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Currently an institutional archivist for The J. Paul Getty Trust, the world's largest cultural and philanthropic organization dedicated to the visual arts, class of ’08 alumna Sara Seltzer began her career as a UCR Library student employee in Special Collections and University Archives.

“I’ll never forget when I got that job,” Seltzer said. “I came home that day and told my parents about it and my dad was like, ‘This is the start of your career!’ And I said, ‘I guess it is!’”

From a young age, Seltzer’s family instilled a love of history and literature into her life. “My mom in particular is a huge history buff and culture fiend,” she said. “Growing up we always went to museums, we always did lots of cultural things. I had influential people who exposed me to the kinds of environments where archives live.”

Her grandmother was a Cuban refugee who later worked in the corporate library for Southern California Edison, which also inspired Seltzer’s career goals. “That was her favorite job,” she explained.

Her academic studies at UC Riverside focused on European history and art history, while at the library Seltzer felt most passionate about working with archives tied to British history. “I’m a huge Anglophile, so that was exciting,” she said of working with the Ann Harris correspondence  in 2009, among other projects for Special Collections and University Archives.

As a student employee, she appreciated the autonomy that her supervisors gave her, as it helped to build confidence in her own judgment and critical thinking skills. “Since I knew this was the path that I wanted, I was very thankful for that job and I took it very seriously,” she explained. “It was a bit unusual for student workers to be given that responsibility, but when it’s the right student worker, they get a lot out of it.”

Seltzer believes that library student employees can reap more long-term benefits than students at most typical entry-level jobs. “The library is so much more than just people working with books,” she explained. “There’s a huge demand for people with programming skills in this field, people who understand digital technologies, user experience designers. This is an opportunity to gain professional experience and to find a career path. It’s a viable field and it’s growing all the time.”

After graduation, Seltzer remained at the library until 2009 for an internship supervised by Manuel Urrizola, Head of Metadata & Technical Services. “He was very inspiring. He took me under his wing,” she commented. “He taught me all the basics of cataloging before I even started library school.” After graduating from UCLA with a MLIS in Archival Studies, Seltzer eventually moved to her current position where she is responsible for managing the current and historic business records of the J. Paul Getty Museum.

“I’m still working and doing what I always wanted to do,” Seltzer reflected. “I’m really happy with this path that I’ve been put on. It all pretty much began here, so I’m really grateful to UCR Library for giving me my start.”

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 second 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. 

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We are delighted to announce that Krystal Boehlert has joined the UCR Library as our Digital Initiatives Specialist, effective November 18, 2019.

Krystal will be a new member of the Digital Library Division, and her office will be located on the first floor of Orbach Library, reporting to Kevin Comerford, the Associate University Librarian for the Digital Library.

Krystal earned her BFA in Visual Media from Rochester Institute of Technology, her MA from the Art Center College of Design, and her MLS in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University.

Most recently, Krystal served as the Visual Resource Specialist for the UC Riverside department of Art and Art History. Prior to working for UCR, Krystal also worked for the J. Paul Getty Museum, Albright Knox Gallery and Art Collection Management, Inc. She brings a variety of experience managing digital projects.

Please join us in welcoming Krystal to the library!

Library launches program series surrounding Latino American experience

On October 9th, the UCR Library hosted a kickoff reception to launch a year of programming supported by the Latino Americans 500 Years of History grant. Awarded to the library earlier this year by the National Endowment of Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA), the grant funds a series of programs focused on the Latino American experience. Events over the course of the next year will include documentary screenings and performances by project scholars.

Paul D’Anieri, Vice-Chancellor and Provost of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Steven Mandeville-Gamble, University Librarian discussed UCR’s role as a Hispanic Serving Institution and champion of diversity, and the library’s commitment to supporting that effort. Drs. Tiffany Lopez, Jonathan Ritter, and Jennifer Najera detailed their involvement in the year’s events, and program partner UCR Chicano Student Programs provided insight into the potential effect of these programs on their student populations. Community members in attendance shared stories about their lives and work in the community to promote continued and renewed interest in Latino Chicano American heritage and history.

The ALA and NEH designed the Latino Americans 500 Years of History grant to be inclusive of all members of the campus and local communities. Project partners such as the Center for Social Justice, Spanish Town Heritage Foundation, and several branches of Riverside Public Library will provide venues for some of the year's programs.

"We hope that this grant will foster a tradition of collaborative curriculum and promote further interest in the preservation of local community history," said grant Project Director Anthony Sanchez. The grant has received strong support from national student organizations such as MEXUS, as well as state and local public officials, many of whom attended the reception. The event provided a rare opportunity for cross-community conversations about upcoming projects and possible collaborations.

The UCR Library is delighted to announce that Andrea Hoff joined our team on June 17, 2019 as the University Archivist.

Andrea will be located in Special Collections and University Archives, on the fourth floor of Rivera Library, reporting to Cherry Williams, the Director of Distinctive Collections.

Andrea earned her BA in Art History from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and her Master’s in Library Science from St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN.

Most recently, Andrea served as the Archives & Exhibits Specialist for Santa Clara University. Prior to working at Santa Clara University, Andrea worked at the Golden Gate National Park Conservancy as a Project Archivist. She also served as a Project Archivist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Center for the Curation and Management of Archeological Collections. 

Please join us in welcoming Andrea to the library!