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4 to Explore: December selections from Special Collections
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 December in 4 to Explore:
1932 Diary
December resolutions by a young woman
John Donne
1633 first edition of the collected poems
Mexican Inauguration Photos
Beautiful 1920 album of President Álvaro Obregón
The California Water Atlas
Published by the state in the 70s to make government data accessible
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!
How Do I Find - Microforms
We hold microform versions of archival collections, books, manuscripts, government documents, journals, newspapers, and more.
Microform viewers are available to read, scan and save digital versions of content.
Publications Based on Research Conducted in SCUA
This list highlights publications that have used or cited materials held by Special Collections & University Archives.
We hope you find this list to be a valuable resource for your own research. We regularly add new publications to this list, so please check back often.
Newly Processed Collections – Fall 2018
Special Collections & University Archives staff are constantly working to process recently acquired collections and make those materials ready for use by students, faculty, and researchers.
Each quarter, we will provide a list of the UCR Library's newly processed archival and primary source collections. Check out the list below to see if there are any items that fit your research area, or share with a friend!
Below you'll find brief descriptions and links to the finding aids or collection guides for each new collection. To use any of these materials, simply click the "Request Items" button at the top to submit a request, and log in with our Special Collections Request System. For more on conducting research in Special Collections, see this page.
SCUA is open to the public on weekdays from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm. Check here for closures or other changes to our regular hours.
For questions, email specialcollections@ucr.edu.
Newly Processed Collections - Fall 2018
University of California, Riverside Pesticide Waste Pits records (WRCA 280)
The UCR Pesticide Waste Pits records document some of the early agricultural research at the Citrus Experiment Station, prior to the founding of UCR, and the environmental remediation project of the Pesticide Waste Pits in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Nalo Hopkinson papers (MS 386)
Nalo Hopkinson is a professor of creative writing at UC Riverside and an award-winning Jamaican and Canadian science fiction & fantasy writer. She is a pioneering figure of the Afrofuturism and Alternative Futurism movements. This collection is focused on Hopkinson’s literary works and includes a number of manuscripts, publications from her tenures as an editor, and other materials associated with her activities in SF&F circles.
Robert V. Hine papers (UA 083)
Robert V. Hine was a founding professor of the University of California, Riverside in the History Department. This collection documents his work as a professor of history and his interests in the American frontier, borderlands, socialist cooperatives, and the Irvine Ranch. Also included in this collection are documents on the establishment of early humanities curriculum and academic senate records of UC Riverside.
Harriet E. Huntington papers (MS 221) – check catalog record for updated marc entry
This collection documents the work of children’s book author and photographer Harriet Huntington. Materials in the collection include photographs, negatives, and drafts of her works on topics including music, plants, animals, and the Yosemite Valley.
Sabino Osuna photographs (MS 028)
Sabino Osuna was a professional photographer in Mexico City during the early 20th century. This collection of photographs represents his work documenting the Mexican Revolution, primarily between 1910 and 1914, and many of the images were published in a book titled: Mexico at the Hour of Combat: Sabino Osuna’s Photographs of the Mexican Revolution. This collection has also been digitized and is accessible on the California Digital Library.
Carobeth Laird papers (MS 109)
Carobeth Laird was an anthropologist, linguist, and ethnographer most known for her work studying the Chemehuevi people of southeastern California and western Arizona. Laird’s collection includes manuscripts, press clippings and other materials from her career working with the Chemehuevi. There are also materials from Lynn Laredo, the author of Laird’s documentary, as well as personal materials, including from her first marriage to the ethnologist John Peabody Harrington.
John Franceschina papers (MS 422)
The collection consists of materials from author and theater history scholar John Franceschina relating to two of his publications: Incidental and Dance Music in the American Theatre from 1786 to 1923, and Hermes Pan: The Man Who Danced with Fred Astaire. Items in the collection include research files, musical scores, programs, photographs, news clippings, publications, and videos.
Loda Mae Davis papers (UA 082)
The Loda Mae Davis papers document the professional life of Loda Mae Davis, the first Dean of Women at UC Riverside. This collection also contains the records of the Loda Mae Davis women’s archives which conducted oral history interviews to document women in academia at UCR during the 20th century.
How the UCR Library transformed the life of alumnus Carlos Rodriguez '90
As the first person in his entire family to attend college, Carlos Rodriguez ’90 was a true pioneer when he arrived at UC Riverside for orientation in 1985.
“Since then everyone has followed me,” Rodriguez said. After he blazed the trail, both of his sisters went to college and graduate school. “All my cousins have gone on to college, as well, all the younger ones.”
As his career clearly demonstrates, there’s no wonder that forging new paths in uncharted territory comes so naturally to Rodriguez. From pioneering work with early internet databases and ejournals in the mid-1990s at UCR, to reimagining library learning environments for an enhanced student experience at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, to his current role as the Dean of the University Library at California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA), Rodriguez continues to chase the horizon.
Originally a pre-engineering major, Rodriguez came to UCR planning to transfer after two years to either UCLA or UC Santa Barbara.
He began working in the library as a student employee shelving books. “Back in the 80s, people checked out books,” he laughed.
Having developed a strong peer network and relationships with faculty and staff, Rodriguez ended up changing his major and staying at UCR instead of transferring. It wasn’t until an internship with a credit union that he realized he preferred a culture of learning and service-based organization over a traditional corporate environment, and so his career in higher education and libraries was born. “I wasn’t in it for the money. I was in it to help other people,” he said.
As he approached graduation, Rodriguez realized he might enjoy a permanent career in the library. During his senior year, he transitioned from a student employee position into a part-time staff role, which is when he met two influential mentors, librarians Nancy Huling and the late John Tanno.
In Rodriguez’s first year as a science librarian, Tanno nominated him for a leadership and career development program for underrepresented racial and ethnic minority librarians with the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). “John was really supportive of diversity. There wasn’t a lot of diversity back then,” Rodriguez said. “He saw leadership potential in me early on.”
Rodriguez credits the small, tight-knit community at UCR for advancement opportunities like this. “If I had been a student assistant at UCLA, I probably wouldn’t have had the same opportunities that I had at UCR,” he said.
Ultimately, Rodriguez went on to get his Masters in Library and Information Science from UCLA. He came back to UCR as a Science Librarian before advancing through a variety of library positions, including the Associate Dean of Technology and Information Services at Grand Valley State.
Rodriguez helped the library at Grand Valley State shift from being library-centric and collection-centric to learner-centric. “Every decision we made, we asked ourselves, ‘Does this benefit the learner?’ The reason we’re here is for our students. We need to meet their needs.”
From Grand Valley State, Rodriguez returned to California to serve as the Dean of the University Library at Cal State LA. One of his goals at CSULA has been to transform the library’s physical space to make it less intimidating for their diverse, predominantly first-generation student population. “We’re changing the perception from ‘you’re visiting the library’ to ‘this is your library, and you own this space,’” Rodriguez explained.
In Rodriguez’s opinion, the library plays an active role in student success, research, faculty partnerships, and community engagement. “Libraries can provide opportunities for people to learn, grow, discover, create, and really transform how they see the world,” he said. “Libraries are probably one of the most important institutions at universities to do that.”
Another vision turned reality is the creation of an Academic Success Center, which is the cornerstone of Rodriguez’s capital improvement strategy for the Cal State LA Library. He plans to design a physical space around a suite of student services with a central student-led concierge to direct users toward the best solution for their needs.
What’s next for this innovative thinker? “I’m happy where I’m at now, but UCR is the only other place that I’d want to work at because of the students and what they’re doing. It’s a place I’d like to return to one day.”
The UCR Library is committed to enhancing the student learning experience, which includes supporting the professional development and advancement of our student employees. This article is the first in a series of stories following the success of former UCR Library student employees. We are incredibly proud of the alumni talent that was cultivated here, at the UCR Library.
New archival collections available for spring quarter 2017
Special Collections & University Archives staff are constantly working to process recently acquired collections and make those materials ready for use by students, faculty, and researchers.
Each quarter, we will provide a list of UCR Library's newly processed archival and primary source collections. Check out the list below to see if there are any items that fit your research area, or share with a friend!
Below you'll find brief descriptions and links to the finding aids or collection guides for each new collection. To use any of these materials, simply click the "Request Items" button at the top to submit a request, and log in with our Special Collections Request System. For more on conducting research in Special Collections, see this page.
SCUA is open to the public on weekdays from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm. Check here for closures or other changes to our regular hours.
For questions, email specialcollections@ucr.edu.
Newly Processed Collections – Spring 2017
0.42 linear ft. (1 box)
The Victoriano Huerta papers is a collection of three documents, which mainly relate to Victoriano Huerta's military history before he became the President of Mexico in 1913. The collection includes a ledger documenting donations to Huerta's forces during the Mexican Revolution in 1912, an account of his command of the 3rd Infantry Battalion from 1894-1901, and a brief overview of his military history and accomplishments until 1914.
0.42 linear ft. (1 box)
This collection consists mainly of photographs, and negatives taken by R. W. Madison, a Los Angeles Record reporter, documenting the efforts of law enforcement and a local posse to capture Willie Boy, a Paiute Indian wanted for murder and kidnapping in San Bernardino County in 1909. The collection also includes Madison's account of finding Willie Boy's body, and a Newspaper Enterprise Association booklet.
1.00 linear ft. (1 box)
The Tuskegee Airmen Biographical Information collection contains biographical material related to individuals who served at Tuskegee Army Air Field and its predecessors, as well as material pertaining to Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., a non-profit organization. This collection contains biographical information, mainly in the form of completed biographical questionnaires distributed by the University of California, Riverside Library to Tuskegee Airmen regarding their personal and military history.
1.25 linear ft. (3 boxes)
This collection includes galley proofs, typescripts, and materials related to some works of science fiction author G.C. Edmondson, including Chapayeca, T.H.E.M., and The Ship That Sailed the Time Stream. The collection also includes typescripts and galley proofs for two western novels written under Edmondson's pen names Kelly P. Gast and J.B. Masterson.
0.42 linear ft. (1 box)
The John Shirley papers consist of material related to Shirley's 1989 collection of short stories, Heatseeker, and includes galley proofs and annotated typescripts. Also included is the original introduction to the work written and printed out by author William Gibson.
1.04 linear ft. (3 boxes)
This collection contains prints of photographs from the National Anthropological Archives of the Smithsonian Institution of various Native American tribes from California. Photographs in the collection depict members of various tribes, tribal housing and artifacts, and the local environment.
0.42 linear ft. (1 box)
The collection consists of personal and professional correspondence written by François Guizot, a French historian and statesman who served in multiples roles in the French government in the early 19th century.
0.42 linear ft. (1 box)
This collection contains stories, articles, newspaper clippings, scholarly journals, booklets, and other material collected by D. Russell Parks on U.S. Native Americans and Quanah Parker, the last chief of the Comanche tribe. Parks was part of the same Comanche tribe as Quanah Parker and was interested in writing an accurate history of Parker and his contributions to Oklahoma and the Comanche people. The collection consists of information gathered by Parks for his research, as well as biographical information about Parks and his childhood stories from Indiahoma, Oklahoma.
0.42 linear ft. (1 box)
The Dr. Robert V. Hine collection on the Kingdom contains documents, correspondence, photographs, audio reels, and press clippings collected by Dr. Hine from Mary Thomas and Arnold L. White, who were members of the religious commune The Kingdom. The Kingdom, informally known as Shiloh, was an evangelical Christian sect founded in Maine in 1897 by Frank Sandford. The majority of the collection documents Thomas' and White's recollections of the living experience within Shiloh, as well as their interactions with Dr. Robert V. Hine as part of his research on The Kingdom.
0.42 linear ft. (1 box)
The Elmer W. Holmes papers is a collection of documents about Elmer Wallace Holmes, a Civil War veteran and leading figure in the history of Riverside, California. The papers consist of correspondence between Holmes and his family (notably his mother and his second wife), a scrapbook, and documents related to Riverside County history. All items contained in this collection are reproductions of originals.
0.21 linear ft. (1 box)
The Maud H. Miller papers is a collection of personal documents and correspondence from Maud H. Miller, a Riverside resident and former employee of the United States Bureau of War Risk Assurance. Materials in the collection include Miller's correspondence with multiple politicians on issues important to her, editorials and autobiographical stories written by Miller, family photographs, and some personal correspondence.
Getting a Library Card & Borrowing Privileges
| Applying for Library Privileges | Borrowing Privileges |
|---|---|
UCR ACADEMICCurrent UCR faculty and lecturersYour UCR card is your library card. Privileges are automatically granted. |
University Archives
Scholars of Future-Past(s)
On Thursday, June 17, the UCR Library will broadcast the next in its series, Faculty Profiles in Research, Art and Innovation.
The panel discussion, “Scholars of Future-Past(s): Speculative Fictions, Pedagogy, and the Critical Archive,” will explore afrofuturism and expanding the conversation regarding using comics and graphic novels as an effective medium to communicate their research, as well as exploring traditions of speculative thought.
The four panelists are UC Riverside professors from the Science Fiction research cluster at UC Riverside: Nalo Hopkinson, John Jennings, Andre Carrington, and Sherryl Vint. Their conversation will explore the intersections among speculative fiction, science and technology studies (STS), afrofuturism, and traditions of speculative thought, including the panelists’ current research projects.
Join us on June 17 from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. for this panel discussion about how Science Fiction research is helping us come to terms with the past and shape the future. Please RSVP to save your seat, as space is limited.
The Speculative Fictions and Cultures of Science (SFCS) program offers a Designated Emphasis at the PhD level and an undergraduate minor.
Those interested in supporting the series, Faculty Profiles in Research, Art, and Innovation, are encouraged to contact Jernine McBride, the Associate Director of Development for the UCR Library.
Library acquires award-winning Science Fiction novelist's papers
Astrid Bear, the daughter of award-winning Science Fiction novelist Poul Anderson and his wife Karen, recently donated their papers to the UCR Library.
The collection includes 73 boxes of correspondence, manuscript drafts, notes, diaries, personal records, artwork, memorabilia and ephemera from various conventions and events.
“I am absolutely delighted that the Eaton Collection at UC Riverside is the custodian of my parents’ papers, preserving and making them available for scholars long into the future,” Bear said. “The Eaton Collection is one of the premier university SF/F collections in the world, and I am very happy that the Poul and Karen Anderson papers are part of it.”
A Danish-American author born in Bristol, Pa., Poul Anderson earned his undergraduate degree in Physics at the University of Minnesota, which provided a strong foundation for his science fiction writing. He published more than 50 novels and contributed to over 60 anthologies, receiving seven Hugo Awards, three Nebula Awards, a John W. Campbell Memorial Award, among others throughout his highly-decorated career. He also served as the President of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1972-1973 and was named a Grand Master in 1997.
Karen Anderson co-wrote several books with Poul, including “The King of Ys” series. She was also a prolific publisher of fanzines and a very active contributor.
“Poul and Karen were both integral members of the science fiction and fantasy communities in California. Poul was one of those few authors who found success writing in both genres, and the collection represents that very well,” explained Andrew Lippert, Special Collections Processing Archivist, who processed the collection in 2019. “One of his most highly regarded works, which won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus, is the novella ‘The Queen of Air and Darkness,’ which might be one of the first successful blendings of sci-fi and fantasy.” Few authors have won all three awards for a single piece, Lippert said.
Lippert and the Jay Kay and Doris Klein Librarian for Science Fiction, Jacqueline “JJ” Jacobson, included this novella in the library’s 2019 exhibition, 50x50: Celebrating the Eaton Collection’s 50th Anniversary.
The Andersons’ shared an interest in history, particularly northern European medieval themes, which found its way into some of Poul’s writing, according to Lippert. They were also founding members of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) and both maintained active roles within the community and fandom.
“We are delighted to have the Anderson collection join the papers of Anne McCaffrey, Gregory Benford, Gardner Dozois, and others as part of the Eaton collection at UCR,” Lippert said.
Astrid Bear notes, “The knowledge, respect, and enthusiasm shown by the UCR staff during the donation and cataloguing process was quite wonderful.”
Poul Anderson passed away in 2001, followed by Karen in 2018.