Cal State LA Library News - LibGuides at CSU Los Angeles

Meet the dynamic new and highlighted members of the Cal State LA University Library team! This list introduces our diverse faculty, dedicated staff, skilled student assistants, and visionary administration. Each brings unique talents and perspectives, enriching our library's mission to support academic excellence and community engagement.

Faculty Librarian Highlights

Ariana Varela arrived at the University Library as the Head of Learning, Research, and Engagement Services just this month. In this role, Ariana leads the development and assessment of new and innovative services supporting teaching, learning and research and will develop and lead student engagement and library outreach services and strategies. She is interested in critical pedagogy, feminist approaches to library instruction, and creating student-centered services. Prior to Cal State LA, Ariana was the Information Literacy Instruction Librarian in the Teaching and Learning Department at USC. Ariana has a BA in History with an emphasis in Latin American History from the University of San Francisco and a MLIS from San Jose State University. In her free time she enjoys road running, making vegan versions of traditional Mexican dishes, and trying to keep her plants alive. She can be reached at avarel34@calstatela.edu.

Katherine (Katie) Perry joined the University Library as the Social Sciences Librarian in January 2024. Over the past decade, Katie has had various roles in public and academic libraries. She comes to us from our sister campus, CSU Dominguez Hills, where she was a Library Faculty member in the Reference, Instruction, and Outreach Services (RIOS) Department. Katie has a BA in Sociology from CSU Fullerton and an MLIS from San Jose State University. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she enjoys yoga, painting, reading literary fiction, and traveling and camping with friends and family. She can be reached at kperry8@calstatela.edu.

New Team Members (Spring 2024 & Fall 2024)

Britt Burns	Metadata Librarian	Special Collections & Archives
Chris Gedos	Senior Interlibrary Loan Assistant	Operations & User Experience
Cybele Lyle	Assistant Librarian	Library Faculty
David McCaslin	Director	Operations & User Experience
Nicole Pasini	Director of Fiscal Operations and Planning	Library Administration
Katie Perry	Social Sciences Librarian	Library Faculty
Ariana Varela	Head of Learning, Research, and Engagement Services	Library Faculty
Haze Walker	Library Service Desk Evening Coordinator	Operations & User Experience
Caitlin Wilhelm	Electronic Resources Analyst	Collections, Discovery, and Content Management

Recent Posts

Sounds of the Underground

Sounds of the Underground: Cross-departmental Collaboration Brings the History of LA’s Diverse Music Scene to University Archives You’ve heard of the Beach Boys, the Doors, Guns n’ Roses, Dr. Dre, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Tupac Shakur. You’ve probably heard of Bad Religion, Jurassic 5, Ozomatli, and Haim. Cutting across a wide array of genres, all these artists have one thing in common: they formed in Los Angeles.But the list of musicians from LA you haven’t heard of is much, much longer. The independent music scene in LA has been around since the city’s inception, hopeful artists from around the country and around the world flocking here for a chance to hit their big break."quote”Cal State LA University Library has launched a comprehensive archive titled "Sounds of the Underground: Music Scenes in LA from the 1960s-2000s" to shed light on the rich and diverse musical heritage of Los Angeles. Spearheaded by Ethnic Studies Librarian Lettycia Terrones, Head of Special Collections Azalea Camacho, Professor José Anguiano, and Communications Specialist Kelsey Brown, this project aims to document and celebrate the vibrant and lesser-known music scenes that have thrived in LA over the decades. The idea for the archive emerged from a shared passion for music and a recognition of the need to preserve the stories and sounds of LA's underground music scenes. Camacho, Terrones, and Brown often discussed their pasts with LA music scenes, all growing up in the area in the 1990s. Camacho recalled going to a weekly dance club called “A Clockwork Orange” that featured 1980s throwback DJ sets while growing up, while Brown attended indie rock and punk shows in Hollywood and Orange County as a teen in the Inland Empire. Terrones xxxxxxxxx. “Quote about the photos from Azalea”The three reached out to José Anguiano, a professor at Cal State LA with deep knowledge of music history in Los Angeles and cultural studies, with a primary focus on listeners and audiences of popular music and sound cultures of Southern California. “I remember in the 90s, the different music scenes all having a home in LA – rebel, rockabilly, pop, et cetera – all the different clubs or spots that highlighted this music. As a lot of us got older, a lot of these spaces closed, and my friends and I would reminisce about these spaces.” The group kicked off planning in the summer of 2023 for a fall 2023 archive launch, in time for Hispanic Heritage Month that takes place annually from mid-September to mid-October. With help of the University Library, the College of Ethnic Studies, the Cal State LA Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, and the Chicana(o)/Latina(o) Studies Department, the group planned three days of events to celebrate the LA music scenes of the past that have helped shaped our community.“Quote”A talk and Q&A in the Cal State LA theatre by author Ricky Rodriguez kicked off the event series, where he discussed his book "A Kiss Across the Ocean." Rodriguez's work explores the transatlantic connections between punk scenes in the US and the UK, offering valuable insights into the global dimensions of underground music cultures. Day two featured a student and faculty symposium, providing a platform for researchers to present their research on LA's music scenes. Topics covered were varied, from the history of party crews in the 1990s to the statistical analysis of songs played and callers into LA disc jockey Art Laboe’s famous radio show based solely on song dedications. The final day was a performance by two local DJs, Alex Transistor and Argot, alongside a collecting day, where the group invited community members to contribute their own memorabilia and stories. Scanners and cameras were set up by Special Collections and Archives to digitally preserve items that patrons wanted to donate. In the years to come, the archive is expected to grow, incorporating new materials and stories as they emerge. The creators are committed to ensuring that this living archive remains a dynamic and evolving resource, reflecting the ever-changing nature of music and culture in Los Angeles.“Bringing awareness to these types of local archives helps students realize the rich history that not just LA but Cal State LA and the surrounding area had on the music scenes of the past,” Camacho commented. “It connects our community together.”...

Faculty Newsletter - Fall 2024

(saving for full text of fall 2024 newsletter)...

Librarian Helps with Free Tax Workshops

Financial Literacy in Action: Business Librarian and Accounting Professors Partner for Free Tax Workshops This past spring semester, Business and Economics Librarian Summer Peng collaborated with four accounting faculty on the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA). This program trains ACCT 4210D, ACCT 5210D, and other business students to complete actual income tax returns. The students in these courses provided tax form preparation services to local community members with the assistance of mentors and professors during the busy tax season.“The participants are accounting students getting real-world experience in the community,” Peng commented. “Teaching students and connecting their book knowledge to real life scenarios is always really rewarding as an instructor.”From January 27 to April 15, as an embedded librarian, Peng participated on Saturdays. She supported students with taxation resources, educated and advised them on preparing tax returns, provided guidance on locating eligible tax credits and deductions, answered resource-related questions, and assisted with various tax scenarios. She obtained IRS certification in intake/interview, standards of conduct, advanced taxation, and site coordination. “I provide information to community members about understanding the different filing statuses such as single, married filing jointly, head of household, and the like, and how they affect tax rates and eligibility for deductions and credits,” Peng commented about the interactions with the community. “Tax policies can be difficult to understand, and sometimes it's much more beneficial for the person seeking help to get in-person advice rather than having to read a lot of policies and forms.” Peng's involvement extended to multiple sites, including the Cal State LA campus and six off-campus locations. Her higher level of participation offered a practical opportunity to deepen her understanding of her liaison area, engage directly in student learning experiences, develop career-focused materials, and foster stronger relationships with CBE faculty and students. In Spring 2024, the program successfully completed 2,303 tax returns for low- and moderate-income families, highlighting the significant impact of librarian-faculty collaboration on student success and community service. “We're sharing not just tax information but other benefits with the community clients as well, such as CalFresh. I would see, based on their situations, whether or not they were taking advantage of the many public programs that could be available to them,” Peng said. “Our students providing financial literacy education really helped the community, and I saw the direct benefit of that.”...

Library Publications and Grants, 2023-2024

University Library Publications and Grants Awarded, 2023-2024The 2023-2024 academic year has been a remarkable period of scholarly achievement for our library faculty. This list highlights the diverse range of publications and prestigious grants awarded, reflecting the dedication to advancing research and contributing to the broader academic community. From groundbreaking studies in the relationship between information literacy and AI to innovative observations about inclusivity in archiving, our faculty members continue to push the boundaries of knowledge in their respective fields. Works of our faculty in the 2023-2024 academic year include:Ford-Baxter, T. L. (2023). An exploration of two information literacy open learning object repositories: Value, content, and engagement. Communications in Information Literacy, 17(2), 424-450. https://doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2023.17.2.6 Masunaga, J., Peng, L., Ford-Baxter, T., & Faulkner, K. (2023). Information literacy in English-language higher education teaching journals: A review. Communications in Information Literacy, 17(2), 353-377. https://doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2023.17.2.3 Ford-Baxter, T. (2023). Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention’s Environmental Justice Dashboard. In A.L. Adams, Ed. “Environmental & Climate Justice Resources” (pp. 218), Public Services Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228959.2023.2242241 Kim, S., Parsons, S., Franklin, K. Y., & Parker, A. G. (2023). How do Hispanic-Serving Institutions serve Latinx students?: A panel analysis of institutional characteristics and 6-year graduation rates. The AIR Professional File. Article 159. https://doi.org/10.34315/apf1592023Sykes-Kunk, J. C., Camacho, A., & Enriquez, S. (2024). Small axe: Chipping away at special collections barriers to inclusivity. Reference Services Review, 52(1), 100-113. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-03-2023-0032Chaudhuri, J., & Dobry, A. (2023). Sustainability of open-access author fund: A case study of faculty usage patterns and APC cost. Library Philosophy and Practice, 7817.Chaudhuri, J. (2024). Making education affordable for students: A case study of implementation and faculty usage of an open educational resources program. Internet Reference Services Quarterly, 28(2), 153–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875301.2024.2317791Camacho A., Ramirez M., & Terrones, L. (2024). Archives, Libraries, Pedagogy at the California State University, Los Angeles. In S. Browning & M. Soto-Luna (Eds.), Serving Hispanic, Latine, and Latinx students in academic libraries (pp). Litwin Publishing.Archambault, S. G., Ramachandran, S., Acosta, E., & Fu, S. (2024). Ethical dimensions of algorithmic literacy for college students: Case studies and cross-disciplinary connections. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 50(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2024.102865 And grants awarded include:Council on Library and Information Resources, Restoring the Visual Record of Meso-American Artifacts, $499,728 (Principle Investigator (PI): Azalea Camacho)Boise State University, Using XR (Extended Reality), $156,958 (PI: Sheree Fu)United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Inc., Design Resource Collection, $45,000 (PI: Carlos Rodriguez, Dean)DHSI (Title V) Grant, Reclaiming Pedagogy, Community, & Student Success, $3,000,000 (Co-PI: Carlos Rodriguez, Dean)...

University Library Personnel Spotlights & New Team Members - Fall 2024