CNU Library Blog

Showing 10 of 79 Results

09/26/2025
profile-icon Francis Francisco
No Subjects

Hi CNU Library Users,

My name is Francis Francisco, and I am the librarian at the Rancho Cordova campus of CNU! I wanted my first blog post to be an opportunity to introduce myself to those of you who haven’t yet gotten a chance to meet me. I’m originally from Canada, specifically Vancouver, British Columbia, but I grew up for most of my life in San Francisco, California. And yes, putting two and two together, that would make me "Francis Francisco from San Francisco." Pleasure.

My experience working as a library professional started as early as my undergraduate years, when I worked as a student library employee for UC Davis’s libraries. There, I earned my BA in Film Studies with dreams to move to Southern California and work in film production. Spoiler alert: it did not work out. But that’s ok! Be that it may, I realized my love for libraries has always been my North Star. I fell in love with libraries, not just because of their reliable wealth of information available to us, but for their unwavering way of fostering community for any individual who steps into its spaces. I believe it was Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter series, who said, “When in doubt, go to the library.” There’s truth to that statement. For me, libraries have always provided me with the support that I needed in various points of my life. I wanted to “give back” in a way. Ultimately, my devotion to this cause led me to a career working for academic libraries while earning my MLIS at San Jose State University in 2024.

Today, now here at CNU Library, I intend to instruct information literacy and research-finding skills, which I am most passionate about in librarianship. My work is driven by the current information environment that we live in. I aim to lead instruction with the intent of teaching users how to recognize good information from bad information, especially when combatting misinformation/disinformation, as so much of it is littering our lives, affecting not only in how we live it, but our relationships with one another. Information through AI use is another topic that fascinates me. I believe there is enormous potential for it as a teaching tool, however, like many new concepts, it still needs further refinement and understanding.

My goal here at CNU is to contribute my knowledge, expertise, and ideas, with the hope that I can be of some use to our users and their academic pursuits. Librarianship requires continuous learning and thoughtfulness as the field is always evolving due to technological changes in how information is communicated, as well as the changes in information behaviors from users themselves.

-Francis

This post has no comments.
09/25/2024
Sadie Davenport

Title: Masters of Mathematics: The Problems They Solved, Why These Are Important, and What You Should Know About Them. 

Author: Robert A. Nowlan. 

Publication info: Rotterdam, The Netherlands : Brill. 2017. eBook. 

Location: Academic Search Complete

Description: The original title for this work was “Mathematical Literacy, What Is It and Why You Need it”. The current title reflects that there can be no real learning in any subject, unless questions of who, what, when, where, why and how are raised in the minds of the learners. The book is not a mathematical text, and there are no assigned exercises or exams. It is written for reasonably intelligent and curious individuals, both those who value mathematics, aware of its many important applications and others who have been inappropriately exposed to mathematics, leading to indifference to the subject, fear and even loathing. These feelings are all consequences of meaningless presentations, drill, rote learning and being lost as the purpose of what is being studied. Mathematics education needs a radical reform. There is more than one way to accomplish this. Here the author presents his approach of wrapping mathematical ideas in a story. To learn one first must develop an interest in a problem and the curiosity to find how masters of mathematics have solved them. What is necessary to be mathematically literate? It's not about solving algebraic equations or even making a geometric proof. These are valuable skills but not evidence of literacy. We often seek answers but learning to ask pertinent questions is the road to mathematical literacy. Here is the good news: new mathematical ideas have a way of finding applications. This is known as “the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics.”

 

This post has no comments.
09/18/2024
Sadie Davenport
No Subjects

Title: The Edinburgh Seven: The Story of the First Women to Study Medicine (in Britain)

Author: Janey Jones.

Publication info: South Yorkshire, England: Pen and Sword History. 2023.

Location: Academic eBook Collection

Description: Women have healed since the beginning of time, but accessing a formal degree in medicine was impossible for them in Britain until the late 19th century. In 1869, a group of women began arriving in Edinburgh to study at the medical faculty, led by the indomitable Sophia Jex Blake. They would eventually be known around the world as The Edinburgh Seven. They were delighted to become students of medicine and as Sophia said, they simply wanted'a fair field and no favour'. But some of the traditional professors at the university did not approve of women becoming practising doctors. The medical women would soon discover that they were welcome as hobbyists but not as competitors with male students. There were legal wrangles, court cases, personal attacks and even a full blown riot - all because some male medics wanted rid of the women. And the women did leave Edinburgh - without degrees. But they finished their studies in mainland Europe and came back as fully fledged doctors. In 2019, the University of Edinburgh awarded the Seven their degrees posthumously via current day medical students. At last, the right thing was done, but the struggles of the original Seven should never be forgotten. This is their story.

This post has no comments.
09/11/2024
Sadie Davenport

   

Title: On the Ground After September 11: Mental Health Responses and Practical Knowledge Gained.

Publication info: By Yael Danieli & Robert L Dingman. Routledge, 2014.

Location: Academic eBook Collection.

Description: A heartfelt collection of extraordinary first-person accounts that delve into every level of the experience of 9/11Out of the infamy of 9/11 and its aftermath people rose up with courage and determination to meet formidable challenges. On the Ground After September 11: Mental Health Responses and Practical Lessons Gained is a stirring compilation of over a hundred personal and professional first-hand accounts of the entire experience, from the moment the first plane slammed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, to the months mental health professionals worked to ease the pain and trauma of others even while they themselves were traumatized. This remarkable chronicle reveals the breadth and depth of human need and courage along with the practical organizational considerations encountered in the responses to terrorist attacks. The goal of any terrorist act is to instill psychosocial damage to a society to effect change. On the Ground After September 11 provides deep insight into the damage the attack had on our own society, the failures and victories within our response systems, and the path of healing that mental health workers need to travel to be of service to their clients. Personal accounts written by the professionals and public figures involved reveal the broad range of responses to this traumatic event and illuminate how mental health services can most effectively be delivered. Through the benefit of hindsight, recommendations are described for ways to better finance assistance, adapt the training of mental health professionals, and modify organizations'response to the needs of victims in this type of event.

 

Title: September 11: Trauma and Human Bonds

Publication info: By Yael Danieli & Robert L Dingman. Routledge, 2014.

Location: Academic eBook Collection.

Description: Drawing on research from a variety of domains - clinical studies of trauma, developmental psychopathology, interpersonal psychobiology, epidemiology, and social policy - September 11: Trauma and Human Bonds addresses especially the fundamental relationship of human bonds to trauma and underscores the manner in which developments in all these fields are coming together in complementary ways that sustain a key finding: that trauma must be understood in its relational and attachment contexts. The quality of early emotional attachments, differences in attachment styles to family milieus, and the psychological qualities that enable traumatized parents to avoid traumatizing their children are among the topics through which these contexts are explored. A sobering reminder of shared human vulnerability in the face of devastating events, September 11 is also a heartening reminder of resiliency in the face of overwhelming loss and of the healing potential of human connection.

This post has no comments.
09/04/2024
Sadie Davenport
No Subjects

Title: Modernizing Medicare: Harnessing the Power of Consumer Choice and Market Competition.

Author: Robert Moffit & Marie Fishpaw.

Publication info: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2023.

Location: Academic eBook Collection.

Description: In Modernizing Medicare, editors Robert Emmet Moffit and Marie Fishpaw bring together a rare combination of leading scholars and policy practitioners to outline a vision for Medicare reform and provide solutions for the millions of seniors whose health care depends on it. Contributors include a former Medicare trustee, a former Medicare administrator, and a former director of the Congressional Budget Office. Detailing Medicare's biggest problems, this team of top policy experts offer solutions based on personal freedom of choice, transparency of price and performance, and market competition among health plans and providers that will secure patients more affordable, more accountable, and higher quality medical care. They also address Medicare's reform needs and analyze the promising performance of the Medicare Advantage program. The authors outline Medicare's major financial problems and the best solutions for Medicare patients and taxpayers alike. While Medicare's accelerating spending is generating higher deficits and debt, standard cost-control strategies—such as payment reductions and price controls—jeopardize patients'access to high-quality care. Contributors: Joseph R. Antos, PhD; Doug Badger; Charles P. Blahous, PhD; Walton F. Francis; John C. Goodman, PhD; Edmund F. Haislmaier; Douglas Holtz-Eakin, PhD; Brian J. Miller, MD, MBA, MPH; Robert Emmet Moffit, PhD; Mark V. Pauly, PhD; Christopher M. Pope, PhD; Gail R. Wilensky, PhD.

 

This post has no comments.
08/30/2024
Sadie Davenport

Title: From Whispers to Shouts: The Ways We Talk About Cancer.

Author: Elaine Schattner.

Publication info: Columbia University Press, 2023.

Location: Academic eBook Collection.

Description: It's hard today to remember how recently cancer was a silent killer, a dreaded disease about which people rarely spoke in public. In hospitals and doctors'offices, conversations about malignancy were hushed and hope was limited. In this deeply researched book, Elaine Schattner reveals a sea change—from before 1900 to the present day—in how ordinary people talk about cancer. From Whispers to Shouts examines public perception of cancer through stories in newspapers and magazines, social media, and popular culture. It probes the evolving relationship between journalists and medical specialists and illuminates the role of women and charities that distributed medical information. Schattner traces the origins of patient advocacy and activism from the 1920s onward, highlighting how, while doctors have lost control of messages about cancer, survivors have gained visibility and voice. The book's final section lays out provocative questions facing the cancer community today—including distrust of oncologists, concerns over financial burdens, and disparities in cancer treatments and care. Schattner considers how patients and their loved ones struggle to make decisions amid conflicting information and opinions. She explores the ramifications of so much openness, good and bad, and asks: Has awareness backfired? Instead, Schattner contends, we need greater understanding of cancer's treatability.

This post has no comments.

Title: Everything That Rises: A Climate Change Memoir. 

Author: Brianna Craft. 

Publication info: Chicago : Lawrence Hill Books. 2023. eBook. 

Location: Academic eBook Collection

Description: One of Ms. Magazine's 'Most Anticipated Feminist Books of 2023.' Authentic and inspiring, Everything That Rises personalizes the realities of climate change by paralleling our relationship to the planet with the way we interact within our own homes. Nineteen-year-old Brianna Craft is having a panic attack. A professor's matter-of-fact explanation of the phenomenon known as 'climate change' has her white-knuckling the table in her first environmental studies lecture. Out of her father's house, she was supposed to be safe. This moment changed everything for Brianna. For her first internship, she jumped at the chance to assist the Least Developed Countries Group at the United Nations' negotiations meant to produce a new climate treaty. While working for those most ignored yet most impacted by the climate crisis, she grappled with the negligent indifference of those who hold the most power. This dynamic painfully reminded her of growing up in a house where the loudest voice always won and violence silenced those in need. Four years later, Brianna witnessed the adoption of the first universal climate treaty, the Paris Agreement. In this memoir that blends the political with the personal, Brianna dives into what it means to advocate for the future, and for the people and places you love, all while ensuring your own voice doesn't get lost in the process. It will take all of us to protect our home.

This post has no comments.
08/07/2024
Sadie Davenport
No Subjects

Title: British Columbiana: A Millennial in a Gold Rush Town. 

Author: Josie Teed. 

Publication info: Toronto : Dundurn Press. 2023. eBook. 

Location: Academic eBook Collection

Description: A job as a heritage interpreter at a remote gold rush site propels an insecure and anxious twenty-four-year-old to find what she truly desires from life.“By turns deadpan and wryly candid, Teed has a keen observational eye and a talent for characterization. An excellent debut.” — ANDRÉ FORGET, author of In the City of PigsUnsure of her next steps after graduation, twenty-something Josie Teed accepts a position at Barkerville, a remote heritage site in British Columbia showcasing the nineteenth-century gold rush. She lives in the adjacent village of Wells, population 250. There is no cell reception and the grocery store is an hour away. Once a thriving gold mining community in the 1930s, Wells has become a haven for white Gen-X artists and flower children, struggling actors-turned-heritage-interpreters, and transient miners.Eager to move on from a master's thesis that left her questioning her passion for history, Josie dives headlong into her new job and life in a small town. Faced with the prospect of remaining long-term, she must decide if she will fight to carve a place for herself in Wells's idiosyncratic community. What follows is the story of a young woman trying to find connection and purpose in the twenty-first century while living in a village seemingly frozen in the past.

This post has no comments.
07/31/2024
Sadie Davenport
No Subjects

Title: Belonging: Natural Histories of Place, Identity and Home. 

Author: Amanda Thompson. 

Publication info: Edinburgh : Canongate Books. 2022. eBook.

Location: Academic eBook Collection

Description: Reflecting on family, identity and nature, Belonging is a personal memoir about what it is to have and make a home. It is a love letter to nature, especially the northern landscapes of Scotland and the Scots pinewoods of Abernethy – home to standing dead trees known as snags, which support the overall health of the forest. Belonging is a book about how we are held in thrall to elements of our past. It speaks to the importance of attention and reflection, and will encourage us all to look and observe and ask questions of ourselves. Beautifully written and featuring Amanda Thomson's artwork and photography throughout, it explores how place, language and family shape us and make us who we are.

This post has no comments.
07/24/2024
Sadie Davenport
No Subjects

Title: Low-Fat Love Stories. 

Author: Patricia Leavy & Victoria Scotti. 

Publication info: Rotterdam, The Netherlands : Brill. 2017. eBook. 

Location: Academic Search Complete

Description: American Fiction Awards 2018 - award-winning finalist in the category short stories! Low-Fat Love Stories is a collection of short stories and visual portraits based on interview research with women about a dissatisfying relationship with a romantic partner or relative, or their body image. The stories focus on settling in relationships, the gap between fantasies and realities, relationship patterns, divorce, abuse, childhood pain, spirituality, feeling like a fraud, growing older, and daily struggles looking in the mirror. Once upon a time and happily ever after take on new meaning as the women's stories reveal the underside of fairytales and toxic popular culture. Written in the first-person with language taken directly from each woman's interview, the stories are raw, visceral, and inspirational. As a collection, the stories and art set you on an emotional rollercoaster and illustrate the different forms “low-fat love” may take, and the quest for self-worth in the context of popular culture that tells women they are never enough. The authors developed an original method of “textual visual snapshots” for this book. Low-Fat Love Stories can be used in a range of courses in art education, gender/women's studies, popular culture, psychology, relational communication, sociology and social work; or as an exemplar in research or qualitative methods, narrative inquiry, arts-based research or creative writing courses; or it can be read entirely for pleasure by individuals or in book clubs.

This post has no comments.
Field is required.