Hello, Chico State faculty and welcome to your very own newsletter from Meriam Library – the always electrifying Meriam Memo! In this issue we’re providing all the news that’s fit to print on some new databases, how librarians can assist you in amplifying information literacy, and, just in time for Halloween, a spooky little piece on cursed books!
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Discover our New Databases
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Meriam Library has added seven new databases designed to support research, teaching, and student learning across a wide range of disciplines. Whether you’re building an assignment, beginning a research project, or looking for new resources to recommend to students, these additions offer new ways to discover, teach, and research.
Ulrich’s Web
Wondering whether a journal is peer reviewed, who publishes it, or what subjects it covers? Ulrich’s Web provides detailed information about journals and other serial publications, making it especially useful when evaluating potential publication venues or helping students understand the scholarly publishing landscape.
Biological Science Collection
Explore scholarly research across the life sciences, including biology, ecology, genetics, microbiology, environmental science, and related fields. This resource can support everything from introductory coursework to advanced research projects and literature reviews.
SPORTDiscus with Full Text
A valuable resource for kinesiology, exercise science, sports medicine, physical education, coaching, and related areas, SPORTDiscus combines comprehensive indexing with full-text access to scholarly literature focused on sport, fitness, and human movement.
Standards Connect from ANSI
Need access to technical and professional standards? Standards Connect from the American National Standards Institute provides authoritative standards used in industry, engineering, technology, manufacturing, and other applied fields—making it a useful bridge between academic learning and professional practice.
Early American Newspapers
Bring history to life through primary sources. Early American Newspapers provides access to historical newspapers that offer firsthand perspectives on political, social, economic, and cultural life, creating rich opportunities for research and classroom assignments.
Indigenous Studies Source
This interdisciplinary resource supports research on Indigenous peoples, histories, cultures, experiences, and contemporary issues. It offers valuable scholarship for courses and research across the humanities and social sciences.
Mango Languages
Ready to learn a new language or refresh one you already know? Mango Languages offers interactive lessons that combine language learning with cultural context. It can support coursework, study abroad preparation, professional development, travel, or personal enrichment.
These new resources are ready to explore. Library faculty can also help you identify the best database for your research or course needs, develop search strategies, or incorporate these resources into an assignment.
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Return This Book . . . or Else!
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Before library cards and overdue notices, some medieval book owners relied on a more dramatic deterrent: the book curse.
Handwritten books were expensive, labor-intensive, and sometimes literally irreplaceable, so scribes and owners occasionally added warnings aimed at would-be thieves. These inscriptions threatened everything from excommunication and eternal damnation to disease, dismemberment, and other unpleasant fates for anyone who stole, damaged, or failed to return a book.
The curses were usually written into the manuscript itself, making them part warning, part ownership statement, and part medieval security system.
One surviving 12th-century example held at Oxford warns that anyone who steals the book should be anathema, essentially cast out and cursed.
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Embedding Information Literacy into Curricula
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By Irene Korber
Head of Library Research, Instruction, and Outreach
Information literacy (IL) was added as a fifth Program Learning Outcome for Chico State’s General Education program a few years back. What exactly is IL and why does it matter? Information literacy, as defined by the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association, is the ability to “recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.”1 An information literate individual “demonstrates the abilities to recognize when there is a need for information; to identify, locate, and evaluate information; and to effectively, responsibly, and ethically use and share information for the question at hand.”2
Today's students navigate a research environment that extends far beyond books, journals, and Google. They must now evaluate social media, algorithmically ranked search results, misinformation, and AI-generated content. Recent research suggests that these skills cannot be taken for granted: a 2026 study found that undergraduate students averaged just 4.31 out of 10 on an assessment measuring AI knowledge as it relates to academic research and information literacy, with only 24% scoring above 60%.3
This is troubling news at best, and an indication that IL instruction is gravely needed in higher education. The benefits of IL instruction are myriad: In 2017 the Greater Western Library Alliance, a consortium of 39 research libraries4, conducted a study that demonstrated a correlation between IL instruction and student achievement: students who had IL instruction had higher retention rates, higher first-year GPAs, and completed more credit hours per year than those who did not have IL instruction.5
While faculty at Meriam Library have historically been providing IL instruction to supplement disciplinary course instruction, disciplinary faculty may now have an increased interest in integrating IL into their curricula. Fear not! Librarians at Meriam Library are well versed in embedding IL concepts into assignments and have several resources available to assist in this endeavor. The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education is a guiding document that presents “...conceptual understandings that organize many... concepts and ideas about information, research, and scholarship into a coherent whole.”6 The Framework has been widely adopted at libraries in institutions of higher education and is used to guide and inform student learning outcomes and curricula. Information and practical examples on using The Framework to incorporate IL learning outcomes into curricula can be found in the Faculty Development Tuesday Tips on information literacy.7 Open access resources offering adaptable curricula and studies on student information seeking behavior include the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy Sandbox8; Project Information Literacy9;the Community of Online Research Assignments (CORA)10; the California State University’s institutional repository11; ScholarWorks; and your local Chico State librarians!12
Don’t hesitate to reach out should you be interested in collaborating to integrate information literacy into your assignments and/or course curricula, have a librarian give a class session on research instruction, or work directly with a librarian in a one-on-one environment to facilitate research practices with you or your students: Ask a librarian!
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1Association of College and Research Libraries. (1989). Presidential committee on information literacy: Final report. http://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/whitepapers/presidential
2California State University, Chico. (2025). General Education Program, supersedes EM 18-005, EM 19-021, EM 21-002, EM 21-023. https://www.csuchico.edu/pres/em/2025/25-002.shtml
3Gotschall, T., Vierrether, T., & Misteri, C. (2026). Identifying gaps in students’ knowledge of artificial intelligence in information literacy. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 52(5), 103311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2026.103311
4Greater Western Library Alliance. https://www.gwla.org/
5Blake, J., Bowles-Terry, M., Pearson, N. S., & Szentkiralyi, Z. (2017). The impact of information literacy instruction on student success: A multi-institutional investigation and analysis. Central University Libraries Research, 13. https://scholar.smu.edu/libraries_cul_research/13/
6Association of College and Research Libraries. (2015). Framework for information literacy for higher education. http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework
7Chico State Faculty Development. (2022). Information literacy. Faculty Development Tuesday Tips Archive. https://fdevtuesdaytips.com/2022/04/27/information-literacy/
8Association of College and Research Libraries. (2026). ACRL framework for information literacy sandbox. https://sandbox.acrl.org/
9Project Information Literacy. (2025). https://projectinfolit.org/
10Loyola Marymount University Library. (2026). Community of online research assignments (CORA). https://www.projectcora.org/
11ScholarWorks. (2026). California State University. https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/catalog?search_field=all_fields&q=%22i...
12Meriam Library. (2022). Subject librarians. California State University, Chico. https://library.csuchico.edu/subject-librarians
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Upcoming Librarian-Led Instruction
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Introduction to Industry Research
Thursday, October 8, 1-1:45 pm
Have you ever wondered how much of the market Apple controls? Or what the future holds for oil & gas companies? This workshop will answer these questions and more by walking you through all the resources available at Meriam Library, and providing various tips and tricks to get the most out of your industry research.
Taught by Librarian Skylar Cotnam
Introduction to Zotero
Tuesday, October 13, 10-10:45 am
Learn the basics of Zotero -- a free, easy-to-use tool that lets you collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share research. Zotero connects with your web browser to download sources. Bring your laptop so you can download the tool!
Taught by Librarian Michelle Mussuto
APA Citations
Wednesday, October 21, 11-11:50 am
What information do I include in a citation? Does the period go before or after the parentheses? This workshop will provide attendees with an understanding of APA citations to make it easier to finish that last step before turning in a paper, and will provide an opportunity to practice writing a citation.
Taught by Librarian Irene Korber
Budget-Savvy Student's Guide to Meriam Library Resources
Thursday, October 22, 1-1:30 pm
Save money and make the most of Meriam Library! Discover free resources available to students, from course materials and research tools to technology, streaming videos and academic support. Learn what’s available, where to find it, and how the library can help you stretch your student budget.
Taught by Librarian Pam Kruger
Introduction to Company & Financial Information
Thursday, October 29, 10-10:45 am
Whether you are looking for the most recent annual report for Chipotle, or the date Xbox was acquired by Microsoft, this workshop will help you sift through the noise to find reliable information on public and private companies.
Taught by Librarian Skylar Cotnam
APA Citations
Tuesday, November 3, 10-10:50 am
What information do I include in a citation? Does the period go before or after the parentheses? This workshop will provide attendees with an understanding of APA citations to make it easier to finish that last step before turning in a paper, and will provide an opportunity to practice writing a citation.
Taught by Librarian Irene Korber
AI and the Environment
Thursday, November 12, 11-1:45 am
AI’s environmental impact is making the headlines! This librarian-led workshop will teach you how to parse the data and act sustainably. You will learn about AI and data centers, innovations underway for creating a greener AI, and what you can do to advocate for sustainable AI.
Taught by Librarian Michelle Mussuto
Welcome to the Fun Side: Meriam Library Resources
Tuesday, November 17, 12-12:30 pm
Now it's time to go over to the fun side of Meriam Library! Discover helpful resources, cool tools, and library perks that can make life easier and more enjoyable. Meriam Library offers streaming videos, tabletop games, popular books, crafts, and language-learning software, just to name a few! There is more to the library than you may think!
Taught by Librarian Pam Kruger
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