Newsletter Edition: Summer 2014
According to Library Dean Mark Stover, the Oviatt Library has partnered with the National Center on Deafness (NCOD) to catalog items in the NCOD Library and make them available for search through the Library’s online catalog for the past several years. “Last year, the NCOD Director, Roz Rosen, approached me about increasing our partnership with NCOD by creating a new Library position that would better serve CSUN students who use the many vital resources in the NCOD Library,” Stover says. The newly created NCOD Library Coordinator position will supervise the NCOD Library in Chisholm Hall and work part of the time in Guest Services at the Oviatt. Anthony Ivankovic officially started work as the NCOD Library Coordinator in the Oviatt Library on May 21, but he is no stranger to the Library or to CSUN.
Anthony was born and raised in Canada and attended the school for the Deaf in Milton, Ontario. After completing high school, Anthony was accepted to Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Television, Film and Photography. Not long after graduation Anthony made his way to California and has been working with the NCOD on a variety of grant funded projects for the past 22 years. In that time he has worked to organize and preserve the largest collection of Deaf-related materials in the western United States. In addition to his oversight of the NCOD Library, Anthony was also responsible for supervising many aspects of the center’s operations.
When asked about how he thinks his new position as NCOD Library Coordinator will impact both NCOD clients and Library patrons, Anthony says, “It benefits both sides – to let them know there is a Deaf staff member on board in the Oviatt Library.” He goes on to say that he hopes that his presence will create more opportunities for collaboration between faculty and students. In terms of the prospect of physically merging the two Libraries, Anthony says, “It would be a dream of mine to be able to move the NCOD Library into the Oviatt.” According to Anthony, the blending of resources into one location would ease access to resources, avoid duplication of Library services, and help to increase the campus community’s exposure to Deaf culture.
It is of course hard to predict what the future holds, and right now Anthony says that he is very busy learning about the many operational aspects of the Oviatt Library’s Guest Services desk. He also mentions that since starting at the Oviatt he has most enjoyed the opportunity to meet new people and the exposure to a wide variety of cultures, adding “It is a very diverse environment.” The Oviatt Library is of course excited about Anthony’s presence as well, and looks forward to how a growing partnership with the NCOD will help to expand the Library’s services and resources. “I see the NCOD library evolving into an organic part of the Oviatt,” says Dean Stover, “and NCOD Library Coordinator Anthony Ivankovic is a crucial part of that evolution.”
When Anthony is away from work, he says that spending time with his family is what he most enjoys. Most of his friends and colleagues call him Tony, and in closing he says that next time you are in the Library, “Don’t be afraid to come up to me – just say hi!”
Hi, Tony! And welcome to the Oviatt family.