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More News February 02, 2021

When Class of 2019 alumnus Matthew Diep first enrolled at UC Riverside to double-major in accounting and public policy, becoming a children's book author was not on his to-do list.

However, a missed opportunity in another campus department led him to apply for a student employee position at the UCR Library, which became the catalyst for a huge shift in Diep’s career and life plans.

“My whole life would have been different if I had gotten that first job,” Diep reflected. “When I was a senior at UCR, my dad passed away. The library was always there for me. They were so supportive. Books were always there for me. You know, books get me through everything.”

In January 2021, Diep self-published his first children’s book (under the pseudonym Matthew Dee) titled, “There’s a Book on That,” which is currently sold through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Book Depository. In his book, Diep wanted to show his young readers all the wonders that books in libraries have to offer.

“When I was a kid, I despised reading,” he admitted. “But the one thing that I did like to read was books that rhymed.” Diep eventually learned to love reading and began writing poems during high school, so he knew that he could rhyme, but he had never written anything like this.

After writing the manuscript last year, Diep saved it in his Google docs and promptly forgot about it. “Then this winter break, I got bored,” he said, which is why he decided to self-publish.

Throughout all 4 years of his undergraduate studies, Diep found himself feeling “miserable but practical” about his decision to focus on accounting. “Toward the end of senior year, I reflected on what would make me happy and what would I enjoy, and I knew I enjoyed working at the library. So I decided to totally switch my career path.” He applied for a Masters program in Library and Information Sciences (MLIS) at San Jose State, and hopes to complete his degree within two years.

He is currently employed part-time with the City of Ontario Library and full-time with the University of Redlands Library, where he supervises student employees in the Access Services department. This reminds him of his former supervisor: “Leslie [Settle] is someone I always think about because she was a great supervisor and she was always there for her students, and that’s what I aspire to be for my students.”

Upon completion of his MLIS, Diep hopes to work in an academic library, perhaps at his alma mater. He has ideas for more children’s books, as well. In the meantime, he is focused on marketing his first book and getting it onto the shelves of as many libraries as possible. “I do want to see it with the little call number and everything,” he said.

Diep's endeavors have been met with overwhelming support from his family and friends on social media, though interested libraries should move quickly, he said. “The hard copy is already out-of-stock on Amazon.”

Fortunately, the UCR Library has already ordered a copy of “There’s a Book on That,” which will soon sit proudly alongside its counterparts in the library's juvenile collection.

Supportive Highlanders can follow their classmate at matthewdeebooks.com.

More News September 17, 2018

The UCR Library and UCR Information Technology Solutions prepared this brief tutorial to introduce you to our new Wepa Cloud Printing system at the University of California, Riverside.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this tutorial:

• How to create a Wepa account
• How to upload and print documents using Wepa
• Where to find Wepa print kiosks on the UCR campus

The launch date for the new Wepa cloud printing system at UCR is September 17, 2018.

There are 14 Wepa print kiosks located at several different locations on the UCR campus:

Wepa cloud printing has four basic steps:

1. Create your account
2. Select funds
3. Upload documents
4. Release the print job

There are also four benefits to using the Wepa system that we didn’t have with other printing services:

1. Anyone can print with Wepa, not just UCR students, faculty and staff.
2. Patrons now have more ways to pay, not just with Bear Bucks.
3. You can send print jobs to Wepa from home -- or anywhere with an internet connection.
4. You can print from any type of device, not just computers.

How to create a Wepa account

If you’re on campus, simply walk up to the closest Wepa kiosk and swipe your R’Card on the right side of the screen, and set up a 6-digit PIN

You can also set up an account from home. To do so, go to wepanow.com, then click the blue “login” button in the upper right-hand corner.

Next, choose the University of California, Riverside from the drop-down menu labeled “School.”

Once you select UC Riverside, the browser should automatically redirect you to the Central Authentication Service (CAS) screen, where you’ll log in with your UCR NetID and current password.

How to deposit funds into your Wepa account

After you’ve logged into your Wepa account, you should see your account balance right below your name. All UCR students will receive $8 in their Wepa account every quarter. This replaces your quarterly Quota printing allowance.

UCR students will receive discounted pricing for the new Wepa printing service.

Currently registered UCR students, staff, faculty, and visitors will pay (with partial costs offset by the Student Technology Fee):

• $0.08 for B&W, 1 sided
• $0.13 for B&W duplex
• $0.35 for color, 1 sided
• $0.65 for color duplex

If you need to print more pages, click “add more” to deposit additional funds.

You have three choices for how to pay for additional printing: Bear Bucks, credit card or PayPal.

With Wepa, each credit card transaction will have a $0.40 processing fee added. However, if you pay for extra pages at the kiosk with your Bear Bucks, there are no additional fees.

How to upload documents to the Wepa cloud

From inside the member portal at Wepanow.com, click “Document Upload.” 

You can link your cloud storage drives to your Wepa account (Google Drive, Box, OneDrive, Dropbox, or Office 365). Click on the green button at the right of the screen to link your accounts.

You can also upload individual files from a computer, smartphone, or tablet. To upload a file from a computer, first, click the “Choose Your File” button. Follow the prompts to select the file from your drive.

Then, you’ll select print options, including:

• number of copies
• single or double sided
• black & white or color printing
• print all the pages in your document or a specific range of pages
• page orientation (portrait or landscape)

Once you have all of your print options selected, click “Send Print Options.” (Please note: you can’t change your print options at the Wepa kiosks for documents you've uploaded to the Wepa cloud.)

The next screen should say “Review the Results.” Your document has been uploaded to the cloud, and you just need to go to the nearest Wepa print station and enter the 6-digit code you received to release the file. (Please note: the code shown in the tutorial video is an example only.)

How to release your print job at a Wepa kiosk

In order to release your print job, log in at the Wepa kiosk by swiping your R’Card using the card reader on the right side of the screen. First-time users will be asked to create a 6-digit PIN code, to protect your Wepa account.

Once logged in, review your Wepa account balance at the top right of the screen, right below your name. At this time, if you need to add funds, you can do so at the kiosk. (Use the card reader on the left side of the screen to add funds.)

On the left side of the screen, you’ll see the list of files you’ve uploaded to your Wepa cloud. Documents that you’ve uploaded to Wepa will be available to print for up to 6 days.

Tap the box next to the document you want to print, or tap the box at the very top of the list to select all files.

The green button at the bottom of the screen will display the total price for your print jobs. Tap this button to continue.

For your security, be sure to log out of your Wepa account when you’ve finished printing. The green logout button will appear in the lower right corner of the screen. The Wepa print station will automatically log you out after 10 seconds of idle time, after your last print job has completed.

To review:

Print from your laptop or desktop computer

Print from your smartphone

Print from your tablet

If you need support or have any trouble with your Wepa account, please reach out to Bear Help. Bear Help is available by phone Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.: (951) 827-4848. After-hours inquiries, please contact Bear Help by emailing bearhelp@ucr.edu, or you can use the online self-help guide.

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More News September 29, 2022

We are pleased to announce that the UCR Library was recently awarded the Create with VR Grant from Unity and Meta Immersive Learning.  

This will position the UCR Library at the forefront of innovative teaching and learning by putting virtual reality (VR) technology and training in the hands of our staff. 

We will receive 20 Meta Quest 2 VR headsets that will allow us to help train students to become the creators of tomorrow in the growing, high-wage VR industry. 

Innovative Media Librarian Alvaro Alvarez applied for VR headsets on behalf of the UCR Library’s Creat’R Lab. He intends to use the headsets in workshops and plans to make them available to the wider UCR community for use in coursework, research, or just for fun.  

Unity and Meta Immersive Learning are also providing Alvaro access to professional development opportunities to build his knowledge of VR development and expand his capacity to create innovative and engaging learning experiences for UCR students. 

“Right now, I am taking a five-week course,” Alvaro explained. “They teach us best practices on managing the headsets and how to teach different kinds of workshops.” 

Once the headsets are ready for use, Alvaro plans on reaching out to faculty who are already teaching VR in the hope that the 20 Creat'R Lab VR headsets can be used as an additional resource for their students.  

The launch date for the headsets is still to be determined. However, they will be available sometime during this academic school year. Follow us on social media for updates! 

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More News January 30, 2024

Our Medical Education and Clinical Outreach Librarian Elisa Cortez is a Distinguished Member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP).

The Academy of Health Information Professionals is an arm of the Medical Library Association (MLA), dedicated to advancing the field of health information management. AHIP recognizes the professional achievements and expertise of health information professionals through a comprehensive credentialing program.

AHIP's credentialing program is designed to ensure that health information professionals are not only competent but also continuously advancing in their field. This is particularly vital in the health and medical sector, where the accuracy and timeliness of information can have profound implications.

Our Medical Education and Clinical Outreach Librarian Elisa Cortez is a member of AHIP, and her membership was recently renewed at the Distinguished level — the highest level membership you can achieve.

“I like that AHIP encourages lifelong learning,” Elisa said. “An AHIP membership is a recognition of your efforts and lets employers and those you work with know you’re well prepared to do your job.”

Distinguished level membership requires candidates to have at least ten years of full-time professional experience, demonstrating a long-term commitment to the field.

Additionally, candidates must complete a minimum of 120 points of professional accomplishments, which includes a strong emphasis on continuing education to keep up-to-date on the latest developments and practices in health information. 10 of these points must be earned through active participation in professional associations, with a minimum of 5 points derived from activities specifically associated with the MLA. This requirement underscores the importance of engaging with the broader professional community and contributing to the field of health information.

Elisa’s Distinguished level membership embodies the UCR Library’s dedication to offering the highest standard of health information services. It's a journey of continuous learning and leadership, benefiting our entire medical school community.

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More News June 11, 2018

Christodoulos Kyriakopoulos had a wild idea in July 2017, but he didn’t know whether UCR had the resources he needed to bring his vision to life – until he found out about the Creat’R Lab.

It had opened its doors in Orbach Library only three months prior.

As a Researcher in UC Riverside’s Department of Earth Sciences, Kyriakopoulos typically works with numerical models on computer screens, but he wanted to make a 3D-model of California’s major earthquake faults to use as an outreach tool.

He believed that a tactile model would make his work more engaging, interactive and accessible to different types of audiences – from academic peers to elementary schoolchildren, government officials, and the visually impaired.

“It can be challenging for geophysicists to talk to everyday people about what we do,” Kyriakopoulos explained. “In order to do that better, it helps to be able to put our computer-based work into physical form.”

When he brought his idea to Michele Potter, Creat’R Lab’s 3D printing specialist, she was enthusiastic. “It involved a number of techniques and considerations we had never delved into before, and the educational application was so obvious,” she said. “This technology can teach people new concepts, partially by inspiring them to ask questions that they had never thought of before.”

“Michele was so helpful,” Kyriakopoulos said. “The Creat’R Lab is a great example of a well-organized space with an open doors policy, so easy to approach and so supportive.”

Kyriakopoulos and his 3D-printed model have had quite a busy year. “In nine months, we have brought the model to the general public, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting – the biggest geophysical conference in the world, the [Riverside] Long Night of Arts and Innovation, several outreach activities inside and outside UCR, and even a house committee meeting with legislators!” he said.

The model was featured at a congressional meeting on May 31, 2018 in Huntington Beach, where the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology (including Congress members Mark Takano, Dana Rohrabacher and Jerry McNerney) met to decide the fate of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP).

“This may have helped significantly in giving arguments to Congress for increasing research funding for earth sciences,” said Michalis Faloutsos, UCR Director of Entrepreneurship.

“Christos’ model seems to have done for the Representatives what it has done for countless UCR and visiting students: showed them in a tangible way why we need to talk about earthquakes,” Potter added.

According to Kyriakopoulos, NEHRP is something that UCR should care about because data from the U.S. Geological Survey indicates that the Southern California region has a 75% chance of seeing one or more major seismic events (an earthquake measuring 7.0 or higher) in the next 30 years – and Riverside is close to many of the most active and dangerous faults.

Kyriakopoulos’ office is now filled to the brim with 3D-printed models. His collection of fault displays has expanded to include a model of the subduction zone fault responsible for the M9 2011 Tohoku-oki event (Japan), the M7.2 2010 El Mayor-Cucapah (Baja California, Mexico) earthquake, the M7.8 2015 Gorkha (Nepal) earthquake. He also has small models of the Grand Canyon and Mount St. Helens, among others, which he plans to use for outreach.

“What Christos is doing is truly exciting, and the Creat’R lab has been crucial,” said David D. Oglesby, Chair of the Department of Earth Sciences and professor of geophysics.

Christodoulos Kyriakopoulos would like to recognize Kaitlin Chail (Director of Federal Relations at UCR) for organizing the participation at the Congressional Meeting in Huntington Beach.