Graduate Student Orientations

If you are new to CSUN, we encourage you to utilize our Slideshow Orientation. It will provide you with useful information that will assist you in being successful in your first year at CSUN.

The orientation will be sent to all incoming graduate students as a five-part series starting on Friday, July 5th. Select 2024 to view all of the Slides.

Please see below this year's orientation schedule:

• Part 1 Welcome
• Part 2 How to Achieve Academic Success & Graduate Student Essentials
• Part 3 Graduate Student Events & Part 4 Funding Opportunities & Frequently Used Campus Departments
• Part 5 Campus Resources

Finally, we encourage you to complete a brief survey; your response will help us improve the orientation experience for future students.

The New Graduate Student Orientation serves as an overview of the campus and the many resources we offer. As a part of your introduction to the University, we have invited campus representatives, including all college Deans, to welcome you and discuss ways you may benefit from their services.

Event details are listed below:

Date: Tuesday, August 20th
Time: 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Location: Via Zoom

Campus Departments Participating in the Orientation

• Financial Aid Office
• Klotz Student Health Center
• Office of Graduate Studies
• University Counseling Office
• University Library
• University Student Union

Please select 2024 RSVP Form to register for the event. All incoming graduate students will receive an email notification in August to RSVP for the event.

Please select 2024 Orientation to view this year's video presentation and slides.

1. What are your hours of operation?

• For the Fall 2024 semester:
• M-F 8:00am-10:00pm
• Sat 12:00pm-5:00pm
• Sun 12:00pm-8:00pm

This may change and your best bet is to check the library’s website: https://library.csun.edu/hours

2. How do students check out materials from the library?

Your CSUN Matacard is your library card. You can come to the library and pick up books in person. You can also use our Online Catalog, OneSearch, to request that we get the book for you and you can pick it up from our lockers. 

Most books have a checkout period of 16 weeks. 

In addition to books, you can also check out devices, scores, audio/visual materials, and more.

More info on renewals, returns, and more. 

3. What are some of the services available specifically for graduate students?

We have Graduate Study Rooms on the Garden Level and on the 4th floor of the library. 

Graduate Students have access to the Graduate Study Room, located on the lower level, in addition to the individual graduate rooms located along the north side of the 4th floor. Keys to these rooms may be obtained at the Guest Services Desk (in the lobby of the library). Graduate Students may also check out a key to a 4th floor grad study room at the Guest Services desk or reserve individual or group study rooms (with two or more students). 

More about how to book individual and group study rooms

4. What is the garden level?

The Garden Level is a fancy word for the basement of the library. It is where the Ferman Presentation Room and the Graduate Study Room are located. 

5. How to purchase/rent books?

You can’t purchase books from the library. We check them out to you for free. See above for how to check out books from the library. If you need to purchase textbooks, you can do that through the Campus Store. 

6. What resources are available in person at the university library?

• Creative Maker Studio: The Creative Maker Studio (CMS) is an exploratory space where students of any major can have access to hands-on multimedia design and production tools at no extra cost! There’s 3-D printing, an audio recording room, media editing stations, sewing machines, a craft corner, and more! 
• Technology: We have desktop computers (mac and PC), tech device checkouts (chargers, calculators, headphones etc.), printing, scanning, collaborative study areas. We also run the campus Device Loaner Program (laptops, tablets, and hotspots).  
• InterLibrary Loan: Interlibrary Loan is a free service provided to obtain materials needed for research that are not available in the University Library. 
• Study areas: Study tables and seating are located throughout the library. Most of the main, 2nd, and 3rd floor are “collaborative” spaces, meaning it will not be a quiet space,and students are allowed to talk and work together. 4th floor is a quiet area, and we even have a Quiet Study Lounge on the 4th floor, East Wing. More info on noise in the library
• Special Collections & Archives: Special Collections & Archives is the home of CSUN's rare books and periodicals, and its archival and manuscript collections. Archival and manuscript collections can consist of many different kinds of materials, including correspondence, diaries, maps, university records, organizational records, photographs, and audio or video recordings. 

In Special Collections & Archives users can perform research, engage in classes using primary sources, and view exhibitions. Our collections are available to researchers in a supervised reading room. We welcome users, and ask for understanding concerning our special procedures, which are designed to ensure these collections are available in the future.

(https://library.csun.edu/sca)

• University Library Map Collection: The CSUN University Library Map Collection holds a research-level collection of approximately 400,000 historical and government maps, aerial photographs, atlases, and geospatial data that support research on campus. While holdings are international in scope, the collection emphasizes Western Americana, particularly maps of California, Los Angeles County, and the San Fernando Valley. The Map Library Reading Room (Rm. 26) is an open study space available to all patrons and includes a scholarly collection of books and atlases available for browsing.
• Research support: Librarians are available to help you with your research, either in person at the reference desk, online through 24/7 chat, by email, or in-person or zoom consultations with your subject librarian. 

7. Do Library privileges extend into Summer and breaks?

As long as you are registered for classes for the following semester, your library privileges should extend through the breaks. 

8. Do all students, regardless of major, have access to the music laboratory?

The University Library doesn’t have a music laboratory. We do have an area in the library called the Teacher Curriculum Center / Music & Media Department, located on the 2nd Floor, East Wing. All students have access to this area. In terms of music & media resources, we have Books, scores, and sound recordings (CDs, LPs, and audiobooks), visual materials (DVD, Blu-Rays). See our Music Resources page for more info. 

9. Are there any days that the University Library is open past regular operating hours for night studying?

We have extended hours during and right before Finals. We post the hours for the whole semester where you can see that reflected.

Nobody asked these questions, but they are important nonetheless!

1. What is OneSearch?

OneSearch is the University Library's searching tool to locate books, ebooks, articles, videos, and more provided by the Library. OneSearch has been adopted by all 23 CSU libraries giving the CSU system a shared platform to collaborate and share resources. This means that even if we don’t own a specific book, if another CSU campus does have it, you can request it directly through OneSearch and it will be shipped to our library ASAP.

2. How do I use OneSearch?

It’s probably similar to whatever catalog you had at your previous institution, so hopefully learning to use it won’t be too difficult. For extra support, we have a OneSearch guide to help you get started.

3. Should I always use OneSearch?

OneSearch is a great place to start your research, whether you’re looking for books or articles. It doesn’t necessarily access all of our databases, and it doesn’t have all the filtering capabilities of individual databases. 

As a Graduate Student, you will want to get to know your individual subject area databases as well. You can access them from the “Databases” link on the library’s home page. Use the “All Subject” drop down to find your subject area.

4. Do you have any guides to get me started with research?

We do! We have a general Research Strategies guide as well as research guides for all individual subject areas taught at CSUN. 

5. Where can I see examples of theses, graduate projects, and dissertations?

For CSU theses, graduate projects, and dissertations, use ScholarWorks. ScholarWorks is CSUN's Institutional Repository containing scholarship created by the CSUN community, including student theses and dissertations, faculty publications and research, an open educational resources (OERs). CSU Scholarworks allows you to search the scholarly output of 19 of the 24 CSU campuses.

For non-CSU dissertations and theses, Proquest’s Dissertations & Theses database is a collection of scholarly research in the Humanities and Social Sciences, covering more than 1 million dissertations and theses.

6. Do you have any resources to help me with citations?

We do! Check out this guide for help with APA, MLA, and various other styles. 

7. Do you have an Audio Tour of the library? 

Yes, the library has an audio tour that describes all the services available on each floor of the library.

If you have any additional questions, you can email me directly at susanna.eng@csun.edu or find your librarian and contact them!