Last January, University Librarian Steven Mandeville-Gamble donated a full set of signed, first editions of the acclaimed Mark Manning novels by Michael Craft from his personal collection to the UCR Library’s Special Collections.

Upon so doing, he saw that the library needed an ongoing way to support the research and teaching efforts of UCR faculty such as Distinguished Professor George Haggerty and others who are exploring the LGBT experience in the United States.

In June 2018, he and the library’s Associate Director of Development Megan De Leon worked together to establish the Steven Lee Mandeville-Gamble Book Fund for Queer Literature.

“UCR was the first university in North America to establish an LGBT minor program," Mandeville-Gamble said. "The university has a rich history of the study of the LGBT experience through literature, the arts, social sciences, and beyond. By establishing this endowment, I am trying to do my small part to ensure that the university will have the resources to continue building a teaching and research collection that supports the faculty and students research, teaching, writing, and creating in this area.”

This endowed fund will support the UCR Library’s acquisition of literature and literary materials with gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer-identified protagonists or major characters, or that fit within the larger genre of queer studies. It also leaves discretionary decisions for how to use the funds up to the collection strategists.

"University Librarian Steven Mandeville-Gamble has had tremendous foresight when setting up this fund," De Leon said. "This collection will support multiple faculty, is parallel with the research mission of the university, and provides flexibility for the library to acquire relevant materials. We are very lucky that this will be a collection on our campus."

To learn how you could support this endowment, please contact Jernine McBride.