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University Library E-News: Message from the Dean

Dean Mark Stover

Message from the Dean: Priorities and a Changing Library

Spring 2015

One of my favorite television actresses, Marilu Henner, once said that “Like it or not, the world evolves, priorities change and so do you.”  It’s a simple concept, but the truth is that many of us are fixed in cement once we write down a prioritized list of goals. 

It’s not easy to be flexible with our goals.  We may feel that others will criticize us for weakness or lack of focus.  At the same time, we must take advantage of windows of opportunity and move our current priorities forward with intentionality and speed when an opening appears.

Dean Mark Stover

Message from the Dean: Join in the Transformation

Winter 2014

Winston Churchill, one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century, once said that “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”  I think what he meant by this statement was that the act of giving to people and organizations dear to our hearts enriches not just the recipient but also the giver.  Generosity allows us to see more clearly that the world is much bigger than ourselves.

Dean Mark Stover

Message from the Dean: Grounding the New in Values Tried-and-True

Fall 2014

The 17th century English poet Robert Herrick wrote, “Thus times do shift, each thing his turn does hold; new things succeed, as former things grow old.”

This lyrical wordsmithing by the poet could well describe the Oviatt Library over the past 2 years, and especially this fall season.  Perhaps it is because September often brings with it the beginning of the school year, but many of us associate autumn with change and newness. This issue of the Library eNews will focus on some of the changes in the Oviatt that are re-making our space and bringing new life to an old, familiar place.

Dean Mark Stover

Message from the Dean: Stewarding Beauty and Strength

Summer 2014

Maya Angelou, the great American poet and civil rights activist who passed away earlier this year, said that parents should teach “young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” 

In this issue of the Oviatt Library eNews you will see that there is indeed beauty and strength among the individuals, young and old, who serve CSUN students through the resources, services, and facilities of the Oviatt Library.

Dean Mark Stover

A Message from the Dean: Building Upon the Power of Partnership

Spring 2014

John F. Kennedy once said that “partnership is more than a sharing of power,” and he was right.  Partnership brings together allies who, once combined, form much more than the sum of their individual parts. 

Good partners create new ways of seeing the world and new kinds of initiatives.  Creative partners look beyond the mundane and see a vision for a fruitful future.  Productive partners put aside individual differences, pool resources, and work together for the good of the whole.

Dean Mark Stover

Message from the Dean: Regarding a Philanthropic Ecosystem

Winter 2013

At this time of year, our hearts and minds often turn to giving.  Why is this so?  Some might posit that we think of gifts during this season because the fall and winter holidays often celebrated in the United States -- such as Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas -- bring with them the spirit of giving. 

Others (perhaps the more cynical among us) believe that giving in December has more to do with the end-of-year tax benefits. Regardless the time of year, my own view is that most of us give because we are giving back.

Oviatt Library Dean Mark Stover

Message from the Dean: Expanded Views and a Focused Vision

Fall 2013

When entering the newly renovated Library lobby, the visual changes are nothing short of stunning. When standing just inside the front doors on the south-facing structure, patrons now encounter unobstructed sightlines to the long wall of glass windows on the north side of the building. This newly opened view to the outside gives visitors a sense that the massive edifice that they just entered is somehow miraculously floating just above them. 

As the Oviatt looks toward a future that will undoubtedly bring with it new challenges in how information resources are managed and kept easily accessible, this expanded view will be nice and attractive. What will be necessary, however, is a clearly focused vision.

Dean Mark Stover standing in front of the Oviatt Library

Message from the Dean: Reflecting on Foundations

Summer 2013

If you begin with anything less than a solid foundation, the renovation of any structure can be a tricky enterprise. I believe that this observation regarding the importance of solid underpinnings holds true for both the physical edifice, as well as for the human organization that occupies a building’s interior.

So, while in the midst of a remodeling project that will profoundly change the Library’s physical appearance, and with the ongoing modifications required to keep our infrastructure up-to-date in a digital age, I think it is an apt time to revisit our core values: the true foundation of who we are and what matters to us most.

Mark Stover

Message from the Dean: Everything Oviatt

Spring 2013

One of the things that I love most about being a librarian and library administrator at Cal State Northridge is the knowledge that every day will bring something new and exciting into my life.  This issue of the Oviatt Library E-Newsletter exemplifies that feeling of sheer exhilaration when I think about the wide variety of initiatives that the Library is involved with this year.  

Dean Mark Stover

A Message from the Dean

Winter 2012

University libraries are in a state of tumultuous change today.  Technology has radically changed the way that librarians, students, and faculty think about searching for information. Mobile computing is on the rise, and scholarly communication and publication is becoming a much more open enterprise.  Funding (or the lack thereof) has placed state universities in a precarious situation in regard to planning for the future and sustainability.  Library spaces are evolving from solitary study areas surrounded by hundreds of thousands of books to collaborative spaces where print materials may be superseded in some cases by electronic resources.