For students

March Updates

Read about displays, crafty events, and new ways the Library can support your course materials needs. 

Puzzles on display 

Discover our puzzle collection, now on display on the back side of the New Arrivals shelf near the Book Checkout & Pickup Desk. 

Puzzles are available to work on in the Library or check out and take home for up to seven days. Don’t see one you like? We have even more behind the desk, so feel free to ask for other options! 

 

Request new books from the Library 

This semester, we are inviting students to request materials for Course Reserves. Want us to purchase your course’s required reading and make it available for checkout at no cost to you? Place a request online and we will follow up and see what we can do! 

Faculty members can still use our course reserves request form for courses they teach.

Learn more about course reserves in the Library.

 

Gator Giving Day, March 18

Follow your Library @sfstatelibrary on Instagram for matching challenges and more! 

 

Book Recommendation

Our Resource Sharing Specialist, Leah, recommends Rabid by Bill Wasick and Monica Murphy 

  • Rabies -- Epidemiology -- History
  • Rabies -- Treatment -- History

Look for it on our shelves or request a copy!

Rabid Book Cover

This month’s events

Quick tips

  • Power up! Borrow chargers or adapters at the checkout desk, or plug into a power station in the Collaboration Studio or ground-floor Quiet Study.
  • Time to refuel? Find always-open vending machines with snacks and beverages on Floors 1, 3, and 4.
  • Watch and learn: Our YouTube channel offers tutorials on research skills, accessing free textbooks, and more!

Find Free Textbooks Here

Some class materials you need might be free to use in our Course Reserves collection.

Before you buy your books, check at your Library! You can search in our Course Reserves list or in OneSearch for your professor, course code, or book title.

Although we can't get a copy of every textbook, we work with the bookstore and the Disability Programs & Resource Center each semester to create a list of all the required books and course materials that we do have for you to use.

Most ebooks on the list can be used by many students at once from anywhere. We always buy ebooks with an unlimited-user license when we can! Other ebooks are limited to one, two, or three users at a time, so they might be unavailable when you try to access them. In that case, check back a little later! 

Sometimes you can download a chapter or even the full text to read offline. Other ebooks and articles can only be read online.

Our Course Reserves list also includes print books and other physical materials that we keep behind the desk for students to borrow for a few hours or a few days. These short-term loans allow many students to use a single item, and the loan period is set by the professor. 

Not finding what you need? Ask a librarian for help!

Course Reserves at SFSU Library

Other places to look for free books:

  • San Francisco Public Library: Get free access to audiobooks, ebooks, traditional hard-copy books, movies, music, printing, museum passes, and more! 
  • California's Bookshelf: Use the free Palace app to read thousands of ebooks and audiobooks thanks to a California State Library program.
  • Project Connect Book Loan: This Associated Students program supplies free textbooks to SFSU students. Fill out an application at the start of each fall or spring semester. 

Game Break

Join us for some fun, laughter, and friendly competition with board games! Drop in between classes or bring a few friends! 

You can play games during the event and also check them out to take home with you. Games include Uno, mahjong, playing card decks, Apples to Apples, Catan, Scrabble, Monopoly, Wingspan, Ticket to Ride, Taboo, and so much more!

Snacks will be provided. Find us in the Events Room, LIB 121, on the first floor. 

Our Game Breaks this semester are Monday, March 2, and Thursday, April 16.

Spring Crafternoons

Drop in for a variety of crafts on selected afternoons this spring semester! Check back for more dates and projects.

Schedule

  • Thursday, Feb. 12: Collage a valentine, 2 – 4 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Feb. 17: Button making and clay crafts, 2 – 4 p.m.
  • Thursday, Feb. 26: Clay crafts, 2 – 4 p.m.
  • Friday, March 6: Origami, 1 – 4 p.m.
  • Tuesday, March 10: Bracelets, 1 – 3 p.m. 
  • Tuesday, March 17: Good luck charms, 2 – 4 p.m.
  • Friday, March 27: Clay crafts, 1 – 3 p.m.
  • Friday, April 3: Clay crafts, 1 – 3 p.m.
  • Monday, April 6: Make a button/pin, 4 – 6 p.m.
  • Wednesday, April 15: Paper flowers and garlands, 2 – 4 p.m.
  • Friday, April 24: Clay crafts, 1 – 3 p.m.
  • Wednesday, May 6: DIY air fresheners, 4 – 6 p.m.

January Updates

Read about our Family Study Room, a traveling mascot, guided tours, and our winter and spring hours.

Family Study Room in the spotlight

If you bring kids with you to campus, we have just the space for you! Our Family Study Room on the third floor is set up to be shared by adults and kids of all ages, including infants. 

It’s first-come, first-served — just get the door code at the Book Checkout & Pickup Desk on the first floor, where you can also check out age-appropriate Kid Kits, Lego sets, puzzles, games, and other fun stuff.

Our children's book section is also nearby on the third floor. Look for the low shelves near the south-facing windows above Holloway Avenue.

Learn more: Kids & Families

 

Big-eyed brown teddy bear sitting in a bin of CDs in the Library Retrieval System

Traveling Cali Bear visits SFSU

The CSU Resource Sharing mascot, Cali Bear, has come to visit SFSU! 

Cali travels all over the state between interlibrary loan departments at CSU libraries, and she will be helping us with all things interlibrary loan for the next few weeks. 

Follow her journey on our Instagram!

 

Quick tips 

  • Power up! You can borrow chargers and adapters from the Book Checkout & Pickup Desk for four hours at a time. 

  • Time to refuel? Find always-open vending machines with snacks and beverages on the first, third, and fourth floors. Look for the purple Refuel signs!

Explore your Library with us

Join us for a guided tour of our building and website to discover spaces, services, and resources that might surprise you! 

Tours will run daily at various times, starting a week before spring classes.

Learn more: Library Tours: Jan. 20 – 30

This month’s calendar   

Visit the SFSU Library Hours page to check hours for specific days and services.

  • Jan. 2 — Library reopens with limited hours for winter session (Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.).

  • Jan. 19 — Library closed for MLK Day holiday.

  • Jan. 20 — First day of Library 101 tours. Spring semester hours begin.

  • Jan. 26 — Spring classes get started! 

  • Jan. 27 & 29 — Discover Your Local Libraries events

Wellness Weeks, Dec. 8–18

From Dec. 8 to 18, you can visit our Wellness Room in LIB 121 whenever the Library is open to grab a snack, take a break, try a new craft project, and learn about other wellness resources on campus. 

Look out for pop-up events at the Library during the final stretch of the semester!

More info:

Pop-up study breaks

Monday, Dec. 8

  • Noon – 1 p.m. — Press Your Stress: Use our button maker to create a custom pin with collage materials, one of our premade designs, or your own artistic inspiration!
  • 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. — Citation Consultation: Stuck on formatting for a tricky source? Get troubleshooting help from a librarian!

Tuesday, Dec. 9

  • Noon – 1 p.m. — Citation Consultation
  • 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. — Wags for Wellness
  • 4 – 5 p.m. — DIY collage bookmarks

Wednesday, Dec. 10

  • 4 – 5 p.m. — DIY bracelets

Thursday, Dec. 11

  • Noon – 1 p.m. — Knitting Tips: Learn the basics and get tips from an experienced ExCo knitting instructor! We’ll provide practice needles and yarn.
  • 3 – 4 p.m. — DIY air freshener
  • 5 – 6 p.m. — Press Your Stress: Use our button maker to create a custom pin with collage materials, one of our premade designs, or your own creativity and artistic inspiration!

Monday, Dec. 15

  • 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. — Citation Consultation: Stuck on formatting for a tricky source? Get troubleshooting help from a librarian!
  • 5 – 6 p.m. — BYO Needlecrafts

Tuesday, Dec. 16

  • 3 – 4 p.m. — DIY heating pads

Thursday, Dec. 18

  • 3 – 4 p.m. — DIY air-dry clay sculpting

Library Book Club

Drop in and chat about books with other readers! Bring along your latest read, or pick up something new from our little free library shelf.

The Library Book Club meets between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month in The Living Room, which is inside the Collaboration Studio. Drop in anytime!

Banned Books Trivia Night

Join a team, test your knowledge, maybe win a prize!

Bring your competitive spirit and your trivia smarts. We'll provide light snacks. 

It’s all happening in the Events Room, LIB 121, from 6 to 8 p.m. 

See you there!

More to explore

Are you a banned books reader? Delve into the latest trends in book challenges and read for your rights with the help of our guide to banned books. 

Be sure to check out our display of banned and challenged books on the first floor near the elevators, now through Oct. 11.

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