April 21, 2015

The CSU announced its intention to award Ex Libris with a contract to implement the company’s Alma library management solution, contingent on successful negotiations with a team comprised of CSU library leaders and Chancellor’s Office staff.

The following is a statement of the California State University Council of Library Deans:

The twenty-three libraries serving nearly 500,000 students and scholars at California State University’s diverse campuses are firmly committed to their mission of providing equitable access to academic and professional information resources to every student and scholar. We are equally committed to the principle of responsible stewardship of the public funds entrusted to us to meet our mission of service to these students and scholars.

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., March 27, 2015) – CSUN’s Oviatt Library Learning Commons has been awarded the San Fernando Valley Business Journal’s Real Estate Award for Higher Education. Every year the San Fernando Valley Business Journal honors the best commercial real estate projects of the previous 18 months, and the Learning Commons was recently recognized as the “Best Public Project” for 2013-2014. The massive reimagining of the Oviatt Library’s lobby and first floor is reflective of the current trend in academic libraries toward creating more collaborative, flexible, and open spaces. The new Learning Commons offers a bright, open, modern setting with flexible work areas, enhanced study spaces featuring ergonomic furniture, laptop and tablet checkout, and interactive digital signage.

Access to Scholarly Journals

Published by CSU Long Beach, Office of the Provost, January 28, 2015

After extensive negotiations over several months, the Council of CSU Library Deans (COLD) unanimously decided against renewing its contract with vendor John Wiley and Sons for a package of 1,300 journals due to significant price increases.

For several years, the CSU system has subscribed to a collection of over 1300 online journals published by Wiley. After multiple rounds of negotiation, the CSU and Wiley were not able to reach an agreement to continue this subscription for 2015, (but access will continue, see below). Please see this statement from the CSU Chancellor’s Office for full details: Equitable Access, Public Stewardship, and Access to Scholarly Information. As noted in the statement, “The terms offered by Wiley and Company would have meant a cost increase of 10-12% across the CSU system: nearly double the average reported 2014 journal inflation rates reported by Library Journal in 2014.” Please see the below frequently asked questions regarding access to Wiley content at CSUF.