A (re)source of Sun Devil pride

Editor’s note: This is part of a monthly series spotlighting ASU Library’s special collections throughout 2024.

They’re not the types of books that your average reader might expect to find on the shelves of an academic library — but Arizona State University faculty, staff and students aren’t your average readers.

The content included in ASU Library’s Open Stack Collections is broadly appealing, decidedly varied and surprisingly useful, especially when one finds oneself at the beginning of a new semester.

“The unique thing about Open Stack Collections at Hayden Library is that you can find a wide range of books in one place, ranging from new popular fiction and nonfiction that you might find at a bookstore alongside books written by your own professors,” said Corie Cisco, project coordinator for ASU Library’s Open Stack Collections. 

“If students are looking for something that might not be research-based, they can come here and find something to read just for fun," Cisco said. "These collections offer something different from what you might find in a typical research library.”

Along with traditional book stacks filled with scholarly works, the Open Stack Collections at Hayden Library include a variety of innovative and exploratory collections spaces.

Three categories in particular constitute the highlights of the collections:

Sun Devil Reads is inspired by bookstores and the ability to leisurely browse a collection of more than 13,000 fiction and nonfiction books. Divided into 22 categories, it covers a wide spectrum of popular topics that students and the ASU community can relate to.

Located on the second floor of the Hayden Library on the ASU Tempe campus, the collection was inspired in 2018 as part of a three-year library reinvention project, thanks to a $380,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that supported the team to reinvent the future of print as ASU. 

Sun Devil Reads launched as part of the $90 million Hayden Library renovation in 2020 and has been evolving as students returned to campus after navigating the pandemic. 

The project team’s aim was to present an open stack collection that would inspire a love of reading beyond the classroom.

“The Sun Devil Reads collection was designed with undergraduate students in mind, as part of a student-study design focus for the second floor,” said Shari Laster, head of open collections curation and access for ASU Library. “The collection engages students to encourage reading and exploring books that go outside of coursework and into other areas of personal interests and academic growth. 

"Sun Devil Reads is a collection that nurtures lifelong learning and enjoyment, and we welcome all members of the ASU community to visit this collection and find your new favorite book.”

So what are the most popular books and topics that get checked out?

According to Cisco, it’s self-help, wellness, romance, fantasy, mystery and thrillers.

“Books and zines are captivating to a younger audience because of the emergence of Bookstagram on Instagram and BookTokBookstagram and BookTok are communities on those apps that talk about books and literature. on TikTok,” Cisco said. “Reading has become cool again.”

Some of the top books circulated by genre include “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” by Ottessa Moshfegh; “Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones” by James Clear; “How to be Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi; “Dune” by Frank Herbert; “The Guest List” by Lucy Foley; and “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover.

But authors outside ASU aren’t the only writers getting the spotlight at the library.

Started by ASU News in 2017 and managed by the ASU Library since 2022, Sun Devil Shelf Life is an online platform that provides information and access to works written or edited by ASU faculty, staff, alumni and students.

Each work in the database is searchable by title, author name, genre, ASU division or keyword. The site also provides publication information, the ISBN, genre, author bio and the author’s ASU connection as well as a synopsis.

The site holds about 1,750 items and grows by the day. Genres include arts, young adult, romance, mystery, humor, English literature, and race and ethnicity. Any member of the university community who would like to submit a book to Sun Devil Shelf Life can do so via webform.

Dean Rhodes’ “A Hard Day’s Write: a Journalist’s Journey Through the World of Pop Music 1989-1994, and More,” was added last month. Rhodes is a former music reporter for the Phoenix Gazette.

“I think it’s great for alumni that we have a place where we can mention our work. I wrote the book for my kids, but I hope many others will enjoy it, too,” said Rhodes, an ASU alum from 1982. 

Madeline Sayet’s “Where We Belong,” a one-person play about a Native American woman who travels to England to study Shakespeare, is another title in the collection.

“Having my play alongside published works by other ASU faculty and alumni is an awe-inspiring reminder of the incredible creativity in this community and how lucky I am to be a part of it,” said Sayet, a clinical associate professor in the Department of English and member of the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

ASU Authors on the fourth floor of Hayden Library is a featured-collection program and provides easy access in print to scholarly and creative publications written by ASU faculty and academic personnel that otherwise would have been kept in numerous locations across the ASU Library system.

Materials in ASU Authors are closely related to the curricula, representing the latest, groundbreaking research outcomes and creative work produced at the university in multiple fields and across all schools, departments, centers and programs, according to Rachel Leket-Mor.

“This collection dates back to the 1990s, but we try and showcase the most recently published books by our community scholars and faculty,” said Leket-Mor, a librarian and Open Stack Collections curator. “It is fairly comprehensive in representing every department at the university and is curated through relationships with the faculty and through our liaison librarians. They’ll certainly let me know if there’s an important book we need to have in our collection.”

A few of the standout ASU authors and editors who have recently been added to this collection include Jeffrey Cohen, Sherman Dorn, Cora Fox, Tara Ison, Sally Kitch, Joseph Russomanno and Jenny Irish.

Jenny Irish, whose latest work is a book of prose poetry called “Hatch,” said being displayed in a library is just as meaningful as being in a library.

“There are no spaces that make me feel more optimistic than libraries, which are truly dedicated to access and community well-being,” said Irish, who is an associate professor in ASU’s Department of English. 

“As a writer, having my work in a library’s collections vastly increases the possibility that it will be found by the reader who needs it. On a smaller level, there is something special about being in a Sun Devil-themed collection, because my work is part of a gathering of colleagues and our students.”

Featured Collections, located on the second floor and throughout Hayden Library, are the product of collaborations between the ASU Library and the community at large. Developed in 2019 by faculty, staff and student organizations, its intent is to create relevant learning and engagement experiences using digital and print resources.

While the theme and design may differ, the purpose of each featured collection is to creatively use library spaces and resources to engage ASU communities, particularly students. Curated topics have included race and ethnicity, disability and inclusion, women’s rights and religion. 

To inspire students to dive deeper into heritage months, the ASU Library hosted a display in April featuring Asian American and Pacific Islander food and culture. Wei Li was a happy contributor to the curated collection of cookbooks that honored those communities' food and culture.

“As we all know, food and culture are critical to Americans’ understanding of a particular race or ethnic group, and having this display is meaningful and has a much broader impact,” said Li, a professor in ASU’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning. “Most people won’t read a scholarly book, but they’ll read a cookbook. From there they can learn about Asian Americans, how diverse we are, how there are many different languages and religious beliefs as well as food traditions.”

Student organizations also appreciate collaborating and utilizing the library to promote what’s important to them. Alison Crilly, president of ASU’s Women’s Coalition, worked with Cisco for nearly month to curate a collection to help other women navigate the intricate landscapes of healing.

“Women’s Coalition: Stories of Healing” was a featured display at Hayden Library during Women’s History Month in March. Containing approximately 100 books, the collection was billed as “an assortment of powerful memoirs, thought-provoking fiction and nonfiction, and visually engaging graphic novels to serve as a testament to the strength, courage and resilience of the feminine experience.”

Crilly said the coalition, which is an executive board composed of 19 people, promotes gender equity through advocacy, education and programming. She said working with the ASU Library on a collection was a natural fit.

“We thought it was a great idea to highlight Women’s History Month and give some name recognition to our coalition,” said Crilly, who is starting her master’s degree program this year in auditory and neuroscience in the College of Health Solutions. “The coalition landed on the subject of women and healing because it’s a subject where students can read any book from our collection and feel enlightened.”

And speaking of students, in August ASU Library launched a Sun Devil Reads exhibit that resembles a college dorm room to celebrate the start of the fall semester. The display features bookshelves filled with more than 100 recently published books from the past two years, touching on a variety of themes. 

Cisco said it’s a great way to kick off the new academic year and introduce students to what ASU Library has to offer them.

“We know starting a new semester can be stressful and overwhelming, and we wanted to create a place in the library where students can get cozy and find a book that speaks to them,” Cisco said. “We’re excited to meet new students and engage with the stories and topics that spark their interest. I’m excited to see what books and topics Sun Devils want to check out this year.”