More News July 22, 2020

UC Riverside Library is continuing its focus on expanding access to heavily demanded electronic content with a new local license to the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE).

JoVE is the world-leading producer and provider of science videos with the mission to improve scientific research and education, according to the company’s website.

Content available to UCR includes the journals, Science Core modules, Science Education Modules, and the Lab Manual.

“This provides the UCR campus with a tremendous amount of engaging and well-presented video content in subjects such as chemistry, the biological sciences, medicine, engineering, earth science, physics, psychology, and environmental sciences,” said Michele Potter, Collection Strategist for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

Filmed at the world’s top scientific institutions, JoVE videos bring to life cutting-edge experiments, enable replication of new research methods and technologies, and empower effective pedagogy for science concepts and laboratory methods. They also support quick in-depth comprehension of complex STEM subjects to increase student engagement and learning outcomes, and support innovative teaching initiatives such as blended learning and flipped classroom.

JoVE was co-founded by a stem cell lab researcher at Princeton University, Moshe Pritsker, shortly after finishing his Ph.D., transforming 450 years of scientific publishing tradition. A decade later, JoVE remains the first and only peer-reviewed scientific video journal, releasing more than 100 new videos every month.

The UCR Library’s subscription will run through September 2021. For more Information, contact Michele Potter.

More News October 02, 2017

The UCR Library will host a poster contest as part of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day 2017 activities at UC Riverside, in collaboration with the Center for Conservation Biology, the Department of Earth Sciences, the Department of Environmental Sciences, UCR Extension, the Department of Psychology, and Capital Asset Strategies.

GIS Day, first established in 1999, provides an opportunity for people to learn about geography and the uses of GIS. This year, GIS Day falls on Wednesday, Nov. 15.

Both undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to enter posters that highlight their use of GIS. All academic disciplines are eligible, including natural and social sciences as well as humanities.

Acceptable formats

Printed posters and a limited number of dynamic displays (Story Map, PowerPoint) will be accepted.

Collaborations are allowed, as are multiple entries. Please note that for group entries, the first author listed will be eligible for any prizes, should that entry win.

How to enter

Prior to entering, students must submit an abstract before 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 1 for review and approval by the GIS Day Planning Committee.

To submit an abstract, please fill out this application form and send to Planning Committee member Paige Trubenstein (btrub001@ucr.edu). For questions, you can also contact Janet Reyes (janet.reyes@ucr.edu) at the Orbach Science Library’s Map Collection, or call (951) 827-6421.

The committee will notify prospective entrants if their abstract was accepted or declined by Saturday, Nov. 4.

Students whose abstracts were accepted must submit their posters by Thursday, Nov. 9.

Poster display

Beginning on Monday, Nov. 13, the entries will be included in a GIS poster display in the atrium of Orbach Science Library.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 15, entrants will have the opportunity to explain their posters and answer questions.

The contest’s first, second, and third-place winners will be announced at 4:00 on Nov. 15 prior to a reception for all participants.

Contest prizes will include a variety of items students will find useful.

More News July 29, 2024

We are excited to announce the launch of our new Acquisitions, Description, and Discovery (ADD) Department, effective July 1.

This new department merges our former Acquisitions Unit and Metadata and Technical Services Department, creating a unified team aimed at enhancing discoverability and access to library print and electronic resources.

The creation of ADD is part of the Library's commitment to improving workflows and aligning with the latest advancements in library management systems. These systems have evolved to become comprehensive hubs for data, visualization, and workflow management.

“The formation of ADD has been a long time in the making, having been planned prior to the pandemic, with a pilot occurring as far back as 2016. This last year saw the convergence of the pieces needed for implementation,” says Tiffany Moxham, Deputy University Librarian and Assistant University Librarian for Content and Discovery.  

Tiffany continues, “First the arrival of an experienced Director in Darren Furey, several years of ALMA and PRIMO knowledge, a team ready to expand after several years of retirements, and a clearer sense of the next phase of the Library’s collection strategies in relation to electronic, print and digital holdings and as part of a system where transformative agreements and their innate challenges are at the center of the shared resource landscape.”

What does ADD do? ADD manages UCR Library resources from the moment they are purchased until they’re available to patrons. This includes ordering and receiving new books and materials, processing payments, and ensuring these resources can be easily found through UC Library Search. ADD is also responsible for describing and organizing the Library’s digitized collections, making them easily accessible on platforms like Calisphere.

Darren Furey, formerly the UCR Library’s Director of Metadata and Technical Services, now leads ADD as its Director.

“I'm excited to have brought the Acquisitions Unit and the Metadata and Technical Services Department together,” Darren says. “Being one small but mighty team will help facilitate strategic cross-training, some of which is already underway, and it will give acquisitions and metadata staff a greater understanding of each others' responsibilities, needs, and challenges.”

Darren adds, “Together, librarians and staff in ADD are analyzing our current workflows to determine whether they still meet our needs, the needs of other Library departments, and, most importantly, the needs of our users. Everything we do should in some way add value for the students, faculty, and staff who rely on our expertise and ingenuity.”

ADD is in the process of hiring two Metadata Catalogers and an Acquisitions, Description, and Discovery Supervisor. The Metadata Catalogers will handle a variety of materials to ensure resources are accurately cataloged and easily discoverable, while the supervisor position will provide technical expertise and oversee Library Assistants.

Whether you are a student conducting research, a faculty member seeking teaching materials, or a community member exploring our collections, ADD ensures that you can easily find and access the information you need. By optimizing our resource management and discovery processes, we’re enhancing the overall user experience and supporting UCR’s academic and research goals.   

More News January 11, 2024

The University of California has extended its open access agreement with scholarly journal publisher Wiley for an additional three years.

From January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2026, researchers and students at all 10 UC campuses and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will receive continued access to subscription content and funding support for open access publication in Wiley’s expansive journal portfolio.

What the agreement means for UC authors

The UC libraries will continue to pay the first $1,000 of the open access fee, or article processing charge (APC), for UC faculty, students, staff and clinicians who publish in any of Wiley’s more than 1,600 journals. The libraries will pay the entire APC for authors who wish to make their work freely available but do not have research funds available for this purpose. UC authors also receive a 15 percent discount on the APC.

Making more California research available open access

The UC is pleased to be partnering on the new agreement with 48 other California private and public academic and research institutions represented by the Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium (SCELC), further increasing free and open access to research produced in our state.

“Some of the most groundbreaking research in the world is done right here in California, driving advances in medicine, environmental sustainability, and society. I am excited about this opportunity for more California scholars, from UC and beyond, to make their work freely available so that people around the globe can benefit from and build on their discoveries,” said Maria De Prano, professor of art history at UC Merced and chair of the UC faculty Academic Senate’s systemwide committee on library and scholarly communication.

More information

For more details about the agreement, please visit the UC Office of Scholarly Communication website or contact Associate University Librarian for Content and Discovery / Deputy University Librarian Tiffany Moxham.

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.

More News October 22, 2021

A chance meeting with a Special Collections librarian completely altered the career path of UCR alumna Andrea Valencia.

A Latin American history major, Valencia often visited Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) for a history course with Professor Juliette Levy. While in SCUA, she met Robin Katz, Arts and Humanities Teaching Librarian, who led a teaching seminar for Levy. (At the time, Katz was the Outreach and Public Services Librarian for SCUA.)

Katz’s enthusiasm for teaching and learning with primary sources made a strong impression. Valencia explained, “Her expression of joy to share that information with us, and our joy of receiving it was an entirely new experience for me. Seeing someone so happy, so charismatic, and having so much fun teaching students how to handle these documents, I realized that I wanted to be in that kind of position one day.”

So, Valencia asked Katz, “How do I become you?”

Katz replied, “You’ll have to get your MLIS (Master of Library and Information Science).”

After graduating from UC Riverside in 2016, Valencia enrolled at San Jose State, where she completed her MLIS in 2019.

Until that day, Valencia had thought she wanted to become an elementary teacher. “For some reason, my perspective on education and teaching was that it was only something you could do with a large age gap,” Valencia explained. “I never realized until that moment that you could be an adult teaching other adults or young adults something that they are passionate about. Being that source of information for them, and having a slightly more equitable sharing of knowledge.”

A Corona native and only child, Valencia’s parents presented her with two choices for college: UCR or Cal State Fullerton. “I really wanted to go to UCR because I’m a life-long Riverside resident. I plan on staying in Riverside long term. It’s my home, and UC Riverside was the obvious choice.”

Valencia now works as the Reference and Instruction Librarian at the Riverside County Law Library. She has been working in libraries for nearly five years now.

Upon learning of her impact on Valencia’s life path, Katz said, “It’s an honor and a privilege to get to help UCR students forge their academic and post-college careers! I am always happy to speak to anyone interested in librarianship, archives, museums, and related cultural heritage professions.”

To Katz, Valencia would say, “Thank you for presenting this job opportunity for me, this path in life that I never would have considered. As many other students, I was like, ‘What’s next? What am I going to do after I graduate?’ Growing up and going into college, thinking you want to be a librarian is not so common.”

Valencia encouraged her fellow Highlanders to learn about libraries in different settings, the Library Bill of Rights, and libraries’ commitment to the freedom of information. “Libraries are an integral part of society. Your local library, they want to meet you, they want you to come, they want you to talk to them. We’re sitting there waiting for the next person to come in because we're so excited.”

Still early in her career, Valencia is excited to see where this path takes her. “I’m using this period of my life to learn as much as I can, to find as many mentors as possible, and to go to as many conferences as possible. I just presented at CLA for the first time last year, so this is a growth and learning period for me and I really hope that in five years, I’m ready to be in the next place where I’m ready to be at home more permanently. The dream is obviously to go back to UCR.”

For UCR’s current students, Valencia shared this advice: “Don’t be so set or worried that you have to decide your future at such a young age, because ultimately your future is unfolding before you in ways that you can’t expect. It’s not like reading your story and you don’t know the end. You’re not supposed to know where you end up when you’re starting the story! You’re supposed to be flipping page by page, experience by experience, person by person, and end up where you’re supposed to end up by fate, or whatever you want to call it. Ultimately, that’s how I feel the UCR Library impacted my life. The people I met, the experiences I had there, and the time that I spent there ultimately changed my story, unfolded it in the way it was supposed to, and led me to a very fulfilling career that not many people know of.”

More News April 06, 2018

The library catalog will undergo a significant transformation this July when the UCR Library deploys an enhanced search tool with a modern, mobile-responsive visual display.

Designed by Ex Libris, the search tool will provide a streamlined user experience (UX) with improved access to library materials and intuitive ways for students, faculty and researchers to discover new content.

The added value to users will include:

• Combined access to both print materials and online licensed e-resources
• Easy-to-tailor search results using active content filters in the sidebar
• Book and journal cover image previews
• Table of contents previews
• Full text access to digital items when searching through the on-campus network or VPN

In addition to user benefits, the new back-end software will give library staff a set of robust, cutting-edge tools to manage collection inventory, track user analytics, and guide future acquisition efforts. This gives staff a way to manage the life cycle of resources, so the library has a better understanding of how patrons use resources, to allow us to allocate our funding more strategically.

Prior to selection, a library-wide task force reviewed proposals from several companies and concluded that the Ex Libris software suite was the best “next generation” system for the library.

UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis have already adopted the Ex Libris suite, while UC Santa Cruz and UC Irvine will go live this summer, along with UC Riverside and almost 50 other university libraries around the globe.

“Moving to this vendor will give us the best UX and the strongest set of tools to move forward,” explained Associate University Librarian for the Digital Library Diane Bisom. “It’s cloud-hosted instead of living on our own servers, with no additional cost as new updates are released. It’s something we can grow on as the library incorporates more and more e-resources into our collections, while enhancing access to our print collection.”

More News March 01, 2024

Unwind at the UCR Library Week 10 and Finals Week!

Staff at the UCR Library understand how stressful final exams can be, so we're excited to announce our Winter 2024 Finals Week Stress Relief (FWSR) event series, scheduled Monday, March 11 - Thursday, March 21. These events are a great opportunity for us at the UCR Library to engage with students and for students to unwind and enjoy a relaxed and engaging atmosphere. Only currently enrolled UCR students are able to participate in Finals Week Stress Relief events. 

Winter 2024 Finals Week Stress Relief Event Series

Instagram Contests

• Mon., March 11 - Fri., March 15  |  Follow us on Instagram and comment on our daily contest posts for a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card. Winners will be chosen at random.

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MONDAY, MARCH 11

• Need a Hand (Warmer)
  • 2 - 3 p.m.  |  Rivera  |  *Make a handwarmer while supplies last

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TUESDAY, MARCH 12

• Rock Painting
  • 2 - 3 p.m.  |  Orbach  |  *While supplies last
• Surprise Snack Giveaway with ASUCR Internal Affairs
  • Time is a SURPRISE  |  Rivera & Orbach  |  *While supplies last

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13

• Therapy Fluffies with The Well's Active Minds
  • Noon - 2 p.m.  |  Rivera & Orbach  |  Hang out with dogs in Orbach, cats and dogs in Rivera
• Bingo
  • 2 - 3 p.m.  |  Orbach  |  *Winners receive an Amazon gift card

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THURSDAY, MARCH 14

• Pi(e) Day Giveaway
  • 3:14 p.m.  |  Rivera & Orbach   | *While supplies last

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FRIDAY, MARCH 15

• Good Luck on Finals (Giveaway)
  • 2 p.m.  |  Rivera & Orbach  |  *Grab a green Ring Pop and Lucky Charms Cereal Bar while supplies last

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SUNDAY, MARCH 17

• R'Finals Study Jam (Tutoring) with The Academic Resource Center (The ARC)  
  • 4 - 8 p.m.  |  Orbach  

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MONDAY, MARCH 18

• Healthy Snacks + Gift Card Giveaway with Basic Needs
  • Noon |  Orbach  |  *While supplies last
• Soup's On (Soup Giveaway)
  • 2 p.m.  |  Orbach  |  *While supplies last

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TUESDAY, MARCH 19

• Spin It to Win It
  • 2 - 3 p.m.  |  Rivera  |  *Win prizes like small succulents, candy bars, and dining gift cards while supplies last

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20

• Virtual Kahoot! 
  • 2 p.m. & 6 p.m.  |  RSVP on Eventbrite to save your seat. Play via Zoom to win an Amazon gift card. 

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THURSDAY, MARCH 21

• Surprise Snack Giveaway
  • Time is a SURPRISE  |  Rivera & Orbach  |  *While supplies last

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Virtual Stress Relief Activities

Need virtual stress-reducing activities now? Our FWSR committee has curated a list of activities and services available remotely through online platforms that you can enjoy all quarter long! Visit our Virtual Stress Relief Activities page for more information. 

More News August 29, 2024

Our month-long Robotics Camp gave around 20 undergrads a rare opportunity to build and program robots, providing valuable practical experience.

The UCR Library’s first robotics camp for undergraduates, led by Maker Services Coordinator Brendon Wheeler and Innovative Media Librarian Alvaro Alvarez, wrapped up on July 16.

The camp’s focus on hands-on learning was a hit. "The highlight for most was assembling the robots," Alvaro said. Using the SunFounder Raspberry Pi Kit, students built robots that looked like small race cars, complete with sensors and a Raspberry Pi controller. "Seeing the code in action made them think about new ways to use the robots," Brendon added.

The diverse backgrounds of the students, ranging from art to physics to various other disciplines, added depth to the learning experience. “They collaborated with new people and built friendships, which I think helped them complete the project,” Alvaro said. 

Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing interest in exploring advanced topics like soldering and 3D modeling in future camps. “This was a great introduction to coding, and we’re excited the students seemed to enjoy it,” Brendon said.

Looking ahead, Brendon and Alvaro plan to build on this year’s success. Ideas include expanding the curriculum to include projects like race cars that use sensors to navigate through a race track, with a race as the final event. "We’re already refining the program for next year," Brendon said. "We’ll keep advanced elements like computer vision and AI, which we had this time around, but we want to make sure the experience is accessible to all skill levels."

The camp also introduced students to the UCR Libray’s Robotics Lab and Creat’R Lab. "Now they know they can use these facilities for their own projects," Alvaro said, noting that these labs are open to all members of the UCR community. 

The camp ended with a ceremony where students earned LinkedIn badges to showcase their new skills. "They even connected with each other on LinkedIn, which was great to see," Alvaro said. With plans for a Robotics Camp next year already underway, this year’s camp set a strong foundation for future innovation at UCR.

More News September 17, 2021

Nearly 6,000 digitized images from the Jay Kay Klein photographs collection are now more accessible, thanks to new, more descriptive and contextual information.

In collaboration with the science fiction fandom community, the UCR Library staff updated the image details and descriptions for the 5,933 images, which were first digitized in 2017. (View the collection on Calisphere.)

In 2017, an initial batch of 5,933 images from the Jay Kay Klein photographs and papers on science fiction fandom were digitized as part of a pilot project with the California Digital Library (part of the UC system and the group that hosts Calisphere). The images were first published with minimal descriptive information.

After publication, both internal review and robust feedback from the fandom community identified many opportunities to improve accuracy, detail, and context provided in titles and descriptive information about the photographs.

In subsequent years, UCR Library continued to gather community feedback by adding a new commenting feature to the collection, and the Metadata and Technical Services department worked continuously to make updates and corrections.

Yet the bulk of the images still needed careful review and the size and scope of a complete metadata overhaul presented a substantial barrier to launching a follow-up project. Special Collections Processing Archivist Andrew Lippert took steps to begin a review shortly before the university campus closed in March 2020, but the transition to working from home during the pandemic and the need for remote work within the Special Collections and University Archives department created an opportunity to commit fully to this monumental task.

The review began in February 2020 and ramped up during the spring quarter. Between May 2020 and May 2021, Lippert reviewed each of the nearly six thousand photographs and enriched the metadata based on community comments, information within the photographs, convention program books, Klein’s own “Convention Annual” photo books, and Lippert’s ability to identify the photos.

“Special acknowledgement is also due to the FANAC Fan History Project and Fancyclopedia 3; they were both invaluable resources for this project,” Lippert said. “It is difficult to say that this work will ever truly be ‘finished,’ as there are always more identifications to make and more contextual information to add. However, this new version of the metadata will certainly make these photographs more accessible by orders of magnitude.”

“Working on this project was a labor of love that immersed me in science fiction fandom and convention culture spanning several decades from the 1950s through the 1970s,” Lippert added. “Engaging with a single large archival collection on a daily basis always creates a sense of familiarity with the individual(s) and the subject matter that make up that collection; it was no different with Klein’s photos.” Lippert came to feel that he was getting to know some of the mainstays of the SF scene of that era as he found them in photo after photo at convention after convention. “My work on this project led me down countless rabbit holes, paths of discovery, and gave me so much invaluable context for the varied materials of the Eaton Collection as a whole,” he added.

Lippert would like to thank the community members who have contributed information, context, and identifications to the digitized photo collection since they were originally published in 2017. Additionally, special recognition is due to Lippert’s colleagues at the UCR Library, Noah Geraci, Digital Assets Metadata Librarian, and Sandy Enriquez, ​​Special Collections Public Services, Outreach & Community Engagement Librarian, for their invaluable contributions, support and assistance on this project.