Library Newsletter - Fall 2025

In a time when facts are contested, safe housing is not guaranteed, and the college affordability gap continues to widen, one truth remains: the University Library is a welcoming, supportive environment with a steadfast commitment to student and faculty success.

Each fall semester, we open our doors to a new generation of researchers. Our goal is to delight and support you—often in ways you didn’t even know were possible on our campus. We'll connect you to research databases and a rich collection of books and journals in your field, help you find study spaces that fit your mood, and teach you how to critically evaluate information, use AI tools, and locate the perfect citations. Library experts are here to help you get what you need, when you need it.

Beyond helping you find the book you didn’t know existed, we offer spaces and services designed to elevate your learning and prepare you for life beyond college:

Library Website

The University Library’s website is your central hub for research, learning, and discovery. It offers easy access to academic databases, books and e-books, journals, and research guides tailored to your field of study. You can reserve study spaces, connect with expert librarians for one-on-one help, access selected textbooks and other course materials, and stay updated on workshops and events. Whether you're on campus or learning remotely, the website is designed to support your academic success anytime, anywhere.

Gerth Special Collections & University Archives

Step into collections that broaden your understanding of history and identity. Explore the Japanese American Archival Collection to witness the impact of internment and government betrayal. Dive into politics and art through the lens of poster design in our Royal Chicano Air Force Posters and the Sacramento Rock and Radio Collection. No matter your field of study, we have something “special” for you.

StingerStudio Makerspace

StingerStudio equips students with skills, experiences, and connections essential for success in a knowledge-driven economy. We provide access to supplies and equipment—at no cost—so that all students, regardless of financial means, can develop workforce-ready skills.

Data | Tech Lab

The University Library’s Data | Tech Lab supports faculty in learning data analytics, artificial intelligence, and data visualization tools for research and instruction. We invite faculty to join an interdisciplinary community of data practitioners and innovators from across campus.

This fall, come visit, connect, and make yourself at home. We have your next favorite study spot and are here to ensure your time on campus is intellectually rich, inspiring, and rewarding. We can’t wait to see you!

Summer Youth Academies

Over the summer, StingerStudio Makerspace welcomed Sacramento-area middle and high school students to their Maker Youth Academies.

Part of the College of Continuing Education’s Summer Youth Academy, StingerStudio led two making workshops: Introduction to 3D Printing and Design, and Maker Studies – Product Design. The workshops gave students the opportunity to work with StingerStudio’s 3D printers and other making equipment as they go through the design process, from idea to design to prototype.

In addition to making skills, these weeklong workshops introduce students to the University Library and the Sacramento State campus, hopefully exciting and inspiring future Hornets.

Summer Staff Mini – Retreats

This summer Sac State employees were invited to let their imaginations fly at StingerStudio maker mini-retreats.

Crafts varied from engraved nameplates to customized shoes and totes, with additional “appetizer projects” like button-making and key chain decoration. Visitors included Peak Adventures, the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and the library’s own User Services department. “This was such a fun time, and I highly recommend other departments consider this as a retreat in the future,” said department head Rachael-Joy Davis.

Fall Activities at StingerStudio

StingerStudio Makerspace is open to all Sacramento State students, faculty, and staff. To learn more about StingerStudio, visit our website.

Located on the first floor of the University Library, User Services is a dynamic department that serves our diverse campus community’s needs related to library access, information, research, study space, and more. Here are two key services that exemplify our commitment to supporting academic success:

Course Reserves

Faculty partnerships make our Course Reserves service possible! By placing required course materials on reserve, you ensure students have affordable, convenient access to required resources. This collaborative service reduces textbook costs while helping ensure students have access to the materials they need to succeed. If you are ready to place materials on reserve, use our Course Reserve Request form to get started.

Interlibrary Loan Services

CSU+ is the library’s resource sharing requesting service. CSU+ offers students, faculty, and staff access to materials from other libraries worldwide. When our collections don’t have what you need, we’ll do our best to get it for you—supporting your teaching, learning, and research with fast, seamless access. Learn more about CSU+.

A new AI literacy tutorial, created by Sac State librarians Samantha McClellan and Emily Merrifield, is a part of a larger project "AI Across the Sacramento State Writing Curriculum: Collaborative Interventions for Student Success" with Angela Clark-Oates and Angela Laflen, funded by the CSU AI Educational Innovations Challenge grant.

Hosted in Canvas Commons, the tutorial provides a scaffolded introduction to key concepts in Generative AI through a mix of videos, hand-on activities, and reflection exercises. Topics explored include the foundational technology behind Generative AI, which facilitates a better understanding of its limitations and ethical considerations. The tutorial also emphasizes critical thinking, strategies to evaluate AI-generated content, and ethical use of GenAI for academic coursework. Whether students are new to GenAI or are looking to become more informed users, this self-paced tutorial equips them with the knowledge and skills to critically engage with Generative AI in their academic and personal lives. Currently the tutorial has limited access. We will share how to connect to it, should it open to a wider audience.

Japanese American Archival Collection (JAAC) Undergraduate Research Travel Grant

Gerth Special Collections & University Archives (SCUA) welcomed two awardees of the JAAC Undergraduate Research Travel Grant, Nathaniel Jeffords and Latasha Neal.

Jeffords is a student at Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Ohio. His research project, "From Fields to Archives: Preserving the Stories of Japanese American Farmers," will connect primary source material from the JAAC to the Kansha History Project, exploring a deeper understanding of the family, community, and agricultural lives of regional farmers before World War II.

Neal is a student at California State University, Monterey Bay. Her research project, "Finding Harmony: Music and Identity in the Issei, Nisei, and Beyond," will explore the cultural and ethnic identities of Issei and Nisei Japanese Americans through an examination of their musical engagement during the internment camps.

Both researchers spent the month of July looking at material from the JAAC and attending community events, including the Florin Obon Festival and the Sacramento premiere of League of Dreams, a documentary about the history of the Japanese American Citizens League.

Applications for summer 2026 will open soon. For information on how to apply, visit our website.

Hellenic Research Fellowship Program (HRFP)

Now in its 13th year, the Hellenic Research Fellows and Writers-in-Residence program is pleased to announce this year’s Research Fellows and Writers-in-Residence:

Research Fellows

• Foteini Kalantzi, "The Greek-American Diaspora and Its Influence on U.S.-Greece Relations: The Role of the Greek-American Lobby in Foreign Policy and Diplomacy in the Post-1974 Era"
• Elif Neyzi, "Imperial Monasteries of Constantinople (1261–1453)"
• Athanasios (Nassos) Papalexandrou, "Greek Antiquities as Diplomatic Gifts in Greek-US Political Relationships after WWII"

Writers-in-Residence

• Alexandra Kostoulas, "Persephone Stolen"
• Anna Moschovakis, "The Seventh Book, or Prudence and Elektra in '24"
• Gianni Skaragas, "The Prospect of Blue"

Celebrating Archives Month this Fall at SCUA

October is Archives Month, and this year SCUA will celebrate at the Sacramento Archives Crawl and with an on-campus Open House! On Saturday, Oct. 4, our archivists will be at the Sacramento Public Library showing material from the archives. Stop by and take the opportunity to view fun and historical materials, and ask about the work of archiving. Join SCUA for an Open House on Thursday, Oct. 16 from 3:00 – 5:00 PM. We will open our doors to showcase materials from the archives and answer any questions or chat about Sac State and Sacramento history. Take a moment during the Homecoming festivities to visit.

This fall, the University Library is launching the Open Research Project, a series that asks what it means to make research more open and how that can benefit our campus community. Open Research is not just for the sciences. It is about sharing knowledge widely, collaborating easily, and creating inclusive ways to do research across all disciplines.

Funded by The Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA), this project supports a team from the University Library: Melissa Cardenas-Dow, Alicia Zuniga, Ariell Lomax, Brenda Carrillo, Jennifer O’Neal-Watts, and Mary-Kate Finnegan leading three events this fall:

• Sep. 25, 4:30-5:30 PM | Introduction to Open Research Practices
• Oct. 21, 4:30-5:30 PM | Pratical Tools for Open Research
• Nov. 18, 4:30-6:30 PM | Panel Discussion – Local Knowledge, Lasting Impact: Open Research Across the Region

Event details and exciting giveaway items, coming soon!

Want to learn more or get involved? Check out the Open Research at Sac State guide.

Learn more about the ORCA initiative behind this project.

The first CSU Libraries Conference – “Collaboration. Stronger Together” – took place at three CSU campuses and online on June 3. University Library librarians and staff made sure Sacramento State was well-represented, with eight different presentations across a marathon day.

Thank you to our 15 presenters for sharing your work and knowledge with the CSU Library community:

• “Covid-19 Asian American Oral History Project: Sacramento State Library Collection Development through Collaborative Student Projects” (Melissa Cardenas-Dow, Ariell Lomax, William Gow, Grace Declines)
• “Creating an optimized strategy for research production and analysis for CSU librarians collaborating across multiple campuses” (Dawn Hackman, Rachel Keiko Stark, Yuqi He, Essy Barroso-Ramirez, Cat Ellis)
• “CSU Archives & Archivists Roundtable: Putting Communities of Practice to Practice” (Ryan Browar, Jennifer Fabbi, Lynn Sanborn, Carly Marino)
• “Guardians of Access: Collaborative Preservation of Government Information” (Megan Graewinghott, Ben Amata)
• “In It Together: Sustaining a Shared Service Desk Model” (Shana Higgins, Kelly Ann Sam, Graciel Aragon, Andrea Guidara, Jamie Lamberti, Rachael-Joy Davis, Anne Bradley)
• “I’ve Got Sunshine on a Cloudy Fiscal Year: Improving Staff Morale through Committee Events” (Brianna Loughlin, Ademidun Adejobi)
• “Library Workshops that Work: Design, Outreach, and Sustainability” (Mary-Kate Finnegan, Samantha McClellan, Alicia Zuniga)
• “Stronger Together: The Role of Special Collections in Ethical and Sustainable Library Fundraising” (Katie Richardson, Sarah Allison, Ellen Jarosz)

Your generosity helps build our University Library, support our students, and enrich our community. Strengthen the Library by becoming a donor at any level—whether through unrestricted funds or by endowing a collection that reflects your intellectual passion and shares it with the world. In times of limited state funding, your contributions enable us to better fulfill our mission.

We extend heartfelt gratitude to our Friends of the Library, whose dedication and support through the Book Bin help fund the purchase and acquisition of vital library materials.