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More News September 13, 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 20^th 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 20^th century.

More News August 24, 2015

A book from the UCR Library's Special Collections & University Archives will be taking an Italian vacation this winter. A rare copy of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 will be on display at Fondazione Prada in Milan from February to June 2016 as part of the show To the Son of Man Who Ate the Scroll by Polish artist Goshka Macuga.

This best-selling dystopian novel depicts a future in which books are banned and firemen start fires instead of fighting them. The exhibition will include other artistic and scientific reflections on "humanity's concern with its own conclusion" to, in the words of the organizers, explore "the preservation and destruction of knowledge" in the face of "threats to our fragile existence."

 

Fahrenheit 451 was first published as a paperback in October 1953 by Ballantine. Later that year, the publisher issued 200 copies signed by the author and bound in boards covered in Quinterra Electrical Insulation, a chrysotile asbestos manufactured by Johns Manville and used for its fire-retardant properties. The UCR Library owns copy number 148.

If you’re worried that you might you miss "the asbestos edition" while it is away, there are plenty of other editions of Fahrenheit 451 in the UCR Library's Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy – including this limited edition published in 1982. It is bound in aluminum and features colorful, full-page illustrations by Joseph Mugnaini.

Questions about external exhibition loans can be directed to Robin M. Katz at specialcollections@ucr.edu.
 

More News April 30, 2018

Eli Labinger is a fourth-year psychology major who works as a Student Assistant in Special Collections and University Archives at the UCR Library.

Labinger grew up in West Hollywood, California as the younger of two sons. His mother is a first grade teacher and his father is a wholesale bookseller.

UC Riverside was an easy choice to make for Labinger because he wanted to stay close to home for college, but also wanted to attend a research university. “When I first visited, I really loved it. It has a very intimate feeling about it,” he said. “It was just a really good fit for me.”

Working at the library also turned out to be a great fit for Labinger. “There’s a lot to love about this job,” he said. “It’s really the anticipation of working with new things or in new areas every day keeps me interested and excited. There’s always something new to experience here.”

One of his favorite work-related memories comes from a 2016 event for the Chancellor’s Associates. “Donors who were visiting the library stopped by Special Collections,” Labinger explained. “We had seven or eight display tables set up around the reading room. Each table had things representing a specific area, and I got to present on The Lord of the Rings as representative of the fantasy literature collection. That was cool.”

His interest in fantasy literature helped to establish a friendship with Science Fiction Librarian Jacqueline “JJ” Jacobson. “I have talked a lot with JJ especially about The Lord of the Rings,” he said. “That’s sort of my outside interest.”

Aside from his work at the library, Labinger also works in a research laboratory in UCR's Department of Psychology. “I’m working on a project right now for the Chancellor’s Research Fellowship,” he said. “Psychology is a really new field and there’s a lot of research out there but there’s so much to be done. There are a lot of important discoveries yet to be made. I think that global change is going to stem from research.”

He feels most passionate about research that focuses on children and adolescents. “It’s such rapid growth period, and by the time we learn new things about these people, the people we’re studying grow up and grow out of our findings. A lot of things become out of date really quickly. There can’t be too much research with younger people.”

Between classes and working at both the library and the psychology lab, Labinger has little spare time for other hobbies. “I haven’t been able to do all the things I like to do, like read for pleasure.”

After graduation, Labinger will be moving to Portland, Oregon, to complete his PhD at Portland State University’s applied developmental psychology program. As a graduate student, he will be assisting Dr. Andrew Mashburn in his research, which includes assessing the effectiveness of early interventions for improving school readiness in preschoolers moving to kindergarten.

“I am especially interested in understanding the types of children and families for whom such interventions work best, and in using this information to find programs that work for all students and that have lasting positive effects,” Labinger said.

More News January 22, 2018

Rancho Mirage based novelist Michael Craft has generously donated his papers and professional archive to the UCR Library’s Special Collections department.

Craft has published 14 novels, including the highly acclaimed Mark Manning mystery series, three of which were honored as finalists for the Gay Men’s Mystery genre by the Lambda Literary Awards (Name Games in 2001, Boy Toy in 2002, and Hot Spot in 2003).

University Librarian Steven Mandeville-Gamble recently discovered Craft’s works, read every single book, enjoyed them immensely, and purchased a complete, partially autographed set for our Special Collections and University Archives.

Mandeville-Gamble and Director of Distinctive Collections Cherry Williams both felt that Craft’s papers would be an excellent addition to the library’s collections, expanding the list of notable authors’ papers that we currently hold while also diversifying the collection into a different and very interesting genre.

"Over the years, I'd been building a private archive of correspondence and such related to my writing, wondering what would become of it. So when UCR reached out, asking if I would consider donating my professional papers, it was an easy answer: an instant yes,” Craft said. “I’m truly honored to join the company of noted authors who are archived in the University of California’s library system.”

“The UCR Library is honored that Michael Craft has chosen UCR as the home for his literary papers,” Mandeville-Gamble added. “As a multiple award-nominated author of mystery fiction set in Chicago, Wisconsin, and the Coachella Valley, having his papers come to UCR helps ensure that the UCR Library is a key partner in preserving the cultural and literary history of the Inland Southern California region and in documenting the creative output of the people of this unique region.”

More News July 29, 2016

The winners of this year's student book collecting contest were announced at an awards ceremony in Rivera Library on May 24, 2016.

In the graduate category, Andrew Shaler won for California: The Long Nineteenth Century, a collection focused on Indian history in the Gold Rush era. Nicholas Dotson won the undergraduate category with Michael Jackson: The Components of a Legend.

This collection supports Shaler's research interests as a PhD candidate in the UCR history department. He has even had the chance to meet or work with some of the authors in his collection.
 
Dotson's personal interest was piqued by the King of Pop, and he collected books about MJ in an effort to learn more about this complicated public figure. Dotson's collection is on display in Rivera Library.
 
The Student Book Collecting Contest at the UCR Library was inaugurated in the academic year 2003-2004, in memory of Adam Repán Petko (1896-1995). Mr. Petko arrived in this country in 1912. He had a special interest in promoting literacy among his fellow immigrants, and he was particularly concerned with young children who had been denied a formal education in their native lands. The contest is funded through the generosity of Dr. Edward C. Petko, Adam Repán Petko’s son. Each contestant received a new book that will complement their collection courtesy of UC Press.
 
The purpose of this contest is to encourage students not just to read books, but to create their own personal libraries and book collections. A collection can cover any subject or topic, and collections need not consist of rare or expensive books. At the ceremony in May, all applicants had the opportunity to speak about their collections. Other entries ranged from science fiction by Isaac Asimov to field guides written by California naturalists.
 
Winners of the local contest are eligible to apply to the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest, which offers a first-place prize of $2500. Previous UCR winners have gone on to place nationally. In 2013, Elias Serna, a UCR PhD candidate, won first prize in the national contest for his collection The Chicano Movement: Pocho Poems, Posters, Films, and Revolutionary Plans. In 2011, graduate student Sarah McCormick took the third prize for her collection Desert Dreams: The History of California's Coachella Valley.

More News June 16, 2021

A fall quarter 2020 library presentation inspired a current UC Riverside student to donate his personal book collection to Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA).

On Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, Sandy Enriquez, Special Collections Public Services, Outreach & Community Engagement Librarian, and Andrew Lippert, Special Collections Processing Archivist, co-presented “On Slash Fanfiction and Yaoi Manga: Fandom and Sexuality in the Archives.”

During their presentation, Enriquez and Lippert gave a general introduction to the worlds of slash fanfiction and yaoi manga, also known as boys' love or BL; discussed how these items first arrived at the UCR Library and the emerging scholarship involving these important materials at UCR; and elucidated the reasons behind why the library hopes to collect more in the future.

“Slash and BL fandoms focus on romantic and/or sexual relationships between fictional male characters,” Enriquez explained. “Academic scholars have researched the impact and culture of slash and BL fandom for many years, but it wasn't until recently that they started incorporating a Feminist and Queer Theory lens to this research. From this lens, we now know that slash and BL fandoms are far more fluid and diverse than originally thought.”

The student donor, who wished to remain anonymous, shared what inspired him to gift his personal library to Special Collections: "I always thought that the history of our age would be written decades in the future, but attending a BL/slash event showed me that the work of analysis and preservation is happening now. That there was an enthusiastic community eager to delve into the whys and hows of something that has impacted my life. There are people that care enough about Boys Love and slash fiction to warrant a budding field of research. And I wanted to contribute to this wonderful project somehow, so I decided to make these books I've enjoyed available in the UCR Library."

According to Enriquez, other fans of slash or BL in the UC Riverside community are welcome to send their recommendations for this genre to SCUA staff at specialcollections@ucr.edu. “We hope to increase the BL manga collection at UCR and appreciate your suggestions,” she said.

The slash fanfiction and yaoi manga online event was co-sponsored by the UCR LGBT Resource Center and Asian Pacific Student Programs. Eighty-three members of the UCR community registered to attend. The replay is now available on the SCUA events page, along with other recent recordings of presentations by SCUA employees.

• Read more about Chicano Latino Studies

More News November 17, 2017

As GIS Day 2017 concluded on the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 15, Geospatial Information Librarian Janet Reyes reflected on a successful community event at UC Riverside to celebrate Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day and Geography Awareness Week.

“What I found most gratifying about the day was seeing all the interactions and networking taking place, between and among UCR community members and our off-campus guests,” Reyes commented. Many people interacted with the poster contestants as they explained their entries, and visited the information tables outside Rivera Library to talk with representatives from UCR Extension and Esri.

The first place winner in the poster contest was Dion Kucera (above, center) for his poster on Decadal resistance and resilience of the Los Angeles urban forest in response to drought and temperature stress. Second place went to Peter Ibsen (above, right), whose poster depicted regional and local climate drivers on the NDVI~Air Temperature relationship in urban areas. Third place was awarded to Brianna Chew (above, left) for her StoryMap on Academic Success Factors in K-12 Education: a quantitative analysis.

Presentations highlighted both academic and practical applications of GIS to advance work and research, with topics including the link between environmental features and behavioral health, climate change and biodiversity, looking at problems from a spatial perspective, the use of GIS in crime analysis, and more.

Patty Spurlock, Esri Human Resources Manager, shared information about careers in GIS.

“GIS Day went very well,” Reyes said. “The success was due to the collaboration of the Planning Committee, in addition to support from departments throughout the Library.”

Related events spanned multiple days, including a craft workshop on Nov. 14 sponsored by the Creat’R Lab, where students made map-themed ornaments; and a talk on Nov. 16 by Manuel Urrizola, Head of Metadata and Technical Services, titled “Is California an Island?” Urrizola brought archival maps from his personal collection, with supplementary materials provided by UCR Library’s Special Collections and University Archives.

“We tried several new things this year and will build on our experiences in planning for next year,” Reyes said.

GIS Day 2017 was co-sponsored by the UCR Library, the Center for Conservation Biology, the Departments of Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, and Psychology, UCR Extension, and Capital Asset Strategies. The GIS Day Planning Committee included Hoori Ajami, Jennifer Campbell, Robert Johnson, Karen Jordan, and Paige Trubenstein, with Reyes as committee chair.

More News October 02, 2013

UCR Libraries to host events that will teach Inland residents, campus students, scholars and staff to write entries for online encyclopedia

By Bettye Miller

Wikipedia edit-a-thons sponsored by UCR Libraries will make use of archives such as the Eaton Collection, the Water Resources Collection and the Tuskegee Airman Archive. Pictured above are a fan magazine from the Eaton Collection, a photo by Walter Leroy Huber of the junction of the All American Canal with the Coachella Canal, and Tuskegee Airman Clarence D. “Lucky” Lester.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — UC Riverside Libraries will host three Wikipedia edit-a-thons this fall during which Inland residents and university students, scholars and staff may make use of library resources to write articles for the free, online encyclopedia.

The first of the all-day edit-a-thons is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 12, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Box lunches will be provided for preregistered participants. Free parking will be available for community residents who preregister. Email carolem@ucr.edu to register for each of the three dates. Additional edit-a-thons are scheduled Oct. 26 and Nov. 23.

Veteran Wikipedia editor Adrianne Wadewitz will attend the Oct. 12 event and teach participants how to write articles that are polished and designed to face fewer challenges for accuracy and neutrality. Wikipedia trainers will attend each edit-a-thon.

Participants may access a variety of UCR Library resources, including documents housed in Special Collections and University Archives, to research articles of their choosing, said University Librarian Steven Mandeville-Gamble.

“We want this to be fun, but there is also a serious goal of enhancing Wikipedia as a platform of information exchange,” Mandeville-Gamble said. “These edit-a-thons will give students and others a chance to write in a public forum and learn how to create a well-crafted information article. It also is an opportunity for us to forge stronger relations with community members beyond UCR’s borders.”

Wikipedia describes itself as a multilingual, Web-based, free-content encyclopedia project supported by the Wikimedia Foundation that is based on an openly editable model. Content is produced collaboratively by anonymous volunteers who write without pay.

Two years ago Wikipedia launched its Wikipedia Loves Libraries initiative to collaborate with galleries, libraries, archives and museums in an effort to make the online encyclopedia a more accurate and useful resource, Mandeville-Gamble said.

The UCR librarian introduced Wikipedia edit-a-thons when he worked at George Washington University. The project was so popular that it continues on a monthly basis.

At UCR, participants in the edit-a-thons will be able to research topics that make use of UCR Libraries collections such as science fiction; the Tuskegee Airmen; author and former UCR Chancellor Tomás Rivera; historical figures in the political, cultural, and social life of the Inland Empire; water resources in California and the West; or Native American literature, art and culture.

“Participants can write about any topic, not just ones we suggest,” Mandeville-Gamble said. “This will be a safe place for people to learn to write Wikipedia articles, receive feedback, make their articles more ‘bullet proof,’ use citation tools and information boxes, and effectively utilize images. Our libraries have tremendous resources that can enhance Wikipedia articles, particularly those that relate to our unique collections and local history.”

More News March 19, 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 – Spring 2018