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More News August 31, 2018

When Gustavo Correa’s Honors Principles of Civic Engagement assignment in fall quarter 2016 was to “find a way to be civically engaged,” that task could have unfolded very differently in the hands of another student.

As it happened, the Creat’R Lab owes a part of its inception to Correa, a fourth year electrical engineering major and project manager for the UCR chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), who saw the need for a campus-wide makerspace.

“I was at a coffee shop in downtown Riverside and thought, ‘What if I create this space?’” Correa explained. “We had a space for electrical engineering students, but when it came to having a space for everyone to create, we didn’t have that at all. It helps us to apply the concepts we learn, so why not give this opportunity to everybody else, too?”

As the saying goes, great minds think alike. In a stroke of serendipity, in fall quarter 2016 the UCR Library had formed a committee comprised of representatives from the Library, Research and Economic Development (RED), and other campus stakeholders whose intent was to explore building a makerspace on the UCR campus. When committee member and UCR lecturer Jeff McDaniel heard that Correa was also considering that idea, he invited Correa to help shape the vision and identify the initial equipment needed.

After the Creat’R Lab launch, Correa’s workshops in the Lab were some of the most highly-attended. More than 60 students attended his first Arduino workshop, 80% of whom had never before worked with the tool (an open-source electronic prototyping platform that enables users to create interactive electronic objects).

“It was my first time teaching workshops and being a leader in an organization. It was a really cool experience, giving back to the community, to have a big impact on a lot of people at one time,” Correa reflected. “We had everyone from first years to graduate students from all majors, and the majority of them had no experience whatsoever with anything that I was showing them.”

With such a strong start, it’s no surprise to learn that Correa has even bigger hopes for what the Creat’R Lab could become, with additional community involvement and development funding.

“The school has recognized that we have a need. They made the space, they made it happen,” he said. “If nobody would have used it, then we wouldn’t need it – but we have demonstrated that there obviously is a need for this space. If we scale it up, it will be used more and more for many other things.”

Correa would like to see more of UCR’s student organizations get involved with Creat’R Lab, more collaborations with the individual colleges, more professional workshops, industry speakers, and of course more space and tools to accommodate the increased demand on resources.

“A lot of other schools have a whole building dedicated to this. What if we had a whole building?” Correa mused. “If we could take over that whole wing on the first floor of Orbach Library, with big glass windows and lots of lighting, a lot of huge tables, all the machining tools, things to build at any scale, huge animatronic sculptures, and then we could be as loud as we want in there.”

Beyond building, Correa would also like to see professional development workshops offered, including “soft” skills workshops such as how technical majors can better express themselves in writing or speech. “Let’s say we had a professional teaching advanced techniques on how to use a laser printer, or Garner Holt teaching us how to build animatronics, or someone from NASA!” Correa added. “A lot of them come from humble and diverse backgrounds so we’re able to relate to them.”

Before the Creat’R Lab can expand, however, Correa recognizes that there needs to be more direct involvement from the colleges. “When it’s one student trying to do it, it’s harder. If the school is trying to push it, it’s easier. We need to see emails from the faculty saying, ‘We want all you guys to work together to do these things – in the Creat’R Lab.’”

More News June 04, 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 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 - Summer 2018

Brinkmann family collection of Mexican postcards, 1905-1920 (MS 416)

1.08 linear ft. (1 box)

The collection consists of approximately 125 photographic postcards, mostly from Mexico, sent to various members of the Brinkmann family from 1905-1920. The postcards depict landscapes, buildings and people from multiple parts of the country, most notably Veracruz, Yucatán and the State of Mexico.

 

Book and Writing Artifacts collection, circa 20^th century (MS 417)

7.71 linear ft. (9 boxes)

The collection, created primarily as a teaching collection, consists of materials meant to illustrate the history and techniques of various writing and print systems across the globe, including reproductions, souvenirs and original specimens of printing and writing tools and instruments, as well as various formats of book and manuscript binding. Materials in the collection were collected by Special Collections staff to aid with instruction on the history of the book and various writing and print technologies.

 

Collection of Antonio Vanegas Arroyo chapbooks, 1880-1925 (MS 235)

0.84 linear ft. (2 boxes)

The collection is composed of chapbooks printed by the famous Mexican publisher and printer Antonio Vanegas Arroyo from 1880-1925. Chapbooks in the collection document elements of popular culture in Mexico around the turn of the century and consist of booklets on a variety of subjects, including literature, poems, folk songs, plays, religious tracts and healthcare advice.

 

Collection of Antonio Vanegas Arroyo broadsides, circa 1882-1931 (MS 035)

1.83 linear ft. (2 boxes)
This collection contains broadsides created by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo's publishing firm in Mexico. The broadsides, printed in Spanish, contain political news about important figures of late 19th and early 20th centuries such as Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. The broadsides critique figures of Mexico and daily news in the form of songs and articles, and would have been distributed throughout Mexico City, where Antonio Arroyo was from.

 

Harriet E. Huntington papers, circa 1938-1968 (MS 221)

5.8 linear ft. (13 boxes)

The collection consists of photographs, negatives and drafts related to the works of children's book author Harriet E. Huntington. Huntington used her own photography in many of her books, which focused on a variety of topics including music, plants, flowers, fruits, insects, trees, reptiles, invertebrates and the Yosemite Valley.

 

Ralph C. Michelsen papers, circa 1951-1982 (MS 173)

3.34 linear ft. (8 boxes)

This collection contains notes, photographs, articles, manuscripts, maps, published papers, clippings, correspondence, sound recordings, and other material from cultural anthropologist Ralph C. Michelsen. Materials in the collection mostly pertain to Michelsen's anthropological research on numerous indigenous tribes in North and Central America, including the PaiPai and Kiliwa of Baja California, various Luiseño groups in southern California, the Mohave and Cocopah, the Seri of Mexico and other groups in Mexico and Guatemala, including Cora and Maya.

 

Riverside, California photograph collection, circa 1834-1977 (MS 204)

3.34 linear ft. (8 boxes)
This collection contains photographs, slides, and glass plate negatives depicting the landscapes, people and culture of Riverside, California from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries. Images in the collection include notable local buildings and businesses, Riverside families and residents, and local natural and agricultural sites.

 

Vicki Hearne papers, circa 1973-1988 (MS 219)

1.83 linear ft. (2 boxes)

This collection consists of correspondence, manuscripts, and press clippings pertaining to Vicki Hearne, an American author, philosopher and scholar of literary criticism and linguistics. Hearne was known for her published poetry with a focus on animals and their cognitive abilities.

 

Walter Crenshaw papers, 1942-1944 (MS 418)

0.21 linear ft. (1 box)
The collection consists of medals and other records from Walter Crenshaw, who served as the administrative assistant to the provost marshal at the Tuskegee Army Air Field during the Second World War. Items in the collection include Crenshaw's pay and physical fitness records, a Tuskegee Army Airfield yearbook, a Thanksgiving menu and three medals Crenshaw received related to his service.

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