End of Spring Semester 2025 Edition




From the Dean of Libraries, Kristin Hart


 

As I wrap up my first academic year as Dean of Libraries at CSU East Bay, my sense of wonderment at the beauty of this campus has only deepened. Most evenings find me at the top of University Hill watching the sun set over the Bay and then, if I'm especially lucky, the moon rise shortly afterward over the rolling hills behind. These hills can be hiked– I've learned through exploration– through many miles of undeveloped grazing land in a giant loop back to campus. The seasonal changes are more subtle here than "back east," but watching the hills slowly turn green and the plantings along the beautiful new Ohlone Walkway wake up has been a profound experience.

I want to thank everyone for the long, warm welcome to the East Bay community, and for inviting me with such open hearts into your conversations about the future of this university– which is bright. It's been an honor to come to the CORE every day and talk with everyone about what the students want and need to thrive. Next year, look for a napping lounge, a collaborative makerspace, enhanced popular reading and games collections, book clubs, and even more great exhibits and events that celebrate this amazing community. Below, you can meet Oaks, the Library's new student-designed mascot, and read about some of the past semester's events in the CORE. Good luck with finals and have a great summer!


 

Introducing Oaks!

We are delighted to introduce you to Oaks, our new Library Mascot!

Oaks was designed by Library Student Assistant, Keisha, who is currently a graduate student in the Interaction Design and Interactive Art program.

Christian, Library Student Assistant and Communications major, thought of the name Oaks, which highlights East Bay's connection to the native coastal oaks in the area.

You'll see Oaks around the Library and online, welcoming you to the Library.


 

Recap of Some Spring Events

Lots of great events and exhibits were held at the Library this Spring Semester. Below are just a few highlights.

Hackathon March 1-2

Cal State East Bay Library was pleased to host HackHayward in the CORE. The library was the perfect place for 160 young programers from across the state to come together and build with AI.

The energy and enthusiasm in the building was exhilarating. The Library congratulates Cal State East Bay students -- Yash Kumars, Ujas Goti, and Nidhi Prajapati -- who organized such a successful event. We look forward to seeing HackHayward back in the Library next year.

 

Inaugural Reading Challenge

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Inaugural Reading Challenge!

Find your next read from the list of all books submitted for the Challenge (along with East Bay Reader Commentary), on the "What is East Bay Reading?" webpage on the Reading Challenge website.

We look forward to hosting another reading challenge next year, along with more fun reading events!

 

Student Artist Books

The Library was honored to host a number of exhibits co-created by students and/or featuring student work this academic year.

It was wonderful to exhibit the artist books created by students from Bookmaking 1 & 2 this spring.

We look forward to hosting more exhibits of student work next academic year!

 

New Additions to the Library!

We're excited to share some new additions to the Library's resources and collections.

New Games!

We've added new board games to our collection. Come browse the games on the first floor of the Library. Borrow a game to take home and play. You might find a new favorite!


 

New Books!

We've added new books to our Popular Reading Collection.
Check them out on the first floor of the Library and borrow some for your next great beach read!


 

Nap Pod!

We are excited to have our nap pod on the second floor of the Library.
Come and enjoy a power nap at the Library!


 

Coming Soon!

Snooze Lounge

While we're excited that we have our nap pod already available on the second floor of the Library, we hope to have the full Snooze Lounge ready for Fall Semester.

The Snooze Lounge will be the permanent home of the nap pod, along with zero gravity chairs, and bean bag chairs.

 

Makerspace

You may have seen us getting the Makerspace ready on the second floor of the Library (right next to the nap pod).

We are excited to be opening the Makerspace in Fall Semester and will be hosting workshops and open time for everyone to come in and make something new!

 

We're Open During The Summer!

Need a great read for the summer? Want to try out a new game? Looking to get a jump start on some research?

The Library is open during the summer, 9:00am-5:00 pm Monday through Friday. So please stop by, say hi, and pick up something fun from our collections!