We believe most will find the new interface more accessible and user-friendly than MetaSearch. 

Items saved under the old MetaSearch cannot be retrieved through Multisearch. For a limited time, you may visit the old MetaSearch interface to download any items saved to our account. Access to MetaSearch will be discontinued October 1, 2007. 

We’ve launched a new version of our library catalog.  Features include a tabbed search interface, a visually enhanced results list, media-type icons, and book jacket images where available.  CSUN users can also now log in to view their library record using their CSUN login ID and password.  For tips on using our Catalog, please see How to Use the Library Catalog.

We now offer subject-specific New Books RSS feeds. In addition, New Audio Recordings and New DVDs/Videos pages have been added to the Music & Media home page. All three will be updated monthly. Find out more about subscribing to RSS feeds on our What is RSS? page.