Oviatt Library
The University Library at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is located in Northridge, in the northern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California.
Also recorded as Delmar T. Oviatt Library
Oviatt Library
Cbl62 (talk) · Cbl62 at English Wikipedia · Own work (Original text: self-made) · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- CSUN University Library
- Founded
- 1973
- Dissolved
- 2020
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Documentary summary
The University Library at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is located in Northridge, in the northern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California.
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — CSUN University Library • Type — Academic library • Location — Northridge, CA • Established — October 1973 • Director — Emy Decker – Dean, University Library • Website — https: library.csun.edu
History
History
Construction for the original library began on November 14, 1957, marking it as the college's first permanent campus building. Students were permitted to use the building beginning on February 16, 1959, and the library had its official opening on March 3. The library featured four floors, 200,000 books and a capacity of approximately 15,000 people. The library was heavily damaged during the 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, making it necessary for the closure of the upper floors of the library for repair and organization. Original construction of the University Library was in two phases. The first phase was opened on October 24, 1973. The second, completed in 1991, nearly doubled the size with additional east and west wings. Both phases were designed by the architect Leo A. Daly. The 1994 Northridge Earthquake badly damaged the building forcing the library to close. The original 'phase one building' re-opened later in 1994. The 'second phase wings' needed demolishing and reconstruction, and re-opened in 2000. The Library maintains its own AS/RS (Automated Storage and Retrieval System), built in 1991, with a capacity of 1.7 million volumes.
Naming controversy
Naming controversy
The library was originally named for Delmar T. Oviatt, former vice president for Academic Affairs, who was involved in the founding of San Fernando Valley State College, CSUN's predecessor. In 2019, CSUN president Dianne F. Harrison appointed a campus committee to investigate whether the Oviatt Library should be renamed due to allegations of racism. In fall 2020, the Oviatt Library Advisory Working Group presented its findings to President Harrison, the Associated Students Senate, and the CSUN Faculty Senate, recommending that the name of Delmar T. Oviatt be removed from the University Library. After approval from CSU Chancellor Timothy White, the name was changed to University Library in December 2020.
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
Explore 1973–2020
The full dated record · 5 entries
1973
Oviatt Library established.
1973
Oviatt Library is recorded from 1973.
1973
Oviatt Library was established or created on 24 October 1973.
2020
Oviatt Library ceased.
2020
Oviatt Library was dissolved or ceased in 2020.
Film and television shooting location
The University Library has served as a shooting location for numerous films and television series, including Star Trek, Sky High, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, The Middle, and The Orville. It was also one of the filming locations for the music video Intentions by Justin Bieber.

The Oviatt Library building — at California State University, Northridge in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California.
Ant2090 · Picture taken on campus
Services and collections
• Illustration — University Library The University Library has a collection containing over 850,000 print volumes and nearly 1.3 million ebooks. The Library also subscribes to over 200,000 journals and newspapers. A special focus is the San Fernando Valley History Collection digital archives. The Special Collections & Archives section of the University Library has many archival collections of important primary source documents including a large collection of materials on LGBTQ and Human sexuality, along with the Vahdah Olcott-Bickford collection (part of IGRA: the International Guitar Research Archive), the Old China Hands Archive, and the Tom and Ethel Bradley Center vast collection of photographs from diverse communities of color throughout the United States and Latin America. In addition, the Library's Teacher Curriculum Center provides a large circulating collection of curricular materials for education students and local educators.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Architectural model of the Delmar T. Oviatt Library, ca. 1972. CSUN University Library. September 18, 2008.
- 2.Library Leadership History.
- 3.New 4-Story Library to Open Doors Feb. 16. Valley State Sundial. January 15, 1959.
- 4.Jarosz, Ellen. California State University, Northridge. Arcadia Publishing. 2018. 978-1-4671-2995-4.
- 5.Broesamle, John. Suddenly a Giant: A History of California State University, Northridge. Santa Susanna Press. 76. 1993.
- 6.Broesamle, John. Suddenly a Giant: A History of California State University, Northridge. Santa Susanna Press. 141. 1993.
- 7.Chandler, John. University Plans Temporary Replacement for Oviatt Library. Los Angeles Times. May 1, 1994.
- 8.Moran, Julio. One for the Books : Ceremony Will Mark Reopening of CSUN's Oviatt Library. Los Angeles Times. August 26, 1994.
- 9.Peabody, Zanto. CSUN Celebrates Library's Reopening. Los Angeles Times. September 27, 2000.
- 10.CSUN University Library. Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS).
- 11.Chu, Henry. Robotic Library : Information: CSUN students and staff can request selections through computers and have them delivered automatically. Los Angeles Times. October 25, 1991.
- 12.Kovalcik, Justin. Automated Storage & Retrieval System. Information Technology and Libraries. 38. 4. 114–124. 2019. 10.6017/ital.v38i4.11273.
- 13.Ceremony to Dedicate Oviatt Library Oct. 24. Los Angeles Times. October 21, 1973.
- 14.Rense, Rip. Library Named for Dr. Delmar Oviatt. Daily Sundial. February 14, 1973.
- 15.Mayorquin, Orlando. CSUN considers renaming Oviatt Library after students claim Delmar T. Oviatt was racist. Daily Sundial. June 25, 2020.
- 16.Report of the Oviatt Library Advisory Working Group. CSUN University Library. September 11, 2020.
- 17.Carter, Shannon. Oviatt Library Advisory Group recommends removing Delmar T. Oviatt's name; AS Senate votes in solidarity. Daily Sundial. November 10, 2020.
- 18.Bozzi, Sloane. Oviatt name removed from CSUN library, lawn effective immediately. Daily Sundial. December 18, 2020.
- 19.Harrison, Dianne. CSUN Renames University Library. California State University, Northridge. December 18, 2020.
- 20.Library Statistics, 2022-2023. CSUN University Library.
- 21.San Fernando Valley History Digital Library.
- 22.Rojas, Victor Hugo. CSUN Library's Special Collections offers Students a Chance to Connect with LGBTQ History. CSUN Today. CSUN. February 4, 2020.
- 23.MacNeal, Dave. Porn Connection: A Tale of two stashes. Daily Sundial. December 4, 2008.
- 24.Futch, David. Ellen Jarosz Holds the Keys to the Nation's Biggest Sex Archives. LA Weekly. 6 May 2015.
- 25.Garcia, Julieta. Guide to the Vahdah Olcott-Bickford Collection, 1800-2008. Online Archive of California. 2012.
- 26.Sodders, Lisa. Bookworms hit pay dirt at CSUN library. Los Angeles Daily News. July 23, 2006.
- 27.Geiser, Jessica. Guide to the Old China Hands Oral History Project Collection. Online Archive of California. 2020.
- 28.Old China Hands Recall Life in Shanghai. VOANews. October 31, 2009.
- 29.Tom and Ethel Bradley Center Photographs. 2019.
- 30.Teacher Curriculum Center (TCC). CSUN University Library.
- 31.Vasisht, Sukanya. Locations That Appear In Different Movies & TV Shows. Animated Times. September 13, 2021.
- 32.University Library in the Media. CSUN University Library.
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