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Dear Colleagues:
It has been a pleasure these last two months to meet many of you and continue to grow into my role as the Director of the Michael Schwartz Library. I’m very happy to have joined CSU and begin working with this community of learners, educators, and researchers. I look forward to partnering with my excellent colleagues and with you to ensure our Library continues to meet your needs and be a transformative resource for all in the CSU community.
Here's just a small selection of the Library's current projects and efforts:
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Library staff continue to work closely with OhioLINK to implement a new integrated search tool called Discovery @ CSU. You can learn more about this powerful resource at researchguides.csuohio.edu/LSPmigration
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We are providing significant support for students in terms of affordable course materials - these efforts have saved students more than $2 million in textbook costs (library.csuohio.edu/affordable-learning/)
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Our subject librarians are working with Inquiry Launch classes and delivering tailored information literacy sessions, research instruction, or library orientations to many other classes each semester.
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We responsibly manage our scholarly resource budgets, using cost per use analyses and your feedback to help us make decisions about journals, e-resources, and other content. Look for more later this fall about how to provide input in this process.
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Our digital collections, full of historical and scholarly content, are always growing; These include our institutional repository, EngagedScholarship@CSU, and the Cleveland Memory Project.
In the coming weeks, the Library will develop a strategic plan that lines up with the goals of Cleveland State United. Part of that process will be engaging with faculty, staff, and students to learn the needs and expectations of the campus and research community. The Library’s goal is to build on its strong foundation and help shape its future in alignment with the University’s mission.
If you have any thoughts or questions about these plans or anything Library-related, we welcome your ideas and partnership going forward. Please feel free to reach out to me or to your subject librarians or contact us by any means you prefer.
Have a great fall semester!
Scott Vine
Michael Schwartz Library Director
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The staff of the Michael Schwartz Library wants you to know
"We are here for you!"
| | Photo collage by Jo Corrigan, Course Material & Patron Support | | |
Pictured above are just a few of our dedicated team members in action.
From the top, l-r: Kathy Fisher, Health Professions Librarian, helps a student at our Textbook Center and Theresa Nawalaniec, Sciences & Engineering Librarian, provides one-on-one research help. A valued student assistant, Breanne, guides a patron through a print job. Sharing their knowledge during CSU’s Week of Welcome at the Student Center are Sarah Benedict, Coordinator, OhioLINK & Interlibrary Loan Services, and Ben Richards, Business & Communication Librarian. Hannah Pearson, Collection Management & Acquisitions Librarian, pauses from her work to share a smile. At the Research and Help Desk is La’Metria Carlton, Library Patron Support & Resource Sharing, expertly answers a student’s questions and Scott Vine, our new Library Director, assists a new student.
Learn more about our resources at: https://library.csuohio.edu
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Achievement Awards
The Library recently held its 27th annual Celebration of Achievement to recognize individual and team accomplishments and to show appreciation for dedicated service. The Alma Team, consisting of Brandon Walker, Michael Skor, Hannah Pearson, and Tracy Kemp, was recognized for demonstrating exceptional leadership, collaboration, and dedication, managing complex data transitions, supporting cataloging operations, coordinating communication and marketing efforts, and ensuring a smooth launch of Discovery @ CSU, the new interface for OhioLINK, OneSearch, Journal Finder, and all Library materials.
Three members of the Library staff were celebrated for their remarkable years of service and their lasting contributions:
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Mandi Goodsett – 10 years: A decade of dedication, innovation, and impact. Mandi’s contributions have helped shape the Library’s evolving role in affordable learning and open educational resources.
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Sarah Benedict – 15 years: With 15 years of service, Sarah has been a steady force in enhancing access and enriching the patron experience with OhioLINK and ILL.
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Tracy Kemp – 25 years: A true cornerstone of the Library, Tracy’s 25 years of service reflect a legacy of excellence, mentorship, library budget and marketing experience, and support for our mission.
Outstanding Individual Achievement Awards were presented to Barbara Loomis, Digital Scholarly Publications and Programs Manager, Michael Skor, Cataloging and Metadata Librarian; Theresa Nawalaniec, Sciences and Engineering Librarian; and Brandon Walker, Systems & Knowledge Bases Librarian @ CSU Libraries.
The Preston White Customer Service Award was presented to Patrick McIntosh, Head of Patron Services. This prestigious award is presented annually to a staff member who embodies a passionate commitment to outstanding customer service.
The awards were sponsored by the Friends of the Michael Schwartz Library.
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(from the top, l-r) Sarah Benedict, Mandi Goodsett, Tracy Kemp, Barb Loomis,
Theresa Nawalaniec, Hannah Pearson, Michael Skor, and Brandon Walker
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Academic Writing Club for CSU Graduate Students & Faculty
by Mandi Goodsett, Performing Arts & Humanities Librarian, OER and Copyright Advisor
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Are you a faculty member or graduate student working on an academic writing project? Looking for structure, support, and accountability to stay on track? Join our Academic Writing Club — a weekly space dedicated to writing, goal-setting, and peer encouragement.
Offered by the Writing Center and the Michael Schwartz Library, this Writing Club is meant to help students and faculty improve their academic writing productivity. Each week we will send a short video and provide resources and advice related to an academic writing topic, and we'll have a synchronous Zoom meeting to review the topic. About 45 minutes of the meeting time will be set aside for quiet writing to keep you on track!
This semester we’ll be loosely following the content of 90 Days, 90 Ways: Inspiration, Tips & Strategies for Academic Writers by Dr. Patricia Goodson, Dr. Mina Beigi, and Dr. Melika Shirmohammadi. You don’t need to read the book to participate.
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Meetings will occur in Zoom from 11am - 12pm on
Thursdays through December 4th, 2025
Registrants will receive a calendar invitation with the Zoom link.
Signing up does not obligate you to participate or attend every meeting; it merely puts you on our reminder email list and provides access to the Zoom link each week
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Digital CSU Student Showcase
by Ben Richards, Business & Communication Librarian
Digital CSU, in partnership with the Michael Schwartz Library, invites students to submit digital and multimedia projects for the Fall 2025 Digital CSU Student Showcase, which will take place on Tuesday, December 2, 2025 in the Student Center Atrium from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm. Students can participate as their schedule allows.
The showcase is an opportunity for students to present finished or in-progress digital projects created for their courses in a poster session-style event to their faculty, staff, and their peers. Digital projects might include websites, video or audio productions, presentations, podcasts, interactive visualizations, lesson plans, or maps.
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HOW STUDENTS CAN REGISTER
Students can register to participate in the event at forms.office.com/r/cQs1QGxYuY, by scanning the QR code on the flyer, or by clicking the registration button below.
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SHARE THE INVITATION
Faculty are invited to please share the invitation with their students
(click the image above to access the flyer) or forward the email.
Questions? Send an email to Ben Richards at b.c.richards@csuohio.edu.
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The Mark Fitzgibbons Collection: An Afternoon of Setting the Stage
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Michael Schwartz Library, 1st Floor
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The Michael Schwartz Library invites you to a special afternoon celebrating the artistry and craftsmanship of the Mark Fitzgibbons Collection. Through presentations and discussions, discover the origin and significance of this unique archive, an invaluable resource for researchers and students of art and design, theatre and dance, architecture, landscape architecture, interior and industrial design, as well as civil and mechanical engineering, and urban planning. Explore rare materials that reflect Fitzgibbons’s lifelong journey in theater, showcasing his legacy and lasting influence on theater and film design. highlights
Following the presentations and Q&A, attendees will have the opportunity to:
- Tour the Library’s Special Collections and view the exhibition
- Experience original sketches, drawings, models, portfolios, and paraphernalia created over decades by Mark Fitzgibbons.
- Appreciate the detail and artistry of his handcrafted works, recognized for both their beauty and research value.
Light refreshments will be served. The event is free and all are welcome.
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About the collection
The Mark Fitzgibbons Collection features a rich assortment of artwork, production paperwork, and theater models documenting his prolific career as a set designer and art director for stage and screen. Included are never-before-seen creations inspired by urban landscapes, which brought authenticity and artistic flair to theater environments.
Exhibition contents include:
- Original artwork and sketches revealing Fitzgibbons’s creative process.
- Theater models used as visual blueprints in productions.
- Production notes, drawings, and documentation from iconic shows and films.
The exhibition is available for viewing on the 1st and 3rd floors of the Library through October 1, 2025.
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About the artist
Mark Fitzgibbons, a Northeast Ohio native, apprenticed at Musicarnival, a pioneering Cleveland-area summer tent theater. He earned his MFA from Kent State University, where he wrote and directed an adaptation of “A Tale of Two Cities,” later produced at the Cleveland Play House. Fitzgibbons’s resume includes work at Karamu House and The Cleveland Opera before moving to New York City, where he contributed set and stage designs for Broadway, movies, and television—including “The Nutcracker,” “Master Class,” “The Secret Garden,” “Mona Lisa Smile,” “The Lovely Bones,” “I Am Legend,” and “Late Night with David Letterman.”
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Save the Date for a Celebration!
The Press Lives On: Digitizing the Cleveland Press Collection
Thursday, October 9, 2025
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Michael Schwartz Library, 1st floor
Join us as we celebrate a major milestone—the digitization of the Cleveland Press, spanning an incredible 104 years of journalism. This achievement not only preserves Cleveland’s vibrant history but also makes it more accessible than ever.
Enjoy a special exhibit showcasing artifacts and highlights from the Cleveland Press, hear engaging presentations about the newspaper’s golden era, and enter a free drawing for a one-year subscription to Newspapers.com. Stay tuned for more details!
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Elevate Your Teaching with the
Information Literacy Faculty Certificate Program
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Do your courses require students to conduct research? Do you find that your students struggle with the research process, even on assignments you've carefully designed? If so, you're not alone. The Information Literacy Faculty Certificate Program is here to help bridge the gap between expert and novice researchers. Sponsored by the Center for Faculty Excellence and Michael Schwartz Library, this program is designed to give you the tools and confidence you need to foster your students' information literacy skills.
What's in it for You?
By completing the program, you'll gain valuable insights into how students approach research and learn effective strategies for designing assignments. As a bonus, participants who complete the program will receive a $100 stipend and a certificate of completion.
To earn the certificate, you'll need to meet two simple requirements:
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Attend at least two of the three synchronous workshops offered.
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Meet with your subject librarian for 30-60 minutes to discuss one or more of your research assignments before December 1st.
Dive into the Workshops
The program offers three distinct workshops, each focusing on a different aspect of information literacy in today's changing landscape.
Workshops Via Zoom:
- Decoding Research Practices: Narrowing the Expert-Novice Gap
September 25, 11:30-12:20pm
Register: forms.office.com/r/pQWRFAwSv2
- Should I Still Be Teaching That? Identifying Outdated Research Notions
October 16, 11:30-12:20pm
Register: forms.office.com/r/wdWNSVMP3M
- Experiential Information Literacy: Meaningful Learning Experiences
November 18, 11:30-12:20pm
Register: forms.office.com/r/U801RtjfCM
Ready to enhance your teaching and empower your students? Register for the workshops and get started on the path to an Information Literacy Faculty Certificate.
More information can be found on the CFE Workshop site at www.csuohio.edu/cfe/workshops
Questions? Please contact the CFE at cfe@csuohio.edu or Mandi Goodsett at a.goodsett@csuohio.edu.
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Faculty & Staff AI Community of Practice
Participate in building a critical community of practice on campus around generative AI – come together monthly with other faculty and staff to take part in informal discussions related to generative AI as it pertains to our work and our students.
All sessions will take place via Zoom.
September 26, 10-11am – Student Use of AI
Moderator: Dr. Melanie Gagich
First Year Writing Program Director; Facilitator of the AI Teaching and Learning Lab in the Academic Support Hub
October 24, 10-11am – Teaching with AI
Moderator: Joseph Kane
First Year Writing Program Instructor
November 21, 10-11 am - Personal Experiences Using AI
Moderator: Dr. Patty Stoddard-Dare
Professor, Social Work and Women's & Gender Studies; Coordinator, Chemical Dependency Counseling Certificate Program; Co-Director, CSU T.E.C.H. Hub
This series is offered through a partnership of the Michael Schwartz Library, Office of Instructional Excellence, CSU TECH Hub, and AI Teaching & Learning Lab within the Academic Support Hub
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Discovery @ CSU
This summer, Cleveland State University Libraries upgraded to Discovery @ CSU, a powerful new search and library services platform. As part of the OhioLINK consortium, CSU joined 115 academic libraries statewide in this migration, streamlining how faculty, staff, and students access resources for teaching, learning, and research. Discovery @ CSU replaces OneSearch, Scholar Catalog, OhioLINK Catalog, My Account, and Journals at CSU with a single, mobile-friendly interface that offers faster searching, personalized features, and enhanced discovery tools like recommendations and citation trails. While our collections remain the same, the way you search and interact with them is more intuitive than ever.
Need help? Contact your Personal Librarian today and start exploring all that Discovery @ CSU has to offer!
Find your Librarian at library.csuohio.edu/services/librarians.html
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MSL Librarian Insights Substack
Faculty and students can subscribe for the subject librarians' Substack titled MSL Librarian Insights at: https://librarianinsightsmsl.substack.com/ to receive bi-monthly email notifications about videos and blog posts related to AI for research and other research-related topics.
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Affordable Learning at CSU
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Textbook Affordability Grants
As we have in past years, The Michael Schwartz Library, in conjunction with various partners, including CSU Online, are offering Textbook Affordability Grants to faculty who either adapt existing open/free content or create their own open textbook. The application and description can be found on the Affordable Learning website at library.csuohio.edu/affordable-learning/grant.html.
The deadline for the Intent to Submit form is November 12th. This form and a project consultation must be completed before submitting the full application (due Dec 3rd). Consultations will be scheduled upon receipt of the initial form to allow faculty the maximum time to complete the application.
Please reach out to Mandi Goodsett (a.goodsett@csuohio.edu) or Barbara Loomis (b.i.loomis@csuohio.edu) with questions.
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Viking Teach Week and
International Open Access Week
October 20 - 23, 2025
Save the Date: Join the Center for Faculty Excellence and the Cleveland Teaching Collaborative for Viking Teach Week!
Monday, October 20 - Thursday, October 23, 2025
Viking Teach Week is designed to celebrate and showcase teaching and learning at CSU and connect our Campus community.
This year, we are enhancing the celebration by cultivating meaningful conversations around creative teaching! In partnership with the Michael Schwartz Library, these initiatives are part of our recognition of CSU faculty and Open Access Week.
How to Participate
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Open your classroom to visitors on October 21(register) or October 22 (register)
- Observe a CSU instructor’s classroom on October 21 or October 22
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Share your syllabus as part of a “living course catalog” on Monday, October 20th (register).
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Special Featured Course: Stop by the MapWalk on Thursday, October 23
- Sip, Snack and Share: Connect with instructors about teaching and learning during the Teach Week Closing Reception on Thursday, October 23
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Open Education Celebration Reception - Celebrate Viking Teach Week, Open Access Week, and all of the hard work CSU faculty have done to promote textbook equity, on Thursday, October 23 (register)
Some events require registration, noted above on the dates that have links attached to them. Visit the CFE website for registration links and updates: https://www.csuohio.edu/cfe/viking-teach-week.
Please join us for the event-filled week!
| | EngagedScholarhip @ Cleveland State University | | |
Readership update for EngagedScholarship @ Cleveland State University
In FY 2025 (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025), EngagedScholarship @ CSU recorded 1,207,132 full-text downloads and 1,712 audio and video streams. Additionally, 423 new submissions were posted, bringing the total number of works in the repository to 22,719.
During this period, Cleveland State University scholarship was read by 9,963 institutions across 238 countries.
In the past month, the most popular publications were as follows:
Cleveland State Law Review (51,234 downloads)
engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/clevstlrev
ETD Archive (34,163 downloads)
engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/etdarchive
All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications (7,907 downloads)
engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/urban_facpub
Sex in China (book review) (2,099 downloads)
engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/clhist_facpub/120
Readership reports can be generated for individual colleges and departments. Please contact an ES@CSU Administrator at library.es@csuohio.edu for more information.
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Above: Readership Distribution Map; July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025
Click the map to access the interactive Dashboard.
| | General Library Information | | |
Library Fall 2025 Semester Hours
Through December 12, 2025
After 5:00 p.m. and on Saturdays, a swipe of
your current Viking Card is required to enter the Library.
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Library Building Hours
Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday Closed
Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Closed on University Holidays
Tuesday, November 11 (Veterans Day)
Thursday, November 27 - Friday, November 28 (Thanksgiving Recess)
Thursday, December 25, 2025 - Thursday, January 1, 2026 (Winter Break)
Chat, text, and phone assistance will be unavailable during the University Holidays
Chat, Phone, and Text Hours
Ask a Librarian: use the chat box, call us at 216-687-5300, or text us at 216-820-9691
Monday-Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Friday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
The Library Help Desk
The Desk is open whenever the Library is open.
For more information, visit Library Hours at library.csuohio.edu/information/hours.html
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Special Collections and Archives are Closed
The Special Collections and Archives units are currently closed. Limited services will still be provided and researchers can fill out this form to request assistance.
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Activate your Access to the New York Times
Faculty, Staff, and Students of Cleveland State enjoy access to the New York Times courtesy of the Library. Discover original, quality journalism that helps you understand the world—and make the most of every part of life. Activate your access at AccessNYT.com.
| | Friends of the Michael Schwartz Library | | The Friends of the Michael Schwartz Library at Cleveland State University is closely associated with the Michael Schwartz Library but is an independent organization whose purpose is to support the library in a number of different ways. By sponsoring programs of interest to faculty, staff, students and the general public we hope to attract favorable attention for the library and interest in its activities. We hope to see you at one our upcoming events, including our first book discussion. | |
You're Invited!
Join the Friends of the Library for a compelling Book Discussion of
Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit
by Eliese Colette Goldbach
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
12:00 pm – 1:30 p.m.
Location: Michael Schwartz Library, Rhodes Tower, Room 502
Discussion Leader: John P. Holcomb, Jr. Vice Provost for Academic Programs
Registration is encouraged: forms.office.com/r/096wgWQEac.
Discover the powerful story of resilience, identity, and transformation set against the backdrop of Cleveland’s steel industry. Whether you've read the book or are just curious, come share your thoughts, listen, and connect with fellow readers over lunch and lively conversation.
Registrants will receive a Zoom link if they cannot attend in-person.
Refreshments will be served. This is a free event to the campus community and the Friends of the Library.
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Save the Date
Friends of the Library Book Sale!
Thursday. October 23 and Friday, October 24
Thursday, October 23, 2025
Member Preview Sale: 9:00 am - 10:00 am (membership can be purchased at the sale with a check or cash)
Campus Community and General Public, Free Admission: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Friday, October 24, 2025
Campus Community and General Public, Free Admission: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
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2121 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, Ohio 44115-2214
(216) 687-2478
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