Summer is here! The days are longer (but the library hours are shorter) and as the weather continues to warm, it’s important to take this time to breath deeply, slow down, and tend to your well-being and mental health. This summer, the CSUN Library wants to encourage you to explore the outdoors! The health benefits of spending time outside and connecting with nature are well-documented, and summer offers a range of enjoyable activities. In this blog post you will find some reading, media, and resource recommendations to help you reconnect with the outdoors.
Of course, it’s important to note with any outdoor activity, that safety is a priority! Choose activities that match your capacity and comfort level, and be sure to check the weather to avoid severe heat exposure or unfavorable air quality (such as with ash after a fire). Wear sunblock, hydrate accordingly, and go with a buddy or a few!
Spend time enjoying CSUN’s many outdoors spaces, from the Botanic garden, to the duck pond, orange grove, or the food G.A.R.D.E.N, where you can pluck a sprig of lavender or rosemary and try one of the aromatherapy tips from CSUN Sustainability Garden Resources.
CSUN campus is a rich environment to explore the outdoors through the lenses ecology and sustainabillity. Deepen your own roots with local resources and initiatives such as Cultivating Local Knowledge
Did you know that the CSUN Library has a collection of hiking guibebooks? CSUN students, staff, and faculty can browse our collection of Southern California trail guides on OneSearch, which includes both print and eBook options! Some highlights from our trail guide collection include:
- Hiking with kids Southern California : 45 great hikes for families (Rivoli, Shelly)
- Urban hikes Southern California : a guide to the state’s greatest urban hiking adventures (Inman, Robert)
- Hollywood escapes : the moviegoer’s guide to exploring Southern California’s great outdoors (Medved, Harry)
- Coastal trails of Southern California : including best dog friendly beaches (Mullally, Linda B)
- Hiking waterfalls Southern California : a guide to the region’s best waterfall hikes (Thomas, Elizabeth)
- Hiking Safety Handbook (Hogling, Art)
Plus, some foraging resources and other guides:
- Field guide to California insects (Will, Kipling, et al)
- California plants : a guide to our iconic flora (Ritter, Matt)
- Foraging Southern California : 118 nutritious, tasty, and abundant foods (Kent, Douglas)
Want to learn more about the intersections of well-being and the outdoors? Embrace the curiosity of the natural world and check out these interdisciplinary book and media recommendations exploring ecological connections of all kinds:
- Nature Rx : improving college-student mental health (Rakow, Donald Andrew; Eells, Gregory T.)
- Braiding sweetgrass : Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants (Kimmerer, Robin Wall)
- Forest talk : how trees communicate (Koch, Melissa)
- “To love the wind and the rain” : African Americans and environmental history
- Adventure therapy : theory, research, and practice (Gass, Michael A.,; Gillis, Lee; Russell, Keith C.)
- The sky and earth touched me : sharing nature wellness exercises (Cornell, Joseph Bharat)
- Voices from Bears Ears : seeking common ground on sacred land (Robinson, Rebecca)
- World as lover, world as self : courage for global justice and ecological renewal
The CSUN Library wishes all students and Matadors a wonderful summer!
