Category: Life in the Libraries

12 Books to Read This Black History Month

February is Black History Month, and it’s this time every year that we honor, celebrate, and highlight the achievements of African Americans that have helped shape our nation. 

Reading books written by Black authors or about Black history is a great way to amplify those underrepresented voices, learn from personal experiences, and help contextualize systemic issues for those who are not impacted by them firsthand. It can help to deepen our understanding of the ongoing struggle for racial equality and justice, and provide a greater appreciation for black culture. 

If you’re looking for a place to start your journey, we’ve picked out a short list of wonderful reads for Black History Month. These 12 books get to the heart of many of the racial issues from our country’s past, leading into the present, as well as how to make a better future. All of these books freely are available through FSU Libraries. Check out the catalog on our website to search for more titles!

The 1619 Project

by Nikole Hannah-Jones &The New York Times Magazine

The award-winning “1619 Project” issue reframed our understanding of American history by placing slavery and its continuing legacy at the center of our national narrative. This new book substantially expands on that work, weaving together eighteen essays that explore the legacy of slavery in present-day America with thirty-six poems and works of fiction that illuminate key moments of oppression, struggle, and resistance. The essays show how the inheritance of 1619 reaches into every part of contemporary American society, from politics, music, diet, traffic, and citizenship to capitalism, religion, and our democracy itself.

Image courtesy of Amazon. Description provided by The 1619 Project.

Invisible Man

by Ralph Ellison

“Invisible Man” is a thought-provoking and witty story about race that is beautifully narrated by a young, nameless Black man in 1950s America in search of self-knowledge. Readers are taken on a journey from the Deep South to Harlem, where the protagonist experiences horrifying intolerance, cultural blindness and racial bigotry all in an effort to find the true meaning of self-identity.

Image courtesy of Amazon. Description provided by CNN, 2022.

Between the World and Me

by Ta-Nehisi Coates

In “Between the World and Me” Ta-Nehisi Coates shares with his son—and readers—the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences, from Howard University to Civil War battlefields, from the South Side of Chicago to Paris, from his childhood home to the living rooms of mothers whose children’s lives were taken as American plunder. Beautifully woven from personal narrative, reimagined history, and fresh, emotionally charged reportage, “Between the World and Me” clearly illuminates the past, bracingly confronts our present, and offers a transcendent vision for a way forward.

Image courtesy of Amazon. Description provided by Random House Group.

The Color Purple

by Alice Walker

Celie is a poor black woman whose letters tell the story of 20 years of her life, beginning at age 14 when she is being abused and raped by her father and attempting to protect her sister from the same fate, and continuing over the course of her marriage to “Mister,” a brutal man who terrorizes her. Celie eventually learns that her abusive husband has been keeping her sister’s letters from her and the rage she feels, combined with an example of love and independence provided by her close friend Shug, pushes her finally toward an awakening of her creative and loving self.

Image courtesy of Amazon. Description provided by Lit Lovers.

The Hate U Give

by Angie Thomas

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

Image and description courtesy of Goodreads.

How The Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America

by Clint Smith

Beginning in his hometown of New Orleans, Clint Smith leads the reader on an unforgettable tour of monuments and landmarks—those that are honest about the past and those that are not—that offer an intergenerational story of how slavery has been central in shaping our nation’s collective history, and ourselves. A deeply researched and transporting exploration of the legacy of slavery and its imprint on centuries of American history, “How the Word Is Passed” illustrates how some of our country’s most essential stories are hidden in plain view—whether in places we might drive by on our way to work, holidays such as Juneteenth, or entire neighborhoods like downtown Manhattan, where the brutal history of the trade in enslaved men, women, and children has been deeply imprinted.

Image and description courtesy of Goodreads.

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

by Michelle Alexander

“The New Jim Crow” is a stunning account of the rebirth of a caste-like system in the United States, one that has resulted in millions of African Americans locked behind bars and then relegated to a permanent second-class status—denied the very rights supposedly won in the Civil Rights Movement. The novel challenges the civil rights community—and all of us—to place mass incarceration at the forefront of a new movement for racial justice in America.

Image courtesy of Amazon. Description provided by New Jim Crow.

The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap

by Mehrsa Baradarian

When the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, the black community owned less than 1 percent of the total wealth in America. More than 150 years later, that number has barely budged. “The Color of Money” seeks to explain the stubborn persistence of this racial wealth gap by focusing on the generators of wealth in the black community: black banks.

Image and description provided by Amazon.

The Underground Railroad

by Colson Whitehead

Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hell for all the slaves, but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is coming into womanhood—where even greater pain awaits. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as planned, and Cora embarks on a harrowing flight, state by state, seeking true freedom.

Image and description provided by Penguin Random House.

Heavy

by Kiese Laymon

In “Heavy,” the author Kiese Laymon writes eloquently and honestly about growing up a hard-headed black son to a complicated and brilliant black mother in Jackson, Mississippi. From his early experiences of sexual violence, to his suspension from college, to his trek to New York as a young college professor, he charts his complex relationship with his mother, grandmother, anorexia, obesity, sex, writing, and ultimately gambling. By attempting to name secrets and lies he and his mother spent a lifetime avoiding, Laymon asks himself, his mother, his nation, and us to confront the terrifying possibility that few in this nation actually know how to responsibly love, and even fewer want to live under the weight of actually becoming free.

Image and description provided by Simon & Schuster.

The Vanishing Half

by Brit Bennett

The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it’s not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it’s everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters’ storylines intersect?

Image and description provided by Goodreads.

Deacon King Kong

by James McBride

In September 1969, a fumbling, cranky old church deacon known as Sportcoat shuffles into the courtyard of the Cause Houses housing project in south Brooklyn, pulls a .38 from his pocket, and, in front of everybody, shoots the project’s drug dealer at point-blank range. The author brings to vivid life the people affected by the shooting: the victim, the residents who witnessed it, the local cops assigned to investigate, and the neighborhood’s Italian mobsters. When the truth does emerge, McBride shows us that not all secrets are meant to be hidden, that the best way to grow is to face change without fear, and that the seeds of love lie in hope and compassion.

Image and description provided by Goodreads.

This blog post was written by Kaylan Williams, Student Engagement Assistant at FSU Libraries.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with FSU Libraries!

FSU Libraries invite you to join us to celebrate Valentine’s Day, Love Data Week, and our love of learning! This year, come and spread the love with our engagement team, who are hosting a variety of events during the second and third weeks of February in both Strozier and Dirac. 

There will be two Valentine’s Day tabling events with free exclusive merch on February 8 and February 13 at Strozier. We will also host a special tabling in collaboration with our STEM librarians to share our love for all things data on February 16 and 17. 

Aside from tabling, expect a pop-up performance from FSU’s Fountain Five Quintet at Strozier and a virtual Data Analysis with Microsoft Excel Workshop from our Data at Your Desk workshop series on February 14. If you can’t make the performance, be sure to follow us on Instagram to tune into our live transmission and stay up to date with all the events and new swag that we have prepared for this month.

Lastly, make sure to check out our Blind Date with a Book display! It will be up all month on the first floor of Strozier.

Art in the Library: 10 Questions with Danielle Wirsansky and Gizem Solmaz

FSU Libraries’ Art in the Library Committee organizes visual and performing arts programming in its spaces to enrich the library as an aesthetic and academic environment. A major part of this program includes exhibiting artwork drawn from the FSU student body on a semester-long basis.

Gizem Solmaz (left) and Danielle Wirsansky (right)

Danielle Wirsansky is a PhD student in History, and her photography focuses on storytelling and themes of anemoia, a longing for a time or place which you’ve never known, may never know, and which is always changing. Gizem Solmaz is a PhD candidate in Curriculum and Instruction and her astrophotography represents the meaning of the deep feelings digested in space, allowing her to express her own feelings in the moment of artistic creation.

The Sum of Many Spaces: Landscape Photography and the Sense of Self, featuring the photography of both artists, is on view at Dirac Science Library during the Spring 2023 semester.

FSU Libraries (FSU): Tell us about this show- give our readers a brief introduction to the work you are exhibiting with us this semester.

Danielle Wirsansky (DW): My works in this show are from a series of nature and landscape photographs taken when I was in Israel. I was born there, and I moved to the US as a child – however, I have always felt a dichotomy of identity with both nations. There is a term, orachat la’regah or “a visitor that comes only for a moment.” This is a theme across my pieces – seeing Israel as someone like a visitor, even though I was born there and am a citizen.
Gizem Solmaz (GS): I have always loved photography. One of my youngest memories was when I was about 6 on a family trip and I somehow got control of the camera. My parents were shocked to find all sky photos, no family photos. While this disappointed my parents, I was so excited. This is the first time I was sharing what I saw through my eyes with other people. For the photos in this show at FSU Libraries, as a woman in Turkey I took these photos alone, in the dark, and in that experience I felt so strong and accomplished. I am thrilled to share these with everyone. This exhibition gives me a chance to do just that, so it’s so really emotional.

(FSU): What is your favorite work in this show? Tell us a little more about the story behind it.

(DW): I think it’s actually the piece called Prayer with the woman at the Western wall praying. I was photographing people who wanted really candid photos and I snapped this in the middle of the shoot. I found it really moving and powerful, a special moment in this place that’s important to so many people.
(GS): I think In Limbo, because when I was 8 years old in 1999 there was a massive, deadly earthquake in Turkey. I was the first person in my family to wake, and I remember looking at the clear sky, thinking how it felt so close to us because all the lights were out. The city around us was destroyed but I felt so connected with the sky and the stars. I felt safe and like it would all be ok. When I took In Limbo I remembered that night. I was alone with another female friend and we were so scared but we didn’t leave. When I got home I let myself look at the photos to see if I was able to capture the composition I had in my mind, and I was so glad to see it worked. All that fear was worth it and I was so proud of myself for working through it. I would also like to mention that this photograph won the People’s Choice Award at the FSU HSF Excellence in the Visual Arts Awards Exhibition.

(FSU): What does your artwork represent about you? What message do you want to send out into the world through your art?

(DW): Usually, I don’t do landscape photography – I make more portraits. In all my work I get to construct the story I want people to take away, but this series of landscape photography is really personal. It’s about me, as a citizen of Israel and as an American. More generally I like to explore these feelings of longing, like anemoia. That’s really evident through this exhibition because there are so many people who want to go to Israeli but may never get there. These photographs give viewers a glimpse of this place but also into me.
(GS): All my life, whenever I get excited about something or try something new, I feel like I’ve been discouraged often that I won’t succeed or I’m wasting my time. No one ever supported or encouraged me to try things. I would like to tell the whole world not to listen to the negativity of others – what matters is what you want to do and what makes you happy. If I had listened to those people I would not be here and exhibiting right now at FSU Libraries. I also think we should keep people close to us who do support our dreams. In fact, I didn’t know about this opportunity until a close colleague told me about it and encouraged me to apply. I wouldn’t have done it without him. Look for the people that show you the light.

(FSU): How does being a student impact your creative process?

(DW): I find that I’ve been really good about making opportunities for myself as a student to combine my research with art making opportunities, and also taking advantage of UROP which sparked so many chances for me to take so many paths that I didn’t think I would. My artwork would not be where it is, I wouldn’t be where I am if I had not been a student for so long. I’ve been at FSU since 2012 and my craft has really grown since this time started. 
(GS): For taking astrophotos you need expensive equipment to really capture the wide sky views, but because I was a student I was able to take advantage of a program Fuji Film has to freely borrow equipment and learn how to work with it. Similar to the opportunities provided through the Libraries and other student organizations, I was able to explore other opportunities to work through my photography and think through different ways of my creativity. 

(FSU): Is research part of your art-making process? If so, could you give us an idea of what that process is like? Where do you do research before you start making? Are there any specific kinds of information that are critical to your work?

(DW): Absolutely. I got involved with research early through UROP at FSU and I was actually part of the first cohort of arts researchers – it was still small and there were almost no arts research projects for me to work on. I ended up working as an assistant to a History professor and I enjoyed that research work so much that I decided to pursue a MA and eventually a PhD in History. My research is also heavily informed by dramaturgy practices as I was a Theatre undergraduate major. With this influence I am very detail-oriented and that shows in my photography. For example, this summer I did two concept shoots while I was in Israel. One was a reinterpretation of the medieval Ecclesia and Synagoga – I thought a lot about how they were depicted then, why, and how I wanted to depict them as equals to craft this new narrative. So in researching I wanted to find new and creative ways to tell the story and to share that with my viewers.
(GS): Yes, research is a BIG part of astrophotography. You need to know when stars or planets or the Milky Way will appear in the sky, what the weather will be like with temperature and humidity, and if specific sites will photograph well. This may not require advanced research skills but it really does require research. Sometimes research for astrophotography includes site visits before you shoot to see what it looks like in person as well. My research process also includes getting to know my photography equipment, practicing techniques, and learning about how other photographers use their equipment. Research in general is a really big part of my personal and professional life, but photography really pushed me to search more, experiment more, and even fail more in the process.

(FSU): Who are your biggest artistic influences?

(DW): Bella Kotak is a photographer I admire. She does fairy tale-type photography where she inserts herself into her photos within these fantasies. She is South East Asian and lately she’s been pulling in fairy tales from her culture as well. I also really admire Jamie Beck. She does a lot of photography on nature and her work looks like paintings. Her work is full of symbolism and is evocative of old paintings. I really like her style and I’m interested in trying something like it one day.

(FSU): Are there any trends in the art world (past or present) that influence you?

(GS): Not really, I was never really looking at trends through art. I was more involved with the techniques of astrophotography, but I might look more into trends to think through different perspectives moving forward. I do follow other astrophotographers – they travel and work to speak about climate change or poverty, and their stories have impacted me. I appreciate their work and the purpose behind it. 

(FSU): How does art-making fit into your day-to-day life?

(DW): Right now I am studying for my Ph.D. comps in January and for me, it’s been a great way to both procrastinate and do something I enjoy. In my daily life, I try to do photography everywhere I can. I work as a social media assistant for the History department and I’ve been really fortunate to be able to focus on more creative, cinematic projects in that role. I am also a co-founder and the managing director of White Mouse, a theatre company here at FSU. I sometimes still do marketing photography for them. I hope after comps I can also do more creative shoots just for me.

(FSU): Why do you make art?

(GS): I don’t know if it is because I am an extroverted person but I’ve always felt like I had something to tell and add to this world. But then I’ve learned in life that not everyone will want to hear about you or what you think. What I’ve learned is that only the people who are really ready to talk to me about my work and my story get in touch with me, even if others don’t. I think – I just want to add something, be something in this world. And say in this big world, I am valuable.

(FSU): Do you have any long term goals related to making your artwork?

Pictured from left to right: William Rowe (Fall 2022 exhibiting artist), Gizem Solmaz, and Danielle Wirsansky.

(DW): I set yearly goals for myself. Last year I was really focused on magazine publications, and this year I focused on gallery exhibitions. So far I’ve exhibited in 20 galleries! I haven’t really decided what I want to focus on next year but I do want to think about what I can learn about my craft and perfect or experiment with. I want to explore what types of stories I can tell and what I want to say. I want a larger body of work to be able to say more with my photography than just one or two things. I am really grateful for this opportunity at FSU Libraries to have my work in conversation with someone else’s work.
(GS): I’m unsure. Getting to exhibit my work was a long term dream and I didn’t expect this to happen now. I always imagined it happening at a much later time in life. I think my goal now is to be able to tell my story to my family and friends, show others how my life has gone and can go. I am a fan of poetry and if I can combine my poetry with my photography I hope to one day do that kind of work and to continue exhibiting and telling my stories.

(FSU): What is your dream project or collaboration?

(DW): There are 2 projects I’ve been thinking about lately. First, to make a series of historically inspired portraits of real queer figures in history where we don’t have photographs – to give these figures back a face, to raise awareness of their stories with concrete images. I think it would be great for queer people today to be able to embody these figures and to continue to tell their stories which are historical but still relevant. The second project leans more into landscape and nature photography. There’s a project called YOLOCAUST around selfies at Holocaust sites as Holocaust education. That’s a real passion of mine, in terms of the pieces of history that I study. I think a lot of the locations of Holocaust atrocities are being forgotten and I would like to go and do my own interpretation to show viewers what it was and what it is now. I want to explore how people grapple with historical preservation and historical memory.

(FSU): What inspired or influenced you to become an artist?

(GS): Two things specifically: 1) Even though they never really shared their art with other people, both my mom and dad were poets. I actually found their work locked away at home (not because they showed it to me), and that was when I realized I could be an artist without being rich or famous. My parents are really ordinary people but they could still be artists. I was probably about 7 when I found out. And then 2) my grandfather inspires me so much – was a really successful businessman for his whole career but now he is disabled. One day he decided he would be happier and more fulfilled volunteering and he closed his business to do that. Now he volunteers, and even though walking is hard for him, he’s never given up on his passion. By now he has supported about 15,000 students through his volunteering. He shows me that if there’s something I really want to do that I can do it.

(FSU): Where can our readers learn more about you and your work?

(DW): I have a small photography company called 3 Muses Photography which is more of my commercial work, but you can see some of my fantasy-type work there, too. I also have work available for purchase in Tallahassee’s Common Ground Books and at the Rust and Rose Boutique in Monticello. My Instagram is @3MusesPhotography and you can follow me there or on Facebook. 
(GS): Besides photography, I am a diver and I take SCUBA diving videos. I post them on YouTube @scubawithgizem. Readers can also connect with me on Instagram @gizemsolmz, on Twitter @Gizem_Slmz, and through email at gizemsolmaz91@gmail.com.

Are you an artist or a group of artists looking to exhibit your work? Interested in sharing your art with the FSU Community? Have a curated exhibit you’re ready to share? Submit an exhibition proposal for the summer semester by February 17, 2023. This semester the Art in Library Committee is accepting proposals to exhibit at the Dirac Science Library, on the main floor in the hallway surrounding the central stairwell and elevators. This space is viewed by hundreds of students, staff, and faculty a day and can accommodate 10-15 hanging works depending on the size. For more information and to submit your exhibition proposal, visit this link.

Meet GEOSET Studio

The GEOSET Initiative at Florida State University (FSU) is the original branch of a global initiative focused on the advancement of scholarly communications in science, engineering, and technology. Located in Dirac 207, GEOSET specializes in providing media services to the entire FSU community. 

How It Started

GEOSET—which stands for Global Educational Outreach in Science, Engineering, and Technology—was founded by Sir Harold Kroto in 2006 with the assistance of Dr. Colin Byfleet and Dr. Steve Acquah. The main goal of the initiative was to pave the way for researchers all over the globe to easily create and distribute informational, scientifically accurate content.

Sir Harold Kroto and his wife, Margaret.

Sir Kroto figured the best way to get videos from the scientific community out into the world was to develop a fast, cost-effective way to put science videos online in one place. Back in 2006 when GEOSET was founded, YouTube was only a year old. A student couldn’t easily find videos of scientific lectures or fun, at-home experiments as easily as we can today. But Sir Kroto knew that wouldn’t always be the case. He had a concept he called the “GooYouWiki-World,” the idea that the internet—especially websites like Google, YouTube, and Wikipedia—were going to revolutionize how the world shares information and education content.

Knowing that we were moving quickly into this GooYouWiki-World, Sir Kroto founded GEOSET. The original GEOSET website became a place where researchers could share their passion and knowledge by uploading recorded lectures and lessons through a system hosted locally at their own university. GEOSET was not only for established researchers, however. Eager undergraduate and graduate students began sharing their scientific research activities on the website, widening the range of content offered and sparking the creation of a small recording studio in the Dittmer building here at FSU.

Sir Kroto shared his passion for educational outreach worldwide, inspiring many universities and educational organizations to join the GEOSET initiative. At one point, universities and researchers all over the world were contributing content to the site, from universities in the United Kingdom to Toyo University in Japan.

Learn more about GEOSET’s history from Studio Manager Kyle Wilson in his episode of Nole Edge, the College of Arts and Sciences podcast.

How It’s Going 

GEOSET is still actively advancing scientific communications at Florida State University today. Activity is focused in the main GEOSET Studio, located in Dirac Science Library. The Studio was opened by Sir Kroto, Dr. Byfleet, and Dr. Acquah in 2012. While the library studio is not the first of its kind at FSU, the opening was an exciting moment as the new studio would be a more accessible place for people to make GEOSET-style content for free. It was such a big deal that Bill Nye came to celebrate the opening!

The Sept. 16, 2014 opening of GEOSET Studio. Pictured left to right: Assistant Director Christina Amrhein, founder Sir Harold Kroto , honored guest Bill Nye, and Director Steve Acquah.

Providing the opportunity for presenters from all levels of academia to share their expertise and enthusiasm to a global audience has always been a major part of the GEOSET initiative. The studio continues this mission by providing FSU faculty and staff with the space and tools necessary to produce educational content for a wide audience. 

GEOSET has recently expanded our team to further this purpose. With backgrounds in audio and video production, journalism, and universal design, we are fully equipped to assist in any project that helps advance academic communications, whether that be a video series, podcast, or other form of media. Our team here at FSU, along with partners throughout the world, are working to keep Sir Kroto’s vision alive.

How We Serve You

Ever wanted to start a podcast after realizing you could go on for hours about your research? Ever thought about a short video series explaining key concepts of your field? Or maybe outreach videos to include in your grant? GEOSET can help! All you need to do is visit our website and submit a project request. A team member will then reach out to schedule a consultation with you. During the consultation, we’ll get an idea of how we can help based on your time frame and preexisting skills. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or someone who’s never plugged in a microphone, we’ll help you come up with the best plan to complete your project. We can help revise your content, offer use of our professional studio and equipment, and assist with editing.

While the studio primarily serves faculty and graduate researchers, everyone at FSU is welcome and encouraged to reach out to us for help with their digital media projects. However, we also know that not everyone needs our resources to make fun educational videos or talk about their research. That’s why GEOSET is in the process of developing a space for everyone at FSU to use freely. Need a green screen for your short film or a quiet space to record your class presentation? This space is for you! The Media Suite at Dirac, coming this Spring, will allow anyone at FSU to create incredible audio and visual content with professional equipment. The best part is that you will be able to book the suite online like any other library space, giving you maximum flexibility to record and edit without having to go through the booking and consultation process required to use the main GEOSET Studio.

How You Can Keep In Touch

For updates on the upcoming Media Suite, follow FSU Libraries on this blog and other social media outlets. If you have any questions or are in need of project help, please visit FSU’s GEOSET Studio website. You may also feel free to visit us in Dirac 207, located just to the right of the circulation desk on the main floor. We’ll be glad to give you a tour or assist you any way we can!

This blog post was written by Sabine Joseph, GEOSET Studio Assistant at Dirac Science Library.

FSU’s Declassified Finals Week Survival Guide

In a university full of students, insane professors, and ‘gross’ dining halls, Amber (that’s me) will try to do the impossible: create a guide that will help you survive Finals Week.

Here are some top library resources to help you conquer those exams, projects, and what-feels-like-1000-page-long essays! Stay tuned for Finals Week Events at the end (and there’s FREE stuff!). Follow @fsulibraries on social media for the latest updates on services and events!

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Tip #1

Check out FSU library hours!

This will ensure you’ll be able to plan ahead for your study grind, and hopefully not end up having a Strozier “sleepover” (all-nighter) the night before your exam.

Library Hours: https://www.lib.fsu.edu/visit/hours

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Tip #2

Tutoring Services!

Strozier offers free tutoring for chemistry, math, and physics every Sunday – Wednesday, 8 pm to midnight in-person and via Zoom. This will def help you because there are WAY too many numbers and letters involved 😛

Tutoring Info: https://www.lib.fsu.edu/tutoring

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Tip #3

Have a study party!

Instead of heading to that (sketchy) house party down the street before finals you KNOW you have to study for, take advantage of study rooms and spaces! Invite your friends and hold each other accountable, too (despite how tempting that party may be lol). 2-hour group rooms can be booked on our website up to 3 days ahead of time. Check out a key for a 4-hour individual room at Strozier’s Scholar Support desk, or reserve one at Dirac online!

Study Rooms and Spaces Info: https://www.lib.fsu.edu/visit/rooms

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Tip #4

Check out books and technology!

Don’t be shy (I’m serious: most, if not all of us, have experienced library anxiety) to stop by the Scholar Support Desk at Dirac or Strozier to check out books, laptops, cameras, and more!

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Tip #5

Ask Us!

Need any help with finding information for a research project (that you may or may not have procrastinated on) or finding (annoying) peer-reviewed sources? The Ask Us! service provides research and reference support through live online chat. Feel free to take a look back at the Library Hours page in Tip #1 for updated chat hours!

Ask Us: https://www.lib.fsu.edu/help/ask

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CARTOON NETWORK TAKEOVER: FINALS WEEK EVENTS

FREE Study Supplies (because us college kids love free stuff)

Tuesday, 11/29, 3:00-4:30pm @ Dirac

Thursday, 12/1, 3:00-5:00pm @ Strozier

Build-Your-Own Study Snack Mix (FINALS WEEK!!!)

Monday, 12/5, 3:30-5:00pm @ Dirac

Tuesday, 12/6, 5:00-6:30pm @ Strozier

This post was written by Amber-Lynne Jensen, Distance Library Services Assistant.

Disclaimer: This blog post was prepared by an undergraduate student, the opinions expressed in this article are to make light and fun during a stressful time! Based on the popular TV show, Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, this post lightly makes fun of some of our beloved campus buildings and is in no way an expression of the Libraries’ opinions.

Top 10 Most Used Databases

Did you know that you can access more than 700 research databases through FSU Libraries? What is your favorite database? And what databases do your peers or professors use? When Google Scholar appears to be everyone’s go-to, why do you need to use research databases? Let’s talk about it.

Hello, my name is Kyung Kim. I am one of the Social Science Librarians working at FSU Libraries. An important part of my job is to inform the faculty and students about where to search for and access the literature they need for their assignments, learning, instructions, or research. I checked the stats and found the top 10 most popular databases on the Libraries’ Database A-Z page from October 2021 to September 2022- here’s what I found!

Top 10 Most Used Databases

Given the often seemingly endless hours you put into finding relevant articles or books for your research, knowing the pros and cons of the research databases and when to use which would enhance the quality of your academic life. Here are some quick tips on the top 10 databases!

Quick Tips! The Pros & Cons of the Most Used Databases

JSTOR is a good place to access peer-reviewed journal articles or books in the humanities and social sciences, but be aware that it often does not provide access to the most current issues. If you are looking for the latest research findings or the most recent publications on a topic, do not settle with JSTOR. See if the recent issues of the journal are available through the Libraries; if not, we recommend you use our Interlibrary Loan service to get the articles for free.

A multi-subject database, the Academic Search Complete is a good starting place if you do not know where to search, and the goal of your search is to select a few good ones by checking the breadth and not the depth of the literature on the topic.

If you are looking for the most cited papers or hot papers on a certain topic or in a subject area published in reputable, cream-of-the-crop scholarly journals, the Web of Science is your go-to. This premium database is also great for identifying a bibliographic network of who cites whom, but the search interface is not too intuitive. Besides, if you are an Arts and Humanities major, this might not be the database your professors use highly.

Do you want to search multiple databases all at once? This so-called “federated search” is available at the EBSCOhost and ProQuest Databases. EBSCO and ProQuest are two of the leading providers of academic research databases where you can search scholarly articles, eBooks, images, reports, etc., from Anthropology to Zoology. Through the FSU Libraries’ EBSCOhost database, you can search 86 databases simultaneously, and at the ProQuest Databases, 92 databases. Use these databases when you are in the mode of searching for everything, everywhere, all at once.

But why bother when you only need articles or books published in your subject areas? The Top 10 List shows that FSU researchers tend to search the APA PsycInfo for psychology literature; the PubMed (NLM) for biomedical literature; the Business Source Complete for business, and the ERIC (ProQuest) for education.

Not on the Top 10 List, but the Social Science Premium Collection database is something social science dissertation or thesis writers might want to try. There you can search 55 databases in various social science fields simultaneously. The Libraries subscribe to many other specialized databases for the university community. Having free access to rich scholarly content through subscription databases is one of the privileges of FSU members!

So, when in doubt, ask your subject librarian to learn where to search first, what search terms to use, and how to get and organize the materials you need! The librarian might also give you time-saving tips, such as when to use extra caution in evaluating certain sources and how to take full advantage of Google Scholar as a springboard to discover hidden gems in the library databases. You can request a one-on-one research consultation with librarians and meet them online or in person.

Good luck and happy searching!

This blog post was written by Kyung Kim, Social Sciences Librarian at FSU Libraries.





 

How We Redesigned the Library Website

After months of development and user testing, we recently launched the updated Florida State University Libraries website. Intuitively organized, easier to navigate, and more user-friendly, our refreshed site offers an improved experience for accessing our library resources and services. Interested in how our team planned and implemented these changes? Learn more about how we designed and measured our improvements based on user feedback. We encourage you to complete this brief survey on the new site and look forward to your feedback.

Planning & Establishing Goals

Due to an upgrade requirement (Drupal 7 was nearing end-of-life, requiring an upgrade to Drupal 9), the website needed to be migrated to a new infrastructure. This upgrade provided an opportunity to “refresh” the website to improve user experience and advance our interface to best meet the needs of the FSU community. A small Website Refresh Working Group proposed the redesign as a Libraries’ strategic initiative with four phases: feedback gathering & user testing, content review, design & testing, and infrastructure upgrade and implementation.

FSU Libraries Purpose Statement: The FSU Libraries website seeks to provide low-barrier access to library collections and services in order to support the teaching, learning, and research activities of Florida State University as well as effective and meaningful engagement with library staff, services, and tools.

Based on the purpose statement above, our group developed (and iteratively revised) the following goals for the redesign:

  • Improve frontend experience / more efficient tools and workflows for internal content creation & editing
  • Improve pages for language / less jargon ( with user-focused content), accuracy, and clarity
  • Reduce barriers for tasks our users most want to accomplish
  • Simplify/streamline navigation & search systems (with mobile, touch-screen in mind)
  • Seamless integration of services, resources
  • Explore design principles to improve website consistency and aesthetic

Usability Testing

Our users’ input was an essential part of our website refresh. Our Refresh User Experience (UX) group, made up of librarians and staff from all over the library, sat down to discuss what was important to them and their departments when updating our website. Gathering ideas and tasks for users to try, we then interviewed our patrons about the many facets of the new (and old) website. Providing Amazon gift cards for incentives, the UX group tested over 25 users (a mix of undergrad, staff, and faculty), exposing many underlying problems with navigation, content, and accessibility. Users were asked to show us how they found materials, booked study rooms, located tutoring, and what they thought about the new look of the website (as just as a few examples). This information was very important for making decisions about the flow and feel of the new website. 

Some interesting takeaways from the testing include:

  • The old room booking system was clunky and difficult to use: Switching to a simpler (and accessible) system streamlined the entire process.
  • Walls of text made information on the old website harder to find: Using a standardized system of nested headings helped users find information at a glance, and made the website more accessible, as well.
  • Users may prefer FAQs to search or chat help: Patrons went to our FAQs for information on everything from noise complaints to late fines. Keeping these up-to-date and embedded in the new website were key.

User testing is all about making small, inclusive, and reasonable changes and testing again and again, so we’ll be repeating this process every semester into the foreseeable future. You can find more information about our user testing process and results here.

Gathering Feedback

We began our efforts in gathering feedback internally with a library employee survey in December 2021, assessing employee experiences and frustrations with the past website. Using this initial data, we planned internal department open forums, completed in February 2022. Not only did this assist us in identifying website issues, but the open dialogue allowed our website team to establish strong channels of communication and working relationships. The data coding (seen in this spreadsheet in the Open Forums tab) presented the following takeaways for our team to consider:

  • Limitations of the content editor workflow and process
  • Inconsistency in design
  • Inaccurate information
  • Issues with library jargon
  • Lack of service presentation

We supplemented the internal feedback with two other forms of data: analysis from our Ask Us chat and email virtual reference service transcripts, as well as entries from our website suggestion form. Based on these sources, we identified the following issues and barriers:

This data analysis, along with conducting an informal library website comparison, as well as a review of the past three years of our Web Advisory Group work, was critical in efficiently and effectively planning our website redesign to best meet the changing needs of our users.

Content Review

As we continued with the backend work to upgrade the infrastructure, including a feature review in Github, a Content Review Group embarked on the content review stage of the redesign process, in order to review our website content with the goal of assessing and improving our overall content for clarity, accuracy, voice & jargon, and design, as well as determining “ownership” of pages. We reviewed content with the website purpose and user goals in mind, developed the workflow to score each page to determine what should be moved, improved and retired. The review process involved:

  1. Developing scope of content and architecture review (based on main goals and purpose of the website)
  2. Reviewing content groups
  3. Using Google Analytics to create a list of highly trafficked, medium traffic, low traffic, or no traffic pages
  4. Auditing content (move, improve, retire) based on criteria; identify duplicate content
  5. Developing a list of pages to be retired, improved, or moved, as well as recommendations

In order to keep the scope of our review manageable, we did not asses our LibGuides, tutorials, digital collections, blog posts, social media, or associated applications. After hours of sprints, our group scored the top 500 pages of our website, which we documented on this spreadsheet. This work also directly lent itself to planning the new structure of our internal, cross-divisional website and online application work where we are reimagining our Web Advisory Group as a more engaging and proactive Website Coordinating Committee.

Reconsidering the Information Architecture & Navigation

Redesigning the website allowed the team to reconsider the information architecture of the library website. In short, information architecture (or IA) is the creation and organization of the structure and hierarchy of the website and its components in an intuitive and scalable way. Much like cleaning and organizing a house, this meant going through all of our content on the old site and putting it away into drawers (categories or patterns) in a way that makes it easy to get to later. This process is one of the key foundations of good UX, since a good IA helps users form their own mental model of the site without too much effort. As humans, we love to organize information, so when we go to a website our brain starts keeping track of where we are in relation to the home page and the other pages we’ve visited and how they’re all related. Our new architecture seems to be a success: we’ve heard from both students and librarians that the new site is “more intuitive” and “easy to navigate”. You can see our information architecture drafts and brainstorming here.

Based on the results of the content review stage, our team began to move content over, utilizing our improved information architecture and implementing a more intuitive navigation. We built the site from a true user-perspective, as opposed to organizing our content around our internal structure and workflows. This method guided users based on what users’ needed or sought from the website. While high-scoring content required a straight-forward move, some of our moderate- or low-scoring content required a full rethinking or redesign, providing the Website Refresh Working Group an opportunity to collaborate with stakeholders around the Libraries to improve pages and navigation. We developed the navigation and the menus based on our information architecture as we worked through the content move, creating a seamless user experience that represented the relationship and hierarchy of content and better connected our resources and services.

Designing the New Site

The last stages of the redesign process were the new website design and content move. The new site needed to align with the FSU Web Style Guidelines and Resources. We installed the Strata Three design into our Drupal 9 framework. Our next step was establishing goals for the design and feel of the redesign to ensure visual consistency. We established style parameters that allowed for content editor flexibility. Some of the past issues identified with our website design included inconsistent use of icons, line weight, and colors, non-stock images, and generally varying visual elements that were not cohesive throughout the site. A uniform color scheme was established and template page layouts were developed for different page types. Furthermore, we implemented a mobile first design strategy. All of our design improvements were optimized for mobile experience with responsive design features. All of these standards will be reflected in our Web Style Guide for internal content editors.

Redesign in Action

As we prepped to launch the redesigned site, we held internal open forums with library staff, announced the changes via campus-wide announcements, and encouraged feedback through a brief survey, making iterative changes as needed. New features and changes from our current website are based on user feedback, content assessment, and usage data. They include:

  • A streamlined homepage with quick access to OneSearch and popular links
  • An updated information architecture for improved navigation
  • Seamless integration of resources and services with redesigned pages for popular services
  • A ‘Getting Started’ page to guide you through our many services and information resources
  • Improved accessibility for a better website experience for all
  • Responsive design across the entire library website
  • Updated and simplified content throughout the site
  • An upgraded architecture and improved experience for content editors

We hope you are enjoying our refreshed site as the enhanced online experience to discover all of Florida State University Libraries’ collections and resources. As we move forward, we plan to continue our assessment and measure success through fewer reported website issues and improving success rate or task-completion in iterative user testing. We encourage you to complete this brief survey on the new site and look forward to your feedback!

A Look Back on Our Add-Your-Art Tapestry Event

This fall semester opened with a bang! At FSU Libraries, we welcomed hundreds of students to engage with our resources and help them start the semester strong. Beginning on August 23rd, we hosted the Add-Your-Art Tapestry event where students could stop by either Strozier or Dirac libraries and contribute their own designs to our paper tapestry. More perks from the event included free t-shirts, candy, phone wallets, and stickers for students to enjoy! The week culminated in the installation of the tapestry inside Strozier nearby the new Scholar Support desk. Student Engagement Specialist, Emily McClellan played a great role in getting this wonderful event together. Let’s take a look at what she did!

Starting as an idea from Engagement Assistant Jaidyn Smith, the events were coordinated by McClellan. From the start of the summer, McClellan’s first task was to create the design of the entire tapestry. With help from former Engagement Assistant Ashanti Grace, they were able to create a piece of art open for students to color in images and fill in spaces with their own creative designs.

Once printed and ready, it was time to collaborate with other campus organizations. McClellan reached out to WelcomeFSU—an organization that helps connect new students to FSU resources and introduce them to the campus during the first few weeks of school—and was able to get campus-wide promotion for this event. Through social media and multiple FSU-related websites, the Add-Your-Art Tapestry event received massive amounts of interest from current and new students. In the days nearing the event, McClellan and Alaina Faulkner (the Libraries’ Student Engagement Associate) tended to the nitty-gritty: creating the signage for the events, collaborating with Strozier and Dirac library staff for tables and chairs, purchasing coloring supplies, and creating schedules for the employees that would help run the event.

Through everyone’s hard work, the event was able to launch with a large turnout! Over 100 students engaged with the event over the course of a week and created a dazzling display of creativity and camaraderie. We appreciate all of the work put in by our staff and collaborators that made this event shine! Here are some pictures from the event:

After Day 1
After Day 2
After Day 3
Final Tapestry!
Students color in and draw on the tapestry.
More students join in on the tapestry event.
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Check out this article written by the FSView for more info on this awesome event!

To find current and future events at FSU Libraries, check out our events calendar here. Curious to hear more about what FSU Libraries is about? Read more about us on our newly-renovated website.

This blog post was written by Jasmine George, Student Engagement Assistant at FSU Libraries.

Art in the Library: 10 Questions with William Rowe

William Rowe

FSU Libraries’ Art in the Library Committee organizes visual and performing arts programming in its spaces to enrich the library as an aesthetic and academic environment. A major part of this program includes exhibiting artwork drawn from the FSU student body on a semester-long basis.

William Rowe is a current graduate student in the FSU Department of Art Education. Rowe graduated with a BFA in Art at Florida State. People I Know, featuring a collection of recent paintings by Rowe, is on view at Dirac Science Library during the Fall 2022 semester. Leah Sherman, Visual & Performing Arts Librarian, and Art in the Library Chair had the privilege of interviewing Rowe about the exhibit. Below is the full interview.

FSU Libraries (FSU): Tell us about this show- give our readers a brief introduction to the work you are exhibiting with us this semester.

William Rowe (WR): These paintings all portray people who are personally close to me or they are self-portraits. Each work depicts a specific moment in time with the sitter, capturing the atmosphere of that moment. In the portraits of others that are included in People I Know, each of the subjects is a very close friend and or is my partner.

(FSU): What is your favorite work in this show? Tell us a little more about the story behind it.

(WR): Bedroom: I finished this one very quickly – just an hour or two – so it has painterly or messy energy. This aesthetic is satisfying to paint; it gives a nice, intimate vibe through its abstract atmosphere.
Staircase: Unlike Bedroom, this one took a long time. It was not a happy accident. It is gratifying in its own way, though, after putting many hours into its creation.

(FSU): What does your artwork represent about you? What message do you want to send out into the world through your art?

(WR): My paintings say that I like to paint and they say a lot about who I care about, as revealed in their subject matter. Each work carries a lot of the artist’s emotions, thoughts, and feelings projected onto the subjects. The goal with a lot of these works is to capture a feeling – an authentic moment in the painterly medium. Clear renderings of a moment, not fabricated narratives. These works are meant to show a real person in a real moment.

(FSU): How does being a student impact your creative process?

(WR): I made a lot of this work while in the BFA program – being a student pushed me to make more work. I find less opportunity now in grad school and have painted less in recent years. However, I have found a lot of creative time in the breaks between semesters.

People I Know by William Rowe at Dirac Science Library, Fall 2022

(FSU): Is research part of your art-making process? If so, could you give us an idea of what that process is like? Where do you do research before you start making? Are there any specific kinds of information that are critical to your work?

(WR): My version of research is constantly looking at artists I like – not only following historical movements but also artists working right now. When painting I also work from photographic references. I often capture moments in photographs to revisit later in my paintings.

(FSU): Who are your biggest artistic influences?

(WR): Salman Toor is one painter working today that I admire. His work is abstract and not very realistic. The theme of many of his paintings speaks to his background as being Middle Eastern, queer, and an immigrant. He creates very complicated, complex narratives that center on these themes.
Henri Toulouse-Lautrec is a historical painter I am inspired by, especially his color palette and painterly style. I also enjoy his screen-printing and have done some screen-printing of my own as well.

(FSU): Do you have a preferred medium to work in?

(WR): Acrylic paint for sure, but I have done some work in oil. Overall I enjoy acrylic more because I find it better to work with, as a more flexible medium. I like working in gauche as well.

(FSU): How does art-making fit into your day-to-day life?

(WR): While I don’t paint for my current graduate degree, I work at Painting with a Twist and that gives me a lot of opportunity to paint outside of school. It’s a hands-on job where I practice copying and teaching. I also have my eye out for inspiration on a daily basis and I am frequently taking photos to return to later.

(FSU): What is your dream project or collaboration?

(WR): I would love to be part of a larger exhibition or project just dedicated to portraiture. I have exhibited before but not as often with many other painters, especially with painters more in dialogue with my own work around portraiture.

(FSU): Where can our readers learn more about you and your work?

(WR): Find more from William Rowe on Instagram @windforder

Are you an artist or a group of artists looking to exhibit your work? Interested in sharing your art with the FSU Community? Have a curated exhibit you’re ready to share? Submit an exhibition proposal for the spring semester by Sep 30, 2022. This semester the Art in Library Committee is accepting proposals to exhibit at the Dirac Science Library, on the main floor in the hallway surrounding the central stairwell and elevators. This space is viewed by hundreds of students, staff, and faculty a day and can accommodate 10-15 hanging works depending on the size. For more information and to submit your exhibition proposal, visit this link.

New Entrance and Scholar Support Desk

This summer Strozier received some exciting updates to improve your study experience.  Here are the changes you can expect to find upon your return to campus this fall. 

Once you enter Strozier this fall the changes will be immediately evident. As you are greeted by the security team you will find the old rotational turnstiles are no more. In their place are glass doors that automatically open once you have swiped in with your FSUID. After you breeze through the new and improved turnstiles you will be welcomed by our scholar support team at the brand new Scholar Support desk, which is now located directly across from the turnstiles. 

The new Scholar Support desk offers support for all of your needs during your time in Strozier. Here’s everything the Scholar Support Staff can help you do.

 Book and locate study rooms: Individual Study rooms be checked at the Scholar Support Desk, first come, first serve, unlike group study rooms which can be booked online via this link.

Course Reserves: Faculty can request library-owned or personal materials to be put on Course Reserve for their classes for students to use in the library only. Students, visit this page to learn more about using Course Reserves and search for your course through the Course Reserve Search! Instructors, you can learn more about what Course Reserves are and how to make a request here.

Tech for checkout: Our Scholar Support Desk circulates lots of technology, most for 4-hour loans. This includes laptops and laptop chargers, phone chargers, graphing calculators, and more! You can find what equipment the library has available for checkout  here: or stop by the Scholar Support Desk and ask the team! 

The Tech Desk: Launching this Fall, Tech Desk staff will be able to assist with technology and program troubleshooting; printing; and loaning 3-day equipment, such as cameras, projectors, game consoles, and wireless hotspots. Stop by the tall computer station on the Scholar Support Desk to ask the Tech Desk staff any technology related questions! l

Reference Associates will also be located on the Scholar Support Desk. Reference Associates are staff who can help you with your research project or paper, including how to find the best resources available through FSU Libraries’ databases and website. 

Blog post was written by Ashanti Grace, Student Engagement Assistant Strozier Library.