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!

What's Up: Environmental Justice Exhibition

The yearlong exhibition launched this past July, Right of Way: Justice and Equity in the Growth of Los Angeles, demonstrates the crucial role the preservation of documents of private citizens, community groups, government projects and political campaigns plays in how we remember our history.  The items selected for the exhibit depict environmental justice as a dimension of the history of the Los Angeles area from the early to late 20th century, both the deleterious conditions that demanded action and the efforts to rectify them.

What's New: Students Celebrate the Creative Media Studio

The Oviatt Library kicked off the fall semester with a festive celebration to honor the five year anniversary of its Creative Media Studio. Past and present CSUN students were invited to submit a project they created in the studio for a showcase competition in five categories: Videography, Photography, Audio, Graphic Design, and 3D Printing. The winners were each awarded a $75 Amazon gift card.

Oviatt Spotlight: Library Scholarships Continue to Foster Success

One of our very favorite events of the year is the annual awarding of scholarships to dedicated student employees on our team. It’s such a rewarding experience we hold close to our hearts, and look forward to each year. Through generous donor support, a $1,000 scholarship is a valuable boost to offset the cost of higher education for students in need.

Thanks and Recognition: Richard Nupoll's Library Legacy of Love

Through the Dr. Karin J. Duran and Richard Nupoll Education Librarian Endowment, this unprecedented bequest will support an Endowed Librarian, who will oversee Oviatt Library collection development as the bibliographer for the TCC in the Oviatt Library, for multiple departments in the Michael D. Eisner College of Education, and for related disciplines in other colleges on the CSUN campus.

We Would Like you to Meet: Chris Salvano

On November 13^th, 2019 we will be celebrating the Grand Opening of the Map Collection (RSVP Today) in its new location and you are cordially invited. We invite you as well to check out ways you can Support the Map Collection, through donations of materials or funds.

Today we'd like you to meet the Oviatt Library Map Collection's Map Curator Chris Salvano. Learn more about how the Map Collection serves the campus in a variety of ways and helps to foster student success.

Message from the Dean: Impacting Students for a Lifetime

I have belonged to many different communities throughout my life.  Sometimes communities are geographical in nature, and with that lens in mind, I have lived in over twenty different neighborhoods.  But just as often, communities are seen through a different lens, whether ethnic, religious, gender identity, or other categories.  Sometimes communities are fluid, and people can pass in and out easily, but other times they have rigid boundaries with circumscribed membership requirements.

The Oviatt Library is in many ways its own community.  This community includes employees (such as our 90 staff and faculty and our 140 student assistants); campus faculty and staff; local users and supporters; and of course, the 38,000 CSUN students who make excellent use of our resources and services.