Labriola Center Open Stacks
Sun Devil Reads
North Lounge
Disability and Inclusion
These books serve as resources to better understand the experiences of those with disabilities. Included are memoirs, histories, photography, and children's literature addressing topics such as identity, activism, and education.
Every Day is Earth Day
In celebration of Earth Month, University Sustainability Practices invites you to explore this collection of books focused on sustainability. This collection includes a variety of topics ranging from water conservation, sustainable economics, climate change, plant-forward eating, and more! Within this collection, you can find books written by expert ASU faculty working in the sustainability field. ASU staff, faculty, and students in the sustainability community were also given the opportunity to contribute some of their favorite books to this collection! The Every Day is Earth Day collection is part of the University Sustainability Practices celebration of Earth Month that brings awareness to sustainability as one of ASU’s core values. Throughout the month of April, University Sustainability Practices will be hosting events centered around sustainability. Get involved this Earth Month.
Islamic Collection
This collection encompasses Islamic thoughts, knowledge and beliefs. It also highlights important holidays for Muslims, such as Ramadan and Eid. Ramadan is a holy month in the Islamic calendar characterized by devotion to God through acts of worship, reflection upon the Quran and fasting. The purpose of fasting is not only to practice self-discipline, thankfulness and empathy towards others who are less fortunate but also to develop God-consciousness. Ramadan is a significant month because it was the month the Quran was revealed as a guidance and a distinguishing factor between right and wrong. Eid al-Fitr, the first day after Ramadan, is characterized to be a day of celebration and community and family bonding after the month of Ramadan. In short, this collection serves to provide knowledge on Islam and celebrate our faith!
Labor Movements
If you look for them, you can find labor movements woven through each period of American history. But the prevalent narrative of the fight for workers’ rights in the United States often fails to recognize the contributions of women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ workers. For example, images of Rosie the Riveter are often presented to illustrate women entering the American workforce out of necessity during World War II. In reality, working-class women have always participated in the labor force as wage earners, and deserve recognition for their many contributions to labor history.
This collection aims to offer a broad representation of labor movements in the United States. Readers will find examples of activism across numerous fields and professions, both in the realms of formal employment and in the home. The curators of this collection hope that readers will be touched by the lives and stories represented here, both historical and fictional, and gain a greater understanding of the history and complexities of labor movements in the United States. Books included in this collection strive to honor the efforts made by working people throughout U.S. history to create better conditions for all, while also recognizing the work still to be done.
A special thanks to Dr. Christine Marín, Dr. Mary Fonow and Jacklyn Collens for their expertise on this subject and contributions to this collection. To learn more, please visit the Center for Work and Democracy at https://cwd.asu.edu/.
Letters in Lavender
In celebration of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, this collection is dedicated to the two spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer authors who share their experiences with us through creative mediums. “Letters in Lavender'' seeks to illuminate 2SLGBTQ+ voices from the margin to the center of the community. The materials curated here preserve subjects and perspectives which have been underrepresented in the ASU Library holdings. It is important to note that this collection is not meant to be comprehensive, but rather, provides a representative sample of fiction and nonfiction both in print and on film. We thank the library staff who contributed to this collection, and we hope that everyone learns something from these profound people.
Women's Coalition: Stories of Healing
The Women’s Coalition: Stories of Healing collection celebrates these authors as they navigate the intricate landscapes of healing. This curated assortment of powerful memoirs, thought-provoking fiction, enlightening nonfiction, and visually engaging graphic novels serves as a testament to the strength, courage, and resilience of the feminine experience. These stories illuminate the transformative power of perseverance, proving that healing is a journey as unique as the individuals who embark upon it.
Whether you seek inspiration, comfort, or a renewed sense of empowerment, these stories will leave an indelible mark on your heart, reminding you that within every person lies the power to heal, rise, and thrive.
This collection is in collaboration with the ASU Women’s Coalition – thank you for all the you do for the ASU community and beyond. Special thanks to ASU librarians Allinston Saulsberry, Leela Denver and Sierra Schuman for their contributions.
Central Lounge
Black Voices
This collection is the result of many thoughtful conversations among colleagues, within leadership circles, and with the ASU community about diversfiying ASU Library’s book resources to adequately represent more Black, Indigenous and People of Color authors and researchers. Although there is more work to be done, this collection is one of many projects here at ASU Library that aims to fill the gaps we recognize within our library collection and continue our mission of providing a diverse and inclusive experience for library patrons with our collections.
We dedicate this collection to the countless authors who have uplifted the Black and African American community and brought forth stories of their experiences and culture through their writings of literature, history, memoir, and beyond. This collection is broad in its scope, but we hope that the many genres allow for people with varying interests to find a book that calls to them.
This featured collection was curated by the Community-Driven Archives Initiative/Black Collections team and their student interns.
Ecofeminist Expressions: Converging Nature, Gender, and the Art of Storytelling
The Ecofeminist Expressions: Converging Nature, Gender, and the Art of Storytelling collection is about ecofeminism and the thought leaders who have contributed to the field. Ecofeminism is a branch of feminism and political ecology where people draw on the concept of gender to analyze the relationships between humans and the natural world. Ecofeminist analysis explores the connections between women and nature in culture, economy, religion, politics, literature and iconography, and addresses the parallels between the oppression of nature and the oppression of women. Materials in the collection range from fictional books and films that reflect these themes and foundational titles from ecofeminist theorists.
This particular project is inspired by a Humanities Lab under the theme “Gendering Peace and Security.” ASU students Jessica Hladik, Chimereze Okezie and ASU Social Sciences Librarian, Mimmo Bonanni, spearheaded an original book list and corresponding website for people interested in learning more about this topic. For more information about the Humanities Lab, please visit https://humanities.lab.asu.edu/.
Honor Hispanic and Latinx Heritage
This collection serves to commemorate Hispanic and Latinx communities through their influence and contributions to American society. We dedicate this collection to the authors and directors who shared stories of their experiences and culture through the written word and cinema. This featured collection was curated by archivists, library staff, librarians and members of the El Concilio student coalition.
Indigenous Speculative Fiction
Indigenous speculative storytelling [re]imagines and [re]configures reality. It remembers and re-members lands, languages, memories, and cultures to acknowledge, honor, and reclaim resilience and kinship.
- Indigenous Speculative Fiction class, Spring 2023 with Dr. Jerome Clark
Reference
This collection includes a sampling of standard reference materials such as encyclopedias, handbooks, and dictionaries that can support learning and research on a variety of topics. These reference materials are always available in the library because they are non-circulating, meaning they cannot be checked out.
Zines
Zines (short for fanmagazines or just magazines) are self-published, independently distributed pamphlet-like print publications. Whether hand-drawn or digitally-born, made in cut-and-paste technique or hand-pressed, printed in color or black and white, produced by one person or put together by a group of same-minded individuals — zines claim a space for expressing authentic personal experiences and artistic freedom, protesting injustice, tackling identity or gender explorations, or simply speaking one’s mind.