Novels by professors, films on demand, free museum visits and other Arizona State University resources you should know.
Arizona State University has an ocean of opportunities, clubs, resources, etc. With so many options, some of the amazing opportunities provided for ASU students can fall under the radar. Here are a few resources ASU provides that can help you elevate your college experience.
Sun Devil Shelf Life
If you have ever been inside Hayden Library, or seen the ASU library’s database, you would know just how much literature is available. However, did you know there is a database specifically for work that ASU faculty, staff, or students wrote and edited? The Sun Devil Shelf Life page highlights work by former and current Sun Devils, with everything from essay collections to fiction.
Have you ever wondered if your English professor has written a novel? Maybe they talk about it all the time, as English teachers do, or maybe you’d have to sleuth around to find it. With Shelf Life you can directly search by name, genre or even the associated college or unit to find out what Sun Devils are writing about. With topics ranging from science to science fiction, criminology to murder mystery and a lot of in-depth analytical studies, there is a lot to learn about the ASU community just from browsing.
If you are a Sun Devil who is writing their own book, you can also apply here to add your work! Help support your Sun Devils in literature, and see what they have been up to on Sun Devil Shelf Life!
ASU Databases
There is also plenty of great, accessible literature not written by Sun Devils. ASU provides access to multiple academic databases, each with diverse collections of information tailored to any student's needs.
The ASU Library Guides has access to 738 databases all brimming with amazing educational content. No more scrounging google for relevant sources or digging through years-old news articles looking for a specific piece of info. Here are a few of the different databases and examples of content they provide.
The JSTOR database, short for journal storage, is an academic database with a varied and diverse range of topics. JSTOR focuses on academic journals, books and images to create a database of reliable primary sources for research. While the site mainly focuses on academic readings, it also has a massive database of significant images regarding important periods of time and cultural iconography. JSTOR can be a wonderful asset for finding citable information for your next research project.
For those specifically interested in literature surrounding health and wellness, the CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) is an amazing database for the subject. CINAHL offers an extensive list of medical papers, journals, books and dissertations regarding the medical and health fields. With a plethora of sub-fields and topics to research, and access to scores of reputable databases outside the CINAHL database, the site is well-versed in modern medicinal and wellness practices.
Last but not least in this list, the ERIC database, otherwise known as the Education Resources Information Center, is a database that focuses on educational content. The ERIC database is a wonderful resource for aspiring educators and researchers of all ages. With its huge selection of scholarly journals, reports and encyclopedic references, ERIC’s database has informative readings for anyone looking to learn.
These sites also offer some extremely in-depth search options. The specificity of this allows for a reliability and ease of access that makes searching for very particular information a breeze.
Films on Demand / Kanopy
Are you tired of paying for ten different streaming services? You can find free movies, short films and documentaries with ASU’s Films on Demand. Explore a huge database of informational and entertaining films that are free to access. With over a thousand titles each from major production studios like PBS and BBC and hundreds of titles from studios like A&E, HBO and ABC, there are plenty of quality films to dive into.
Films on Demand has a lot of content options to choose from as well. On their front page alone you can explore from Women’s History Month, Humanities, Social Sciences, Business and Economics, STEM, War and Peace, On the Pulse, and a favorite featured series called Sky Candy. Boasting over 295,103 “segments” on the website, there is detailed and informational content regarding almost every subject one could think of.
ASU’s Kanopy also provides access to over 350 major titles or movies, documentaries and even feature films. Kanopy’s selection of films range from historical classics like Metropolis and Battleship Potemkin to modern day award winners like Lady Bird and Moonlight. Kanopy’s impressive catalog doesn’t stop at narrative films. With documentaries such as the iconic Paris is Burning, James Baldwin’s powerful I Am Not Your Negro and the famed Grey Gardens, Kanopy also provides substantial educational content as well.
Between these two sites you can find enough content to compete with Netflix, and without spending a dime! Be sure to check out Films on Demand and Kanopy the next time you sit down to watch!
ASU Events / Sun Devil Sync
ASU has tons of engaging events hosted by their various clubs and organizations. Sun Devil Sync is ASU’s website for finding what clubs are hosting what events near you. With connections to every organization on ASU campus and a consistently updating schedule, Sun Devil Sync is the perfect way to start seeing where and how you can get involved.
From large scale events like ASU Tempe’s Pitchfork Awards to intimate events like ASU Library’s Casual Birdwatching Hour, explore the exciting events and opportunities ASU is providing.
Opposing Viewpoints
Anyone who is interested in current events, news, activism or learning more about the problems that face our world has to check out the Opposing Viewpoints website. The Gale In Context Opposing Viewpoints website incorporates academic journals, articles, site-specific viewpoints, news stories, magazines, videos, audio clips, websites and more into a singular page, to give a wall of information about specific debates and conversations occurring in our world.
Opposing viewpoints multiple angle approach allows for academic and opinion based information, a multitude of different mediums and as the name might suggest, a lot of opposing viewpoints that provides a fairly holistic picture. The website will take a subject or topic and gather as many relevant reports as possible to populate the page with information.
This website can be especially helpful for those looking for current news, but are disillusioned with the limited reporting some major news outlets provide. See a fuller picture, and start using Opposing Viewpoints!
Student Advocacy and Assistance
ASU has an extremely dedicated and comprehensive system of support for students that are struggling or in need of help. The Student Advocacy and Assistance center is an amazing site that provides a plethora of resources for students needing support including crisis services and funding, confidential hotlines and counseling as well as forms for reporting incidents.
The Student Advocacy and Assistance center provides resources for all students in need along with offering confidentiality in its reporting and usage. This ease of access creates a safe environment where Sun Devils are free to reach out for the help they need. Services like ASU Counseling and ASU Health can be great resources for busy students who may not have the time and funds to go elsewhere.
Make sure you aren’t letting the stress and hardships of life pile up when you can get the support you may need at the Student Advocacy and Assistance center!
ASU Digital Backpack
Most students probably have Zoom installed by now. That being said, some might be surprised that they have access to Zoom, Slack, Dropbox, Google Workspace, Adobe Creative Cloud and Airtable. The ASU Digital Backpack provides access to all these services for eligible ASU students at no cost.
With Zoom, students are able to schedule and join video and audio meetings; Slack provides messaging services across multiple ASU channels that students can use to connect; Dropbox is a large scale storage drive that automatically backs up your files; Google Workspace is a collaborative workspace that gives access to google docs, google sheets, google slides and more; Adobe Creative Cloud is an expansive suite of 13 different content editing apps including Photoshop, Premier PRO, After Effects, Character Animator, etc.; Airtable is a platform for building custom applications and UIs to streamline work in teams.
Alongside this, if you are in the market for free services that usually cost money, make sure you activate your free subscriptions to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal provided to all ASU students, faculty and staff.
Make sure you are signed up for these services and are taking advantage of all the amazing free resources!
Culture Pass Program
If you are interested in visiting one of the many historic museums or arboretums around Arizona, then you should be using ASU’s Culture Passes. The Culture Pass Program provides one time use tickets that can be used to gain free entry to a large list of venues including but not limited to: the Desert Botanical Garden, the Phoenix Art Museum, the Heard Museum and the Arboretum at Flagstaff.
To check out a culture pass, visit one of the four participating ASU libraries (Downtown Phoenix campus, Fletcher Library, Hayden Library and Polytechnic campus Library) and find the culture pass kiosk located at or near the information and checkout desks. Each pass grants a one-time general admission for two people that must be used within a 7 day period. Each ASU Library branch has a limited number of passes for participating venues. The Culture Passes are strictly available on a first-come, first-served basis and checkouts are limited to one pass at a time (7 day period).
Don’t miss your chance, these passes can go quick! Reserve yours today and see what Arizona’s cultural venues have to offer.
Seed Library
For the green thumbs among you, did you know on the third floor of Hayden Library is a Seed Library with available seeds for any ASU affiliate to check out? The Seed Library comes stocked with edible plant and herb seeds suited for the Arizona climate. ASU affiliates can check out up to five seed packets per calendar month by filling out a form located at the seed library.
The Seed Library also takes donations. If you borrowed seeds and had a successful harvest, you can (and should) donate some back to the Seed Library at a designated drop box where seed pouches are provided. The Seed Library also has downloadable PDFs and resources for planting calendars, the art of seed saving, native seeds of Arizona and more.
Start your plant parent journey today and check out the Seed Library!
Getting Involved
Lastly, if you are wanting to find out more about ASU and explore its opportunities but don’t know where to start, try Getting Involved here! ASU’s organizations and clubs offer a lot more than just resources for improving your academic game.
ASU is a massive school, with more opportunities than most students could get in a four-year degree. From Greek life to being a changemaker, there are plenty of ways to get involved with ASU.
University is a time of exploration and discovery. It is a time to take chances and figure out what suits you best. Take advantage of the resources around you and see not only what ASU can offer you, but what you can offer back to the ASU community.