Oviatt Spotlight: Special Thanks to our Library Student Employees
eNews Edition: Fall 2020
Contributed by Gina Flores
The CSUN Library, fondly known as the heart of the campus, is tremendously thankful for the amazing student workforce dedicated to supporting our operation during the 2019/2020 academic year. Not only did our student employees make use of the Library's resources themselves, but they also helped to make these resources available to their fellow students, staff, faculty, and community members.
What's New: Documenting COVID-19 at CSUN
eNews Edition: Fall 2020
As of October 2020, the CSUN community has been working and learning remotely for seven months, as has much of California, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Early on in this period, University Archives, a unit within the Library’s Special Collections & Archives launched the Documenting COVID-19 project in an effort to collect expressions of Matadors’ experience during this crisis and preserve them for future generations. Project Archivist April Feldman talked with us about the endeavor.
Featured Article: Reflections of a Virtual Librarian
eNews Edition: Fall 2020
Librarian Liz Cheney was ready and responsive to a quick adaptation when the CSUN Library closed the building under pandemic guidelines in March 2020. She thoughtfully shared her perspective on the transition to serving the CSUN community virtually.
Thanks & Recognition: Recent Retirees
eNews Edition: Spring 2020
In December, four longstanding employees of the Oviatt Library bid farewell to embark on their next chapter: retirement. As integral members of our team with memorable comradery and collaboration along the way, these members of our team are surely missed!
Message from the Dean: Resilience in Seasons of Stress
eNews Edition: Spring 2020
Nelson Mandela, the great South African political leader and statesman once said: “Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” And that is the essence of resilience: the ability to bounce back from adversity, not just once, but multiple times. Resilience is a core value for leaders at CSUN; an excerpt from the University’s Leadership Principles states that a leader at CSUN “perseveres even when faced with challenges or setbacks.” Perhaps we focus on it so much because it is in the DNA of our institution, going back to the Northridge earthquake of 1994.
We Would Like you to Meet: Crystal Johnson, LA as Subject Resident Archivist
eNews Edition: Spring 2020
The LA as Subject residency and training program is a collaborative effort between the LA as Subject alliance and the libraries of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), CSUN, and USC, and is made possible through a generous grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The program provides training and experience for three recent Masters in Library and Information Science graduates as well as staff and volunteers at 30 L.A. as Subject member archives in skills related to digital collections management and access.
In Memoriam: Bernice Haber
eNews Edition: Spring 2020
As a volunteer at CSUN since 1991, Bernice was a beloved Friends of the Library board member. She once shared, “Volunteering enlarges my own life, and keeps me connected to the campus and young people. Promoting education and the arts rounds me out as a person.”
Oviatt Spotlight: The Richard Cross Collection
eNews Edition: Spring 2020
In this Oviatt Spotlight, we’re zooming in on a significant project in the Library's Tom & Ethel Bradley Center, where the talented team is digitizing thousands of images by American photojournalist Richard Cross. This Q & A with Dr. José Luis Benavides takes us behind the scenes of this project.
What's New: Library Events, Looking Back and Looking Forward
eNews Edition: Spring 2020
Of our many services, one that is sorely missed are our in person events. Last year was full of a lot of highlights, whether it was guest authors, finals relaxation events, panels, or film screenings -- they garnered new experiences, mentoring, and educational opportunities, and a lot of fun along the way.
Featured - Diversity Check: Removing Dehumanizing Language from the Discovery System
eNews Edition: Spring 2020
Ordinarily one might not find library subject headings particularly fascinating, but the Oviatt Library’s OneSearch discovery system has a new story to tell that radically changes the way students engage with information on critical topics. Thanks to the collaborative work of Luiz Mendes, chair of the the Library’s Collection Access and Management Systems department, and Israel Yanez, a cataloger at CSU Sacramento Library, in the display of certain library search results, illegal aliens has become undocumented immigrants.