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Loda Mae Davis, UCR’s pioneering woman
Starting with her appointment in Oct. 1953, UC Riverside’s first Dean of Women Loda Mae Davis helped to shape the future not just for Highlander women but for all UCR students.
In addition to serving as an Assistant Professor of Psychology, Davis was later appointed as the Associate Dean of Students. She firmly believed in sexual equality and drafted policies to support that ideal, making Riverside the first campus in the UC system to allow women students the same dormitory privileges that men had always enjoyed. Davis also advocated for the female faculty to have the same membership rights as the male faculty.
Many male students opined that Davis was "too liberal." Colleagues claimed that she frequently said that UCR was "the most sexist place she had ever worked," although Davis did not call herself a feminist.
The Loda Mae Davis papers (UA 082) include correspondence, publications, fiction and non-fiction manuscripts, speech transcripts, photographs, videos, audio cassettes, and other material that documents Davis’ work and the contributions of female faculty members who contributed to the UCR academic community. Received in 2015, the collection was first made available for research in Special Collections and University Archives at the Tomás Rivera Library starting in fall quarter 2018.
Born in 1898 to pioneer homesteaders in Washington state, Davis and her sister worked to support their own education. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 1923 with honors in commerce, followed by a masters of science in business in 1932. Graduate work in psychology at UC Berkeley preceded Davis’ 1953 appointment at UCR.
An economic analyst, consumer rights advocate, and world traveler, Davis worked for the Works Project Administration in 1936 and other Federal entities during the Roosevelt administration. In 1940, she became a consultant to the Consumer Division of the National Council of Defense, a job which led to her becoming the head of the first field staff of the Office of Price Administration. Following World War II, she worked for the UN Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.
Davis traveled throughout the United States to educate the public on the federal rationing and price control program. Additionally, she traveled extensively as a single woman, including trips to Panama and Mexico in 1934; Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, France, England, Canada and the Arctic Circle in 1935; and China and Japan in 1937. The onset of World War II provided other travel opportunities, as did a 1960 sabbatical which she spent in Samoa.
Davis stayed active within the UCR community after her 1964 retirement, helping to found the Loda Mae Davis Archive and to serve as a mentor to women in academia. She lived in Riverside until her death in 1989.
Davis’ legacy continues to impact the lives of today’s Highlander women through the Dean Emerita Loda Mae Davis Women's Archives fund (which supports the acquisition of materials documenting aspects of women's leadership, accomplishments, and attainments as scholars, writers, creative artists, activists, citizens, etc., and women's changing roles in society), the Dean Loda Mae Davis Endowed Award (est. 1964 by The Prytanean Society, a women's honor society), the Dean Loda Mae Davis Endowed Scholarship Fund (est. 1982), and the Dean Loda Mae Davis Commencement Award (est. 1964).
The Power of Language: From Manuscript to Print
We invite you to view SCUA’s latest exhibition, The Power of Language: From Manuscript to Print, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Friday on the 4th floor of the Rivera Library in Special Collections & University Archives until March 24, 2023.
This exhibition is the first of a yearlong cycle of four exhibitions, and features texts written in the classical languages of Latin and Greek and highlights some of our oldest materials.
The spring exhibition will showcase our Indigenous languages, while our summer exhibit will delight you with contemporary languages created by authors of imaginative works of fiction. The fourth, and final exhibition in fall of 2023, presents highlights from our collection of Asian and Western and European languages.
| Event | The Power of Language: From Manuscript to Print |
| Location | Tomás Rivera Library, 4th floor, Special Collections & University Archives |
| Dates | February 23, 2023 - Mar. 24, 2023 |
| Parking | Free Visitor Parking is available on Fridays, starting at 12:00 PM through 6:00 AM Monday morning in the unreserved spaces of the following parking lots/structures:
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Books the Size of Your Fingernail
Bring your best pair of reading glasses – you’ll need them.
The University of California, Riverside Library will host “The Magic of Miniature Books” exhibit Jan. 18 through March 30.
“Miniature books have a long and interesting history, with the earliest miniatures created approximately 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia,” said Cherry Williams, the director of Distinctive Collections at UCR Libraries. “The books have been popular throughout history, being recognized early on as a format that can be effortlessly carried about, hung from a belt or even easily concealed.”
By the 19th and 20th centuries, Williams said, books from nearly every genre were available as miniatures. These genres included classic fiction, artists’ books, dictionaries, almanacs, Bibles and prayer books, children’s books and non-fiction works such as fishing guides.
The exhibit has two components. The first features about 30 miniature books from the Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) section of the Tomas Rivera Library. Books featured vary from tiny volumes of novels such as, “The Cat Who Loved Christmas,” to a copy of "The Lord's Prayer" that is smaller than your pinky fingernail, to a miniature version of Thomas More’s “Utopia” that measures about 2 by 3 inches.
Some of the other books on display include “Jack be Nimble and Other Rhymes,” printed in 1987, and “El Libro de la Misa Para uso de la Incancia,” a Catholic service book printed in Spanish from 1861.
“As a result of putting these items on display, we hope that our viewers will return often to visit Special Collections at a future date, and discover additional interesting materials available for their use in the SCUA reading room,” Williams said.
The second component is a traveling exhibit UCR is hosting on behalf of the Miniature Book Society (MBS). MBS is an international organization that works to sustain an interest in miniature books.
Williams said the traveling exhibit highlights winners of the annual MBS competition, and showcases modern masterpieces and historic examples of miniature books. Williams hopes the traveling component promotes MBS grant opportunities, which enable students to pursue study in miniature books.
“The Magic of Miniature Books” traveling exhibit will be on display on the first floor of the Rivera Library, while the display of selected items from SCUA will be available on the 4th floor of the Rivera Library in the Special Collections reading room. For more information, contact Cherry Williams.
Dive Into Summer Reading on OverDrive
Enjoy your summer with e-books from our digital leisure reading collection! We’ve curated three collections perfect for summer.
Summer Reads
Relax with chill reads for a hot summer. This collection features a variety of stories from thought-provoking reads to light-hearted stories that are perfect for unwinding. Explore the collection.
Television and Movie Reads
Read the book before watching the show or movie! This collection includes bestselling novels and captivating stories that have been adapted into popular TV shows and films. Discover the collection and immerse yourself in the original stories behind your favorite screen adaptations.
LGBTQ+ Collection
Dive into popular fiction, graphic novels, Lambda Award winners & nominees, nonfiction, and magazines featuring LGBTQ+ characters, authors, and topics. This collection celebrates diverse voices and stories within the LGBTQ+ community, offering a rich array of reading material. Check out the collection.
Happy reading!
Check out these collections and more at ucr.overdrive.com or download the Libby app and add the UCR Library as a “library”.
Students, faculty, and staff can use their UCR credentials to access these books for FREE from their computer, phone, laptop, or tablet!
Winners Announced for 2015 Petko Competition
Hecht and Colclasure submit award-winning entries.
Each year the UCR Library’s hosts the Adam Repán Petko Student Book Collection Competition to encourage students in reading, as well as in the creation of their own personal libraries and book collections. The collection’s submitted this year showcase the diversity of student interests and represented a wide array of topics from children’s literature, fantasy, and historical fiction to political biographies, social organizations, and renowned women authors.
Tikva Hecht took first place in in the graduate division for “Books I’ve Held On To: Stories and Poems from my Childhood.” Through the use of captivating descriptions Hecht was able to illustrate the distinct patterns and shared impressionistic illustrations woven throughout her collection and its underlying theme of “displacement.” Hecht's collection provides a brief glimpse into her childhood and the imaginary journeys that have influenced her writing.
Carol Colclasure was awarded the top prize in the undergraduate division for her entry “Works of Wonderful Women.” Colclasure’s collection featured an extensive number of books on the topics of female liberation and intellectualism that she began collecting at a very young age. These early bibliophilic endeavors have led Colclasure to a literary life as well, through her current studies in literature and writing.
The winners of the 2015 Adam Repán Petko Student Book Collection Competition were honored at a ceremony held in Special Collections & University Archives on May 14, 2015 where they were presented with an award certificate by University Librarian, Steven Mandeville-Gamble. All entrants were also presented with a book, courtesy of the UC Press, that closely matched their collection’s topical area. Dr. Edward C. Petko, the competition’s benefactor, provided brief remarks for the winners as well as their fellow entrants to close the ceremony. Hecht and Colclasure, as winners of this competition, will both be eligible to compete in the upcoming National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest.
For more information on the annual Adam Repán Petko Student Book Collection Competition please visit our website.
Library blogs highlight our work
On occasion, UCR Library employees document their work through a blog.
Using blogs as a communication tool for the library allows insight into the behind-the-scenes processes that library patrons don't usually get to see. Blogs also make it possible to highlight new discoveries of important or interesting content in our collections as we identify it.
Collections Management Librarian Jessica Geiser kept a detailed record of her progress while working on the George Brown political papers, before that collection was made available to the public in 2016.
Similarly, the Jay Kay and Doris Klein Librarian for Science Fiction, JJ Jacobson and graduate student Miranda Butler, her co-curator for the "200 Years of Frankenstein" exhibit scheduled to debut in fall 2018, are currently documenting their exhibit-design journey on the Frankenblog.
Those interested in learning more can read other UCR Library blogs here.
Special Collections Public Services, Outreach & Community Engagement Librarian
The UCR Library is pleased to announce that Sandy Enriquez has joined our team as the Special Collections Public Services, Outreach & Community Engagement Librarian.
She will be reporting to Cherry Williams, Director of Distinctive Collections.
Sandy earned her MA in Latin American Studies at New York University and her MLIS from Long Island University.
Most recently, Sandy served as a Collections Assistant at New York University’s Bobst Library.
Please join us in welcoming Sandy to the library!
Library Staff Focus on Work-Life Balance
On Wednesday, August 16, 2017, approximately 26 library employees attended a luncheon workshop in Tomás Rivera Library sponsored by the Library Professional Development Committee.
The workshop topic was “Work-Life Balance” and featured a webinar plus small group discussion and sharing exercises.
“This topic was purposely picked from the suggestions staff gave in the first ever PDC kickoff event,” said Leslie Settle, Chair of the Professional Development Committee. “Almost 50% of those in attendance also completed the online survey, which had overwhelmingly positive feedback on both the content of the material and the facilitation from the breakout sessions. Many staff reported to me that they will apply the tools learned in the brown bag to enhance their work and home performance as well as educate others.”
Klein Librarian for Science Fiction JJ Jacobson won the luncheon raffle, which included the first public giveaway of a UCR Library branded fidget spinner.
The next PDC-sponsored event will take place on Thursday September 14, 2017. The focus of the September event will be “communication,” with learning objectives focused on developing active listening skills, changing the way you communicate, becoming aware of how others respond to you, and winning support.
The Professional Development Committee (PDC) is comprised of both academic and support staff in the Library whose goal is to offer an inclusive perspective on library employees’ development needs. The PDC offers four library-wide events per year as well as several “brown bag” lunch-and-learn sessions, like this most recent example.