CORRECTION: The associate dean of the library is Mary Afifi, not Mary Finley. UPDATE at 2 p.m.: The fire alarm was set off by burned popcorn in the library’s kitchen, according to Christina Villalobos, public information officer for CSUN’s police department. Students were evacuated from the Oviatt Library today around 1:10 p.m. when a fire alarm went off in the building. Dozens of people milled around the courtyard in front of the library as employees in orange vests guarded the… Read more

It’s time for libraries to move into the digital era according to speakers at the Oviatt Library’s symposium Revolution of Knowledge: The Digital Order of Things. The event, held Wednesday, was attended by librarians and educators from CSUN and other CSU schools. “It’s going to be important to think about the whole user experience as opposed to just the technology,” said Suzanna Conrad, a digital initiatives librarian from Cal Poly Pomona. Her thoughts were echoed by speaker, Stephen Abram, who… Read more

About 150 students gathered in front of the Oviatt Library Monday afternoon to participate in a viral YouTube sensation known as the Harlem Shake. “I’ve seen the videos and thought they were really entertaining,” said Kanika Vig, public health major. “Once I saw the invite from CSUN students, I had to run to see what was happening.” Students wore costumes, such as a banana, a cowboy, Batman and even a custom made Deadmau5 mask. One of the students, wearing a… Read more

The first Science Fiction magazine is on display at the “Fantastic & Strange” exhibition in the Oviatt library. Mark Joseph, a CSUN instructor in developmental mathematics department was surprised to find the Amazing Stories edited by Hugo Gernsback among the books at the exhibition.“You have to mention that they have the first Science Fiction magazine,” said Joseph. “Some of the old books are marveling.” “Fantastic & Strange” focuses on Science Fiction books from known and unknown writers. Visitors will also… Read more

>>>CORRECTION: The article reads that “students should have at least a 3.5 GPA.” It should read, “Often, students should have a minimum of a 2.0 GPA to qualify for a majority of the CSUN scholarships.”<<<   Scholarships are a way for students to take some of the financial burden out of their often hectic university life. When it comes to CSUN, there is no shortage of available scholarships to students. The Scholarship Department oversees 308 on-campus scholarships with a wide… Read more

Continuous cuts made to California’s higher education system have resulted in ongoing increases to student tuition and fees, but two competing initiatives on the November ballot would earn revenue for schools by raising taxes, which could prevent further cuts. A forum on the November Tax Initiatives held Thursday at the Oviatt Library clarified the benefits and consequences for the state’s education system entailed in Propositions 30 and 38. John Welty, president of California State University, Fresno, spoke in favor of… Read more