Featured: University Library of the Future

When you imagine the academic library of the future, perhaps in 5, 10, 20 or even 50 years, what comes to mind? Everything digitized, no more print? Help provided by AI services from your phone or digital displays throughout the library? Books and other physical resources delivered to your home by drones? Massive open spaces filled with flexible study furniture, technology, media equipment, and crafting supplies to make “things,” recreational and leisure spaces, including a café? Or, all-digital libraries with the empty buildings converted into classrooms, dorms, or office space?

Featured: Sights and Sounds of Black History Month

This year’s Black History Month event lineup coordinated by the University Library and the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center was met with much anticipation and excitement, as the featured events were fully in-person for the first time since 2019. Musical group The Cookies and photographer Dr. Tara Pixley cherished the opportunity to share their talent with the community.

Featured - Fifty Years of Resilience and Innovation: A Retrospective on the CSUN University Library

As the calendar marks another year, the CSUN University Library (formerly known as the Oviatt Library) approaches a historic milestone—the 50th anniversary of its opening on October 24, 1973. From its inception to its current status as a dynamic hub for learning, innovation, and collaboration, the University Library has seen significant transformations, triumphs, and challenges. This retrospective provides a lens into the Library's rich history and architectural growth, its recovery from natural disasters, and its continuous innovation over the last half-century.

Featured: Bridging Generations - Lindsay Carron’s Tataviam Land Acknowledgment Mural at CSUN

Lindsay Carron is a distinguished artist known for her vibrant murals and dedication to social and environmental justice. She was selected by an American Indian Studies and Art Department faculty juror panel to create the Tataviam land acknowledgment mural, entitled “The Continuum of Time” in the University Library at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Carron’s work often bridges the connection between communities and the land, drawing attention to indigenous cultures and environmental preservation. Her thoughtful and intricate designs reflect a deep respect for nature and indigenous history, making her an ideal choice for this significant project that honors the Tataviam people and their ancestral land.

Featured: Inside the Politics of Low & Slow

Artists, club members, family and friends gathered October 9 at the opening reception for “The Politics of Low & Slow,” an exhibition of lowrider history, art and culture in the Los Angeles area. The exhibit features car club memorabilia, representations in media, paintings commemorating the lowrider car enthusiasts, and much more. We spoke with our guest curator, Professor Denise M. Sandoval, for an inside perspective on the exhibit.

Featured: History Speaks

Special Collections & Archives launched its online exhibit, Past / Personal: Examining Oral History Narratives, presenting a curated selection from oral histories of “individuals who lived through significant historical events, participated in social movements, or experienced cultural trends that have shaped modern sociocultural perspectives.” We asked the curators to give us an overview of the project.

Featured Article: Los Angeles: On Film and On Record - The Library’s First Virtual Exhibit

For its first all-virtual exhibition, the Special Collections & Archives department presents, Los Angeles: On Film and On Record, now through July 30, 2021, which examines a selection of popular films that feature Los Angeles in the storyline and/or setting, and using film clips and digital images of archival and other primary sources, compares their vision to the documentary record of the “real” Los Angeles. Since opening August 22, 2020, the exhibit has had over 3,000 views. In keeping with its virtual genre and the Library’s support of student learning, the exhibit includes links to podcasts created by English students focusing on specific films in the exhibit for their final research assignment in their Honors Seminar class.

Featured Article: Reflections of a Virtual Librarian

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.

Featured - Diversity Check: Removing Dehumanizing Language from the Discovery System

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.

Featured: Study Shines Light on Library Impact on First-Year Students

In a revealing study titled, “Impact of Library Use on First Year Retention and Success,” assessment librarian Laura Wimberley examined two research questions as part of the CSUN Data Champions* initiative:

1. Are first-year students who use library collections and services more likely to return for their second year?
2. Do first-year students who use more library collections and services earn more credits than comparable students who don’t use the library?

Analysis of the records of all 5,214 first-time freshman who entered CSUN in fall 2017 showed highly statistically significant relationships between these variables – in short, yes!