Newsletter Edition: Fall 2015
Woodrow Wilson was a political science professor, president of Princeton University, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and president of the United States. In one of his presidential campaigns he used the slogan “The pen is mightier than the sword,” which should endear him to all those who love libraries. But it is another quote from Woodrow Wilson that I want to focus on in this dean’s message.
In a letter to a close friend in 1913, Wilson wrote that “Power consists in one's capacity to link his will with the purpose of others, to lead by reason and a gift of cooperation.” Wilson is saying that partnerships and “interconnectivity” can be powerful tools when fighting for an important cause. I strongly resonate with this thought, because I recognize that the Oviatt Library at CSUN is dependent on collaborative relationships to survive and thrive, both within the academic community and beyond. We serve our students with passion and vigor, but we do not stand alone.
Many of us often talk about the Library as the hub or heart of the campus and community, but there is another metaphor that is also appropriate to use: the Library is analogous to tendons and ligaments in the human body. The events profiled in this issue of the Oviatt Library eNews exemplify the comprehensive -- and impressive -- connective role of university libraries. Our lead article is on a series of events and programs related to Latino Americans and sponsored by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association. This grant has allowed the Oviatt Library to work in concert with a number of public libraries in Los Angeles and several campus departments as well as community associates. Another article in the eNews describes the WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) Speed Career Mentoring event, which allows the Library to connect students (both on campus and from neighboring institutions) to working professionals in a variety of STEM fields – up close and personal. The CSUN Research Fellows Colloquium, profiled in still another eNews article, is a seven-year partnership with Academic Affairs that brings together, here in the Library, researchers from every college on campus. A fourth article in this issue of the eNews reports on the upcoming Tony Gardner Endowment celebration, which highlights the important connection that we steward with Library donors and Friends. And our final article profiles the Volunteer Service Awards where we honor a community member and Friend of the Library, Rita Streimer, at an event sponsored by the University’s Alumni Association.
The broad reach of the Library’s connective array is undeniably important and impactful. As you read the articles in the current issue of the Oviatt Library eNews, I hope that you will consider how you might become a partner with the Library in the educational ecosystem through volunteering, donations, or other forms of support. The Library works hard to provide our students with the services and resources that they need for academic and career success. But we can’t do it alone. We seek collaborations with many others across the spectrum of the campus and beyond. Our students need us, but by the same token we need you, our alumni and friends, to help us serve and support our students.
Mark Stover, Ph.D.
Dean, Oviatt Library
Congratulations, you found the Freud! 
The password for Fall 2015 is Interconnectivity. The first 50 readers who find this Freud and bring the password to the Freudian Sip in the Oviatt Library will receive a free cookie with their purchase.