In 2019, a student works on a Mac computer in the Creative Media Studio, located inside the CSUN University Library. File photo by Lee Choo.

The CSUN University Library may be closed for in-person services during this primarily online semester, but Matadors can still access an extensive selection of resources to make the most out of their academic experience this fall.

CSUN students, faculty and staff can access the thousands of electronic books, journals, films and more through the Library’s online database OneSearch. The service isn’t limited to e-books, streaming media and other digital resources. OneSearch also lists physical books and other materials that can be borrowed and sent to users by mail. Exterior lockers, which can be opened using a mobile app, will be available for contactless pickups of books and other physical media. They are expected to be installed next to the library by mid-November.

The University Library continues to curate its digital collections and expand its selection of e-books to include the latest social justice titles and documentation of the recent protests in the Los Angeles area.

Through the library, students also have access to more than 111,800 video titles through many streaming video services, which can also be accessed through OneSearch. These video services include Kanopy, a digital streaming service with a catalogue of films ranging from independent and international cinema to documentaries and other subject-specific films; and Alexander Street, an online platform that houses a selection of films in addition to full-length film scripts, educational videos and more.

Titles that the University Library does not currently have may be requested and borrowed from other libraries through Interlibrary Loan.

CSUN librarians, who are working remotely, can be reached through Ask a Librarian, where Matadors may get their general library- and research-related questions answered via chat, text, email and phone. Subject specialists can also be contacted via phone or email for subject-specific questions.

More than 4,600 CSUN students have attended the nearly 150 virtual library instruction sessions within the first two months of the fall semester alone. Other virtual programming includes exhibits such as “Los Angeles: On Film and On Record,” which examines the different ways the City of Angels is portrayed in movies. The exhibit can be viewed online here until July 30, 2021.

In time for Media Literacy Week, the library also has partnered with CSUN’s Department of Journalism to host a lineup of webinars and discussions related to staying informed during the election season.

The Creative Media Studio, located in the first floor of the library, is offering a number of online resources as well.

Library workstation computers, originally located outside the Creative Media Studio, can be accessed remotely through myCSUNsoftware. Six multimedia workstations and six science and engineering workstations loaded with an array of software, such as Adobe Creative Cloud, Autodesk, Final Draft, Toon Boom, ZBrush and more, are available to students.

The Creative Media Studio is also hosting virtual workshops, which run through November. Topics include 3-D modeling, audio recording, motion graphics, video editing and astrophotography.

Student assistants are also offering one-on-one software help to other Matadors, via Zoom meeting. Fifteen-minute appointments can be made here.

Books, creative media studio, CSUN library, Media Literacy, Oviatt Library