More News September 17, 2021

Nearly 6,000 digitized images from the Jay Kay Klein photographs collection are now more accessible, thanks to new, more descriptive and contextual information.

In collaboration with the science fiction fandom community, the UCR Library staff updated the image details and descriptions for the 5,933 images, which were first digitized in 2017. (View the collection on Calisphere.)

In 2017, an initial batch of 5,933 images from the Jay Kay Klein photographs and papers on science fiction fandom were digitized as part of a pilot project with the California Digital Library (part of the UC system and the group that hosts Calisphere). The images were first published with minimal descriptive information.

After publication, both internal review and robust feedback from the fandom community identified many opportunities to improve accuracy, detail, and context provided in titles and descriptive information about the photographs.

In subsequent years, UCR Library continued to gather community feedback by adding a new commenting feature to the collection, and the Metadata and Technical Services department worked continuously to make updates and corrections.

Yet the bulk of the images still needed careful review and the size and scope of a complete metadata overhaul presented a substantial barrier to launching a follow-up project. Special Collections Processing Archivist Andrew Lippert took steps to begin a review shortly before the university campus closed in March 2020, but the transition to working from home during the pandemic and the need for remote work within the Special Collections and University Archives department created an opportunity to commit fully to this monumental task.

The review began in February 2020 and ramped up during the spring quarter. Between May 2020 and May 2021, Lippert reviewed each of the nearly six thousand photographs and enriched the metadata based on community comments, information within the photographs, convention program books, Klein’s own “Convention Annual” photo books, and Lippert’s ability to identify the photos.

“Special acknowledgement is also due to the FANAC Fan History Project and Fancyclopedia 3; they were both invaluable resources for this project,” Lippert said. “It is difficult to say that this work will ever truly be ‘finished,’ as there are always more identifications to make and more contextual information to add. However, this new version of the metadata will certainly make these photographs more accessible by orders of magnitude.”

“Working on this project was a labor of love that immersed me in science fiction fandom and convention culture spanning several decades from the 1950s through the 1970s,” Lippert added. “Engaging with a single large archival collection on a daily basis always creates a sense of familiarity with the individual(s) and the subject matter that make up that collection; it was no different with Klein’s photos.” Lippert came to feel that he was getting to know some of the mainstays of the SF scene of that era as he found them in photo after photo at convention after convention. “My work on this project led me down countless rabbit holes, paths of discovery, and gave me so much invaluable context for the varied materials of the Eaton Collection as a whole,” he added.

Lippert would like to thank the community members who have contributed information, context, and identifications to the digitized photo collection since they were originally published in 2017. Additionally, special recognition is due to Lippert’s colleagues at the UCR Library, Noah Geraci, Digital Assets Metadata Librarian, and Sandy Enriquez, ​​Special Collections Public Services, Outreach & Community Engagement Librarian, for their invaluable contributions, support and assistance on this project.

More News January 02, 2018

This month in 4 to Explore, your Special Collections librarians and archivists have selected four new items and placed them on hold in the reading room.

Here's what you can see this January in 4 to Explore:

Winter Sequences
A seasonal broadside poem by Diane Wakoski

 

Sand Samples
Collected to study sand displacement and acquisition around the world

 

Whispers from the Cotton Tree Root
An anthology edited by UCR's own Nalo Hopkinson

 

Royal Cartes de Visite
Photographs of European and Latin American aristocrats

Why you should try 4 to Explore:

Special Collections materials are kept in closed stacks, which means you can’t see the shelves and browse. You also can’t check things out and take them home. So, 4 to Explore is a great way to experience first-hand some of the collections that truly make the UCR Library unique.

4 to Explore will give you the chance to visit a reading room, like the ones that are used for archival research or by rare book scholars, and to get a sampling of our collections without having to submit a request ahead of time.

You’ll be asked to show photo ID and to check your bags – but don’t worry! Our UCR Library staff will explain everything to you when you arrive.

We will also have rotating exhibits of items from the collections on display.

Where to find 4 to Explore:

Department: Special Collections & University Archives

Where: Take elevators to 4th floor of Rivera Library

Hours: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday - Friday

Bring: Photo ID

Don’t bring: Food or drinks

Who: Everyone is welcome. 4 to Explore is more of an individual experience, but we can usually accommodate up to two people using the same item at the same time, so feel free to bring a friend.

What to expect: Staff will help you sign in and feel comfortable in the reading room. It should take about 5-10 minutes for you to get up to the 4th floor and get settled. Then you can stay and enjoy as long as you like!

Want to receive updates each month with more details about our 4 to Explore items? Sign up here.

More News September 25, 2017

Beginning in fall quarter 2017, each month librarians and archivists will select four items from UCR Library’s Special Collections and place them on hold for anyone to use in the reading room.

This new program will be called "4 to Explore."

Because Special Collections materials are kept in closed stacks (which means you can’t see the shelves and browse), and because you can’t check things out to take home, 4 to Explore is a great way to get a taste of the collections that truly make UCR unique.

4 to Explore is an opportunity to visit the kind of reading room that is used for archival research or by rare book scholars, and to get a sampling of our collections without having to do research or put in a request ahead of time. You’ll be asked to show photo ID and to check your bags – but don’t worry! Our UCR Library staff will explain everything to you when you arrive.

We will also have rotating exhibits of items from the collections on display.

Here's what you can see this September in 4 to Explore:

Harvest
A new artist's book for fall by Mikio Watanabe

Spectator Amateur Press Society
Tons of bound fanzines from 1955

California Names Pronounced and Defined
Look up your favorite places in this 1940 guide

Pardee Dam Construction Photos
Built across the Molkelumne River in the 1920s

Where you can find 4 to Explore:

Department: Special Collections & University Archives

Where: Take elevators to 4^th floor of Rivera Library

Hours: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday - Friday

Bring: Photo ID

Don’t bring: Food or drinks

Who: Everyone is welcome. 4 to Explore is more of an individual experience, but we can usually accommodate up to two people using the same item at the same time, so feel free to bring a friend.

What to expect: Staff will help you sign in and feel comfortable in the reading room. It should take about 5-10 minutes for you to get up to the 4^th floor and get settled. Then you can stay and enjoy as long as you like!

More News September 27, 2019

The UCR Library staff experimented with crowdsourcing to describe a collection of 50 Arabic manuscript leaves and facilitate their electronic discovery.

At two events called “Hivemind,” the library hosted more than 50 UC Riverside community members with a knowledge of Arabic and/or the Quran.

At the first event in May 2018, attendees helped to identify, transcribe, and describe the content of those newly-acquired original manuscripts. Dr. Imad Bayoun, staff research associate in the Entomology Department and faculty advisor to the Muslim Student Association, also gave a brief talk on the history of calligraphy in Islam.

During the second event in April 2019, attendees previewed the newly digitized collection, and library staff collected feedback on how to improve the descriptions accompanying the digitized images, which will help researchers to find and use these materials.

“It was a joy to see so many members of our campus community connect and learn from each other,” said Robin M. Katz, Primary Source Literacy Teaching Librarian and organizer of the Hivemind events.

This digitized collection was recently published online through Calisphere and made available for scholarly research. Find it under the heading Historical Artifacts Collection  from UCR: calisphere.org/collections/27117/

The online collection will eventually contain more examples of manuscript and printed leaves and gatherings in Western and non-Western languages, calligraphy and scripts.

Staff from across the library, including members of Special Collections and University Archives, Teaching & Learning, Metadata & Technical Services, and Digitization Services collaborated on the digital collection and helped to facilitate both Hivemind events. The events were co-sponsored by the UCR Library, the Middle East Student Center and the Muslim Student Association at UC Riverside.

“This is just the beginning,” Katz added. “Now that these materials are online, we hope to learn more about when and where the manuscripts originated.” She encouraged scholars and community members to explore and use the digital collection, and then to reach out to the UCR Library to share their thoughts.

More News September 21, 2015

National leaders convene to support and advise UCR Library

On Saturday, September 19, 2015, the UCR Library hosted the inaugural meeting of the newly-established African American Collections Advisory Board. Thought-leaders from across the nation met with library and university leaders to discuss and establish best practices in collecting and preserving the history of the African American experience, and methods of documenting local, regional, national, and international issues.

The day-long series of round-table conversations were energized by national leaders such as Dr. Meredith Evans, Director of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum, who spearheaded the Documenting Ferguson project and Dr. Abdul Alkalimat, Professor Emeritus of African American Studies and library and information science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prominent community members also joined the discussion series, including Rose M. Mayes, Executive Director of the Fair Housing Council of Riverside County and president of the Riverside African American Historical Society, and Hardy Brown, Jr., Executive Director of the Black Voice Foundation.

University Librarian Steven Mandeville-Gamble encouraged the board to broaden the scope of their work on behalf of the UCR Library by not limiting their focus to black Americans. Scholars and leaders from across UCR disciplines — including Vice Provost for International Affairs Kelechi Kalu, and faulty from the departments of Ethnic Studies and History — engaged the group in discussion about how the university can best support the library, and the international scholarly community, in collecting and preserving history from underserved and underrepresented communities at large. Bergis Jules and Dr. Alison M. Scott, both from the library's Special Collections and University Archives department, described their past and current work in this arena and shared their successes and challenges.

Further discussion evolved around fundraising as a necessary aspect of collecting historical documentation, building relationships in communities that have historically been distrustful of higher education as a reliable keeper of their family history, as well as the importance of educating the general public about the "history of everyday life" and the valuable historical snapshot that a seemingly-unexceptional object may hold for others in the future.

This first meeting of the American Collections Advisory Board formally launches the UCR Library's nationwide collaborative efforts to share, create, and sustain knowledge among ethnic groups whose history and experiences are woven into the fabric of the country. While library initiatives such as the founding of the Tuskegee Airmen Archive in 2005 and the newly-established Inland Empire Memories project have exemplified the library's and university's continued commitment to diversity on campus, this Board elevates UCR to a significantly larger stage, and establishes the university as driving these vital considerations on a national and international level.

More News August 29, 2024

As Hispanic Heritage Month approaches (observed September 15 - October 15), it’s important to recognize the lasting impact of Tomás Rivera on the UC Riverside community. 

Tomás Rivera was the first Mexican American and minority chancellor in the University of California system and his influence continues to shape our campus. The Tomás Rivera Library, named in his honor, reflects his lasting impact on UCR and the Hispanic community.

Born in Crystal City, Texas, in 1935, Rivera was the son of migrant farmworkers and spent part of his early life working in the fields. He pursued higher education, eventually earning an M.A. in Spanish Literature and a Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literature all while working as a high school teacher.

Rivera’s writing often gave a voice to those overlooked, addressing issues of identity and labor. His most recognized work is his novel ...y no se lo tragó la tierra (...and the Earth Did Not Devour Him). Published in 1971, the novel captured the lives of Mexican American migrant workers. 

As chancellor of UCR from 1979 to 1984, Rivera was a champion for increasing educational access for underrepresented communities. His efforts were driven by a firm belief in the power of education to bring about social change. His leadership helped guide UCR towards becoming the inclusive and diverse institution it is today.

The Tomás Rivera Archive, housed in our Special Collections & University Archives, helps preserve his legacy. This collection includes manuscripts, correspondence, and photographs that provide valuable insights into his life and work. The archive serves as an essential resource for those studying Rivera’s impact on literature, education, and UCR. You can view select digitized photographs and documents from the collection on Calisphere. 

Although he passed in 1984, Tomás Rivera remains a figure of significant importance. His dedication to education and social justice continues to inspire our community. The Tomás Rivera Library, along with his archive, stands as a living testament to his life’s work, ensuring that his influence on UCR and beyond will endure for generations.

More News January 08, 2019

This month in 4 to Explore, your Special Collections librarians and archivists have selected four new items and placed them on hold in the reading room.

Items featured this month will tie in with the UCR Library's celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Here's what you can see this January in 4 to Explore:

Girl Genius Volume 8:

Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones

The Galaxy Game

Named one of the best books of 2015 by NPR

Redwood and Wildfire

Winner of the 2011 James Tiptree Jr. Award

Binti

Winner of the 2015 Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for Best Novella

Why you should try 4 to Explore:

Special Collections materials are kept in closed stacks, which means you can’t see the shelves and browse. You also can’t check things out and take them home. So, 4 to Explore is a great way to experience first-hand some of the collections that truly make the UCR Library unique.

4 to Explore will give you the chance to visit a reading room, like the ones that are used for archival research or by rare book scholars, and to get a sampling of our collections without having to submit a request ahead of time.

You’ll be asked to show photo ID and to check your bags – but don’t worry! Our UCR Library staff will explain everything to you when you arrive.

We will also have rotating exhibits of items from the collections on display.

Where to find 4 to Explore:

Department: Special Collections & University Archives

Where: Take elevators to 4th floor of Rivera Library

Hours: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday - Friday

Bring: Photo ID

Don’t bring: Food or drinks

Who: Everyone is welcome. 4 to Explore is more of an individual experience, but we can usually accommodate up to two people using the same item at the same time, so feel free to bring a friend.

What to expect: Staff will help you sign in and feel comfortable in the reading room. It should take about 5-10 minutes for you to get up to the 4th floor and get settled. Then you can stay and enjoy as long as you like!

Want to receive updates each month with more details about our 4 to Explore items? Sign up here.

More Past Exhibits March 24, 2023

Discovering intelligent life in the cosmos has been a long-anticipated moment for humanity and fertile ground for fantastic stories since the dawn of science fiction. Nineteenth-century speculative fiction writers such as Jules Verne and H. G. Wells envisioned discovering life on the Moon or the invasion of Earth by Martians. From these early stories, encounters between humans and alien species (often described as “first contact” stories) have served as a vehicle for the exploration of possible futures and a reflection upon humanity’s place both on Earth and in the cosmos.

Within the context of science fiction, first contact can be thought of as an event in which two intelligent species encounter each other for the first time. Sometimes this encounter is peaceful or friendly and is about establishing communications or sharing knowledge. Other times the first contact scenario begins with a hostile act, like a war or invasion. Many of the themes found in these stories have parallels with historical examples of European explorers and colonizers encountering indigenous peoples in sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, or Oceania.

There are many ways in which humans and aliens could engage in first contact. This exhibit will explore some of the forms that these types of stories can take and what messages they may have for us here on Earth. Each display case focuses on a single theme or type of human-alien encounter with examples pulled from the Eaton Collection. However, it is rare that a book is limited to a single theme, so many of the examples in this exhibit will be present in more than one category.

View the exhibit Monday through Friday in Special Collections & University Archives from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

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More News November 21, 2016

On Thursday, November 17, 2016, UCR Library announced the opening of the George Brown Papers for scholarly research.

A private reception held on the first floor of Tomás Rivera Library honored Congressman George Brown’s life and work and recognized how his legacy will continue to serve future generations through this collection. Attendees included Brown’s widow, Marta Macias Brown, who had worked extensively with library employees to help make this collection available to the public.

 “The wealth of materials in the papers will prove a fantastic resource for researchers interested in public policy, local history, the legislative process, and a number of economic, environmental, and social issues,” stated Collections Management Librarian Jessica Geiser. Geiser was first hired as a project archivist for the George Brown collection in September 2014. She led a team of students that documented their two-year long effort to organize and catalog this extensive assortment of primary source materials.

The collection includes over 1,000 boxes of professional and personal papers, photographs, audiovisual and digital materials, memorabilia, and more. Geiser and her team put great effort into ensuring easy access to the collection through the online finding aid. Resources on federal science and technology policy, environmental protection efforts including water and air pollution regulation, alternative fuel and energy development, land preservation and protection efforts, and climate change prevention are housed on the fourth floor of Rivera Library in Special Collections & University Archives. Materials are available for review in the reading room.

University Librarian Steven Mandeville-Gamble remarked, “George Brown was a great example of someone who could collaborate across party lines while working toward the greater good, which serves as a wonderful reminder of what is needed most during times of great change, like those we are currently experiencing.”

In many ways, Brown was a visionary whose contributions were ahead of his time. Brown was elected to the United States House of Representatives to represent the Los Angeles region from 1963 to 1971, and the Inland Empire from 1973 until his death in 1999. Noteworthy accomplishments during Brown’s 34-year tenure include the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Office of Science Technology Policy, scholarships for veterans, and Section 8 housing for low-income citizens.

More News June 11, 2020

After almost three months’ closure, starting Monday, June 15, 2020, you can now check out books from the Rivera and Orbach Libraries’ circulating collections via drive-up Contact-Free Curbside Delivery.

 

This service is available for UCR faculty, students, and staff, as well as those from other UC campuses who are located closer to Riverside. You may also walk (bike, skateboard, etc.) up to use this service, as long as you wear a mask and observe social distancing.

Returns

To return items, you may use the drive-up book return in Lot 1 or the book drops outside the Rivera or Orbach Libraries at any time.

The physical libraries are still closed to the public, other than this drive-up service.  See Library Resources and Services for Remote Users.

Exceptions

Books that are available digitally through the HathiTrust Emergency Temporary Access Service are not available for Curbside Pickup. In order for UCR (and the other UC campuses) to keep this HathiTrust Emergency Temporary Access, we cannot loan any of those books if they are in our library. However, approximately half our UCR collection is available for Curbside Delivery.

Other materials not available for Curbside Pickup include physical Course Reserves, physical Interlibrary Loan (ILL) items, and materials from Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA). However, patrons may request digitized reproductions of SCUA items here. 

Health and Safety

The library prioritizes the health and safety of our staff and library patrons.

• We require all library staff and patrons to wear masks while in the building, or during Curbside Delivery.
• We require all library staff and patrons to practice physical distancing of at least 6 feet.
• Library staff will wear gloves when handling, processing, and delivering books to library patrons.
• Returned items will be quarantined for 72 hours before being returned to the shelves.
• Library staff regularly practice recommended hygiene practices (hand washing for 20 seconds, use of sanitizer, wiping down commonly used surfaces, etc.).

Update Aug. 27, 2021: Curbside delivery of books will end on Friday, Sept. 3.