Staff Q and A: Dean of University Libraries Sandra Bozarth

By California State University, Bakersfield

April 17^th, 2024

What is your role on campus and how long have you worked at CSUB?

22 years — Dean of University Libraries since 2020; started as a part-time librarian in 2002.

What does your role entail?

I am responsible for the management of library resources, oversight of the library budget, library personnel and the physical, informational and technical resources necessary to provide quality library services. I also work with student groups to advance student success and execute the strategic plan for service-oriented and forward-thinking library collections to support teaching, learning and research at CSUB.

Why were you drawn to CSUB initially?

I was new to the profession of library science and had never worked in an academic library. I wanted to give it a try, so I reached out regarding volunteer opportunities at the Walter W. Stiern Library (WSL). I was then asked if I would like to apply for a part-time lecturer position. I said yes, and have been here ever since and have served in various roles through the years.

What is your favorite part of working at the university?

Continuing to grow and learn both personally and professionally! There is always something new developing, whether it is in the library or on campus. It is exciting and rejuvenating to be a part of that.

What is the mission behind the Walter W. Stiern Library?

The mission of the Walter W. Stiern Library is to strengthen and enhance the learning, research, and instruction of California State University, Bakersfield by facilitating access to programs and services that support a culture of broad inquiry reflective of the diverse community we serve. The library enriches the university’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion by engaging with the campus and encouraging lifelong learning, critical thinking and societal awareness.

What are some of the activities/programming opportunities that the library offers?

The 150,000 square-foot building houses nearly half a million volumes and provides electronic access to hundreds of thousands of periodical titles and over a million ebooks in almost 200 databases.

Students can check out books, videos and equipment; obtain research help from a librarian at the research desk; borrow reserve materials; or use the laptop study area to study and do research. The library’s users check out more than 200,000 physical and electronic books per year on average. The Resource Sharing Department, which performs more than 4,000 borrowing and lending transactions per year, is located on the first floor, as are the reference, California history, multicultural, career and student success, law and popular reading collections.

The library’s collection of print periodicals, government documents, juvenile collection, microfilm and the Historical Research Center, as well as several group study areas for students, are located on the second floor. The Historical Research Center contains the campus archives, special collections and the gallery. The third and fourth floors house the main book collection and our archives. Group and individual study rooms for students are also found on these floors.

Access to the library’s collection and electronic resources is provided online via the library’s homepage. From the homepage, CSUB users can connect to eBooks, research databases and reference resources. All of these resources can be accessed off campus by CSUB students and faculty. Faculty and staff have access to materials from across all 23 campuses of the California State University via the system-wide shared library catalog, OneSearch, and the system-wide resource-sharing system, CSU+.

CSUB users may access a huge collection of electronic books via Safari, ProQuest Academic Complete and EBSCOhost eBook collections, which are also accessible in OneSearch. Periodical databases, such as EBSCOhost, ScienceDirect, and ProQuest are a few of the 196 different databases CSUB students have access to. These databases cover a wide spectrum of subject areas and provide citations up to full text articles.

How does the WSL play a part in the overall student experience at CSUB?

The library is managed and operated by 29 staff members and faculty librarians who support students seven days a week for a total of 82 hours per week. The library also maintains a branch library at the CSUB Antelope Valley campus in Lancaster. Our faculty librarians, all of whom hold advanced degrees in library science, provide face-to-face and online research assistance through the 24-hour Chat with a Librarian service and offer in-depth help to students through the individual research appointments online and in-person. There is a librarian assigned to every major and various subject areas. Services provided by the librarians include consultation to students and faculty, both in-person and online, collection development, information competency courses and orientation programs.

What do you think is the biggest misconception when it comes to your area on campus?

That the library is just a space to gather in. We are that and much more. We are a hub of information resources that support the entire campus community, alumni and community members. As part of our mission, code of ethics and the Library Bill of Rights, we are committed to providing equal access to information, supporting and protecting freedom of expression and the right to privacy in research and library needs (American Library Association, 1996). We are committed to providing equitable services to our students, including access to classroom and research materials, helping our students cultivate critical thinking and information literacy skills and making them feel welcome, safe and included at CSUB.

How do you see the WSL continuing to grow and expand in the years to come?

We want to continue to diversify the library offerings through our collections, programs and services so students at CSUB see themselves reflected in what we do and offer. Our goal is to adopt “practice[s] that will lead to better outcomes for racialized and minoritized populations” (American Library Association, 2022, p.2) and also to provide a positive supportive experience for our student body.

Are there any events or exhibits coming up this semester that people should mark on their calendars?

Yes, here is the link to our calendar and some details below:

The History Forum on Contracting Freedom: Race, Empire, and U.S. Guestworker Programs. Will take place on Friday, April 26 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Library will also be hosting a zoom workshop on Time-Saving Secrets to Better Writing on and May 2 at 10 a.m.
On the first floor near the administration office is the "Walter W. Stiern Library Goes to the Oscars" display. This display features books that became screenplays for Oscar-winning films. Both the DVD's and the books are available for checkout.
On the second floor, on the slat wall near the Fab Lab Annex, is the #MoreDiverseBooks display that features Young Adult fiction books that have Black protagonists and/or Black authors. Keep an eye out for this display as we continue to bring diversity picks in Young Adult fiction to the Library.
The Historical Research Center's (HRC) current America's Newest Cities exhibit on redlining. You can see the virtual exhibit via the HRC website or you can visit in person on the second floor in the HRC gallery.
Lastly, the Library is currently offering extended hours until May 16.

How does the WSL impact the greater Bakersfield/Kern County community?

Our collection is the largest academic book collection in the southern San Joaquin Valley, and we are open to not just the CSUB community but also the general public. We provide tours, workshops and outreach to the community and especially our K-12 partners.

Is there anything else you think people should know about the Walter W. Stiern Library that they might not know already?

Food, beverage and microwave is now available for the duration of open library hours, 24-hour study space is available, live 24/7 research help available with a person (not ChatGPT or AI assistant).