Relax and Read at the Library

Everyone knows that college is a hectic time. Tests, papers, meetings and more fill our days, and often the most relaxing thing we do is sleep. Sometimes.

But one year ago, some at the Edmon Low Library set out to change that. This week, I sat down with Whitney Vitale, the assistant head of access services at the Edmon Low Library, to learn more about the inception of the Relax and Read Collection and why it is so beneficial for students.

The Relax and Read Collection began in the fall of 2017 after a few employees at the library wanted to create a space for students to relax and get away from the stress of school.

“We wanted to capitalize on this work-life balance issue and support the students,” Whitney said. “What can make life a little easier and help with self-care?”

Whitney plays a vital role in curating the collections. She orders books, both fiction and nonfiction, which will appeal to a variety of students. The library already receives copies of the New York bestsellers, but Whitney also places orders for cookbooks or patron requests.

More than anything, the goal of the Relax and Read is just that – to help people relax.

“Students need that time to get away mentally and decompress,” Whitney said. “It can be hard to do that, and I think that this is a way they can have those few minutes or hours to get away from their troubles.”

While the collection will continue to morph and change to adapt to patron needs, the goal will always remain the same.

”We want to take care of the non-academic half of the patrons,” Whitney said.

If there’s a book or genre you’d like to see in the Relax and Read Collection, talk to anyone at the Circulation Desk or feel free to contact Whitney directly.

Posted by Jenny Berry, electronic communications intern

OkState Yearbook Collection

The OSU Libraries aims to make learning and research information readily available for students, faculty and citizens alike. The Oklahoma State University Yearbook Collection is one of the countless ways that OSU Libraries achieves this goal. With over 80 editions, the collection is a thorough resource about the university and it's history.

From 1910 to 1991, Oklahoma State published an annual yearbook that detailed activities, clubs and current events that happened on campus that year. Each edition varies based on the time period and what was going on in the world at that moment. It's fascinating to see how changing eras are reflected in the design, writing and pictures of each yearbook.

In 1944, during World War II, the yearbook was printed with a silver metallic Statue of Liberty on the cover. In 1974, the yearbook cover was a light blue denim material with bubbly lettering. My personal favorite is the 1988 edition, when the cover was printed with hundreds of people's faces in black and white.

The tangible publications are located in the Peggy V. Helmrich Browsing Room on the second floor of Edmon Low. Toward the back wall, they are on the right shelving unit and are available for anyone to look at throughout the day while in the Browsing Room. In addition, the yearbooks are on display in the foyer of Edmon Low every year during the week of homecoming. This is an ideal activity to engage OSU alumni as they return to celebrate the homecoming season.

All yearbooks are also digitized online, so that anyone may access the yearbook collection from any computer. The books can be viewed through the OSU Library website, where a specific edition can be selected and "flipped through" electronically.

During homecoming week this past October, I realized the yearbook collection is much more than a group of old books. Even as I was setting up and taking down the display, people would approach the table and ask about certain editions. Students, faculty and staff alike could be seen perusing the collection, looking for relatives or friends from the past.

It's important to be aware of the history in order to understand the present and prepare for the future. The Yearbooks are an intriguing window into the history of Oklahoma State University that will continue to unify the Cowboy family for years to come.

Posted by Tatum Wallace, Electronic Communications Intern for OSU Library Communications

Amplified Oklahoma

This year, we have delved into technologies that can produce new learning and research experiences for the future-focused library, but we haven’t yet included the integration of history in this innovation dialogue.

A prime example of how the OSU Library is taking on the task of combining past and future is the "Amplified Oklahoma" podcast.

"Amplified Oklahoma", which was launched in May 2016, is an academic podcast produced by students and faculty members in the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program. It tells stories of Oklahoma people, places and cultures. The production of interviews and videos over these topics is an innovative way of spreading information about Oklahoma history using modern methods of distribution.

"Amplified Oklahoma" is largely student-involved in its operations. The library interns develop content for the podcasts based on what the OOHRP collections have to offer on the designated topic. Once a topic has been selected, they audit related interviews, write the script and edit the audio selections to make the final podcast.

Themes for the podcast generally follow topics that are prominent at the time they are published. For instance, a podcast about tornadoes and their effect on Oklahoma was sent out in May, the month when the state’s most notable storms have taken place. This method allows the library to participate in pertinent dialogue and present interesting, relevant material that will pull the audience back to the OSU Library collections.

By making material interactive and digestible, the OSU Library aspires to increase student engagement in the OOHRP department. They have found the most successful way to connect students with historic information is to place it in front of them and make it easily accessible through digital collections.

It is important for libraries of the future to have a program like the "Amplified Oklahoma" podcast because historians have the difficult task of keeping historical topics relevant in the fast-paced, futuristic conversations of the 21st century. It is uncommon for today’s students to actively search for history, so "Amplified Oklahoma" makes learning easier by allowing effortless listening of podcasts on interesting topics.

"Amplified Oklahoma" podcasts can currently be found on SoundCloud, Itunes and Stitcher.