University Library E-News
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.
As of October 2020, the CSUN community has been working and learning remotely for seven months, as has much of California, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Early on in this period, University Archives, a unit within the Library’s Special Collections & Archives launched the Documenting COVID-19 project in an effort to collect expressions of Matadors’ experience during this crisis and preserve them for future generations. Project Archivist April Feldman talked with us about the endeavor.
Contributed by Gina Flores
The CSUN Library, fondly known as the heart of the campus, is tremendously thankful for the amazing student workforce dedicated to supporting our operation during the 2019/2020 academic year. Not only did our student employees make use of the Library's resources themselves, but they also helped to make these resources available to their fellow students, staff, faculty, and community members.
We are proud to announce the 2020 Library Student Employee Scholarship recipients. Thanks to continued donor support, we were able to provide over $25,000 in scholarships to deserving student assistants. The heartfelt appreciation expressed by the awardees demonstrates the priceless sentimental value and powerful impact of this honor.
Besides admiring the work ethic, loyalty, and longevity of long-term Library employees, it’s always a good idea to capture their experiences to create a living history of the major changes that have happened in American academic libraries over the years. Hai-Ling Tang, currently the Web & Digital Support Specialist in the Collection Access Management Services department, has worked for the CSUN Library since 1980 and has been a part of its rapid technological changes.
As I write these words, the sky in Northridge has become dark and ominous from distant fires, perhaps symbolic of the fear and uncertainty that lies beneath the surface for many of us during these challenging days. The spring 2020 pandemic and the early summer societal upheaval surrounding our country’s social justice reckoning have caused many of us to seek out that “one true thing” that can anchor us to solid ground and give us more meaning in our jobs and our personal lives.