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 August 31, 2018

When Gustavo Correa’s Honors Principles of Civic Engagement assignment in fall quarter 2016 was to “find a way to be civically engaged,” that task could have unfolded very differently in the hands of another student.

As it happened, the Creat’R Lab owes a part of its inception to Correa, a fourth year electrical engineering major and project manager for the UCR chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), who saw the need for a campus-wide makerspace.

“I was at a coffee shop in downtown Riverside and thought, ‘What if I create this space?’” Correa explained. “We had a space for electrical engineering students, but when it came to having a space for everyone to create, we didn’t have that at all. It helps us to apply the concepts we learn, so why not give this opportunity to everybody else, too?”

As the saying goes, great minds think alike. In a stroke of serendipity, in fall quarter 2016 the UCR Library had formed a committee comprised of representatives from the Library, Research and Economic Development (RED), and other campus stakeholders whose intent was to explore building a makerspace on the UCR campus. When committee member and UCR lecturer Jeff McDaniel heard that Correa was also considering that idea, he invited Correa to help shape the vision and identify the initial equipment needed.

After the Creat’R Lab launch, Correa’s workshops in the Lab were some of the most highly-attended. More than 60 students attended his first Arduino workshop, 80% of whom had never before worked with the tool (an open-source electronic prototyping platform that enables users to create interactive electronic objects).

“It was my first time teaching workshops and being a leader in an organization. It was a really cool experience, giving back to the community, to have a big impact on a lot of people at one time,” Correa reflected. “We had everyone from first years to graduate students from all majors, and the majority of them had no experience whatsoever with anything that I was showing them.”

With such a strong start, it’s no surprise to learn that Correa has even bigger hopes for what the Creat’R Lab could become, with additional community involvement and development funding.

“The school has recognized that we have a need. They made the space, they made it happen,” he said. “If nobody would have used it, then we wouldn’t need it – but we have demonstrated that there obviously is a need for this space. If we scale it up, it will be used more and more for many other things.”

Correa would like to see more of UCR’s student organizations get involved with Creat’R Lab, more collaborations with the individual colleges, more professional workshops, industry speakers, and of course more space and tools to accommodate the increased demand on resources.

“A lot of other schools have a whole building dedicated to this. What if we had a whole building?” Correa mused. “If we could take over that whole wing on the first floor of Orbach Library, with big glass windows and lots of lighting, a lot of huge tables, all the machining tools, things to build at any scale, huge animatronic sculptures, and then we could be as loud as we want in there.”

Beyond building, Correa would also like to see professional development workshops offered, including “soft” skills workshops such as how technical majors can better express themselves in writing or speech. “Let’s say we had a professional teaching advanced techniques on how to use a laser printer, or Garner Holt teaching us how to build animatronics, or someone from NASA!” Correa added. “A lot of them come from humble and diverse backgrounds so we’re able to relate to them.”

Before the Creat’R Lab can expand, however, Correa recognizes that there needs to be more direct involvement from the colleges. “When it’s one student trying to do it, it’s harder. If the school is trying to push it, it’s easier. We need to see emails from the faculty saying, ‘We want all you guys to work together to do these things – in the Creat’R Lab.’”

• Read more about George Brown Papers

More News June 04, 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 - Summer 2018

Brinkmann family collection of Mexican postcards, 1905-1920 (MS 416)

1.08 linear ft. (1 box)

The collection consists of approximately 125 photographic postcards, mostly from Mexico, sent to various members of the Brinkmann family from 1905-1920. The postcards depict landscapes, buildings and people from multiple parts of the country, most notably Veracruz, Yucatán and the State of Mexico.

 

Book and Writing Artifacts collection, circa 20^th century (MS 417)

7.71 linear ft. (9 boxes)

The collection, created primarily as a teaching collection, consists of materials meant to illustrate the history and techniques of various writing and print systems across the globe, including reproductions, souvenirs and original specimens of printing and writing tools and instruments, as well as various formats of book and manuscript binding. Materials in the collection were collected by Special Collections staff to aid with instruction on the history of the book and various writing and print technologies.

 

Collection of Antonio Vanegas Arroyo chapbooks, 1880-1925 (MS 235)

0.84 linear ft. (2 boxes)

The collection is composed of chapbooks printed by the famous Mexican publisher and printer Antonio Vanegas Arroyo from 1880-1925. Chapbooks in the collection document elements of popular culture in Mexico around the turn of the century and consist of booklets on a variety of subjects, including literature, poems, folk songs, plays, religious tracts and healthcare advice.

 

Collection of Antonio Vanegas Arroyo broadsides, circa 1882-1931 (MS 035)

1.83 linear ft. (2 boxes)
This collection contains broadsides created by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo's publishing firm in Mexico. The broadsides, printed in Spanish, contain political news about important figures of late 19th and early 20th centuries such as Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. The broadsides critique figures of Mexico and daily news in the form of songs and articles, and would have been distributed throughout Mexico City, where Antonio Arroyo was from.

 

Harriet E. Huntington papers, circa 1938-1968 (MS 221)

5.8 linear ft. (13 boxes)

The collection consists of photographs, negatives and drafts related to the works of children's book author Harriet E. Huntington. Huntington used her own photography in many of her books, which focused on a variety of topics including music, plants, flowers, fruits, insects, trees, reptiles, invertebrates and the Yosemite Valley.

 

Ralph C. Michelsen papers, circa 1951-1982 (MS 173)

3.34 linear ft. (8 boxes)

This collection contains notes, photographs, articles, manuscripts, maps, published papers, clippings, correspondence, sound recordings, and other material from cultural anthropologist Ralph C. Michelsen. Materials in the collection mostly pertain to Michelsen's anthropological research on numerous indigenous tribes in North and Central America, including the PaiPai and Kiliwa of Baja California, various Luiseño groups in southern California, the Mohave and Cocopah, the Seri of Mexico and other groups in Mexico and Guatemala, including Cora and Maya.

 

Riverside, California photograph collection, circa 1834-1977 (MS 204)

3.34 linear ft. (8 boxes)
This collection contains photographs, slides, and glass plate negatives depicting the landscapes, people and culture of Riverside, California from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries. Images in the collection include notable local buildings and businesses, Riverside families and residents, and local natural and agricultural sites.

 

Vicki Hearne papers, circa 1973-1988 (MS 219)

1.83 linear ft. (2 boxes)

This collection consists of correspondence, manuscripts, and press clippings pertaining to Vicki Hearne, an American author, philosopher and scholar of literary criticism and linguistics. Hearne was known for her published poetry with a focus on animals and their cognitive abilities.

 

Walter Crenshaw papers, 1942-1944 (MS 418)

0.21 linear ft. (1 box)
The collection consists of medals and other records from Walter Crenshaw, who served as the administrative assistant to the provost marshal at the Tuskegee Army Air Field during the Second World War. Items in the collection include Crenshaw's pay and physical fitness records, a Tuskegee Army Airfield yearbook, a Thanksgiving menu and three medals Crenshaw received related to his service.

More News November 01, 2019

November 2019 marks the tenth anniversary of the naming of the Orbach Science Library after former UCR Chancellor Raymond L. Orbach.

When it was opened in 1998, the Science Library was the first new library building at UC Riverside in over 25 years.

Born in Los Angeles, California in 1934, Raymond L. Orbach is a physicist and administrator who graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 1956 and received his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in 1960.

Orbach spent much of his early career at UC Los Angeles (UCLA). He served as the Provost of the College of Letters and Science at UCLA from 1982 before coming to UCR as Chancellor in 1992. Orbach left UCR in 2002 to become director of the Office of Science at the US Department of Energy in Washington D.C.

Orbach served as UC Riverside's second longest-tenured chancellor, having held the post for 10 years. During his time as chancellor the student population at UCR nearly doubled from 8,500 to 15,500 and the campus experienced a building boom that  featured over 1 million square feet of office, research, and teaching facilities constructed.

During an April 2017 visit, Orbach reflected that his vision for UC Riverside was to develop the campus into the center of innovation, academic research and economic growth in southern California. His namesake library continues to serve as a hub of research excellence for STEM fields. 

The Orbach Library brings together students, researchers and faculty from various disciplines to collaborate and experiment with new technologies in the Creat’R Lab, and to explore entrepreneurial pathways through workshops and events for students presented by Creat’R LaunchPad, a symbiotic cooperative comprised of the Creat’R Lab and the Blackstone LaunchPad. 

If you are a UCR alumni or community stakeholder who shares this vision, please consider supporting the Raymond L. Orbach Library Endowed Fund to Support the Sciences and Engineering. To learn more, please contact Jernine McBride Williams, Associate Director of Development for the UCR Library.

More News December 04, 2017

The UCR Library is pleased to announce that Robin M. Katz has assumed her new responsibilities as the Primary Source Literacy Librarian for Special Collections and University Archives.

This change reflects the continued awareness and emphasis within the world of special collections and archives of the increasing importance of primary source literacy.

As noted in the newly published SAA-RBMS Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy:

Primary sources provide compelling, direct evidence of human activity. Users who encounter primary sources gain a unique perspective on the subject they are studying, and an opportunity to learn firsthand how primary sources are used for original research. As users learn to successfully engage with primary sources, they also gain important skills that help them navigate the use of other information sources, and further develop their critical thinking skills.

Katz will serve as subject matter expert for primary source literacy and archives/special collections-based instruction and pedagogy. She will continue to teach classes and to support other learning experiences, and she is available to all library staff members for internal consultations, support, and collaborations around teaching & learning with unique and original materials.

Katz will also identify and highlight primary sources held in and outside of the library (in special and general collections, through databases and other subscriptions, at other institutions, on the open web, and in private hands) that are relevant to UCR library users, contribute to collection development, and develop reusable tools and resources for using these materials. She looks forward to working on projects that facilitate the discovery, understanding, and use of primary sources across and beyond UCR.

Please join us in congratulating Robin on her new role!

More News June 05, 2020

On Thurs., June 25, bestselling authors and UC Riverside professors Dr. Nalo Hopkinson and Prof. John Jennings will be the featured guests at an online event titled, Afrofuturist Comics: Sankofa and the Black Speculative Re-Imagination.

Hopkinson and Jennings will discuss their most recent publications, House of Whispers Vol. 1: The Power Divided (The Sandman Universe) and Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation.

Both authors will discuss their work in the science fiction and Afrofuturism genres, writing graphic novels, and why they chose to donate their scholarship to the UCR Library.

They will also answer questions from viewers; attendees who RSVP will receive a link they can use to submit questions at least 48 hours in advance.

This event will be the first in a series called Faculty Profiles in Research, Art and Innovation, hosted by the UCR Library, and is open to all members of the UC Riverside community and surrounding areas.

Please RSVP in order to receive the link to join the livestream broadcast from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time on June 25.

Coming up next in the Faculty Profiles in Research, Art & Innovation series:

• Summer quarter: Susan Straight, Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing
• Fall quarter: Dr. Clifford E. Trafzer, Distinguished Professor of History and Rupert Costo Chair in American Indian Affairs

Dates for summer and fall quarter will be announced soon.

• Read more about Collection Strategists

More News March 11, 2019

Special Collections & University Archives employees 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 this list 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 2019

Catherine Clark papers (MS 384)

The Catherine Clark papers are a collection of materials pertaining to Clark’s pen pal relationship with Igor A. Toloconnicov, a citizen of the USSR. They began corresponding shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 until 1993. Igor’s correspondence primarily touches on topics of science fiction in Russia as well as the political and economic life during the transition of power from the Soviet system to the Russian Federation. This collection contains correspondence, publications, and other material related to the world of Russian Science Fiction and Fantasy.

https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8zw1s8n/

 

John Franceschina papers addition (MS 411)

More materials were recently added to the collection of author and theater history scholar John Franceschina. These new materials are primarily musical and theatrical compositions by Franceschina or similar materials used in productions he participated in. 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. His personal musical compositions and plays as well as those of other composers and musicians are also included. Items in the collection include research files, musical scores, programs, photographs, news clippings, edited and unedited play scripts, publications, and videos.

https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c89z9b83/

 

Harry Lawton papers (MS 122)

The Harry W. Lawton papers document the life and career of American writer, journalist, editor, and historian Harry Lawton. Lawton’s life and career were centered in the Riverside area where he worked as a journalist with The Press Enterprise and was a faculty member with CNAS at UC Riverside. He also founded the UCR Writers Week in 1977. Lawton’s works relate to the citrus industry, Native American groups indigenous to southern California, and the Riverside Chinatown, among other interests.

https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt900041k7/

 

Corridos of the Mexican Revolution, and other songs (MS 042)

This is a small collection of corridos, folk songs and popular ballads recounting the events of the Mexican Revolution, printed on broadsides. They primarily document various events that occurred during the revolution as well as the subsequent decade. Printed on low quality newsprint, these ephemeral documents are a grassroots snapshot of the 1910s and 1920s in Mexico.

https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8gh9qp3

More News July 24, 2024

Dr. Phoenix Alexander, the Jay Kay Klein and Doris Klein Science Fiction Librarian at the UCR Library, has had a whirlwind few months. 

Between organizing events, managing the Eaton Collection, and engaging with the local community, his schedule has been packed. "The last few months have been a whirlwind. So much exciting stuff is happening," Phoenix says.

One of the activities that has kept Phoenix busy these last few months was his involvement with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) and the 2024 Nebula Awards, an awards ceremony recognizing published science fiction and fantasy works, voted on and presented by SFWA.

Phoenix played a crucial role as a volunteer organizer at the awards ceremony held on June 8. “I was a liaison to the Grand Master, Susan Cooper. I also was the assistant to the Toastmaster Sarah Gailey," he says. “I had a headset, got instructions from the back, and made sure people were on stage when they needed to be.”

The 2024 SFWA Nebula Conference, which coincided with the awards ceremony, was held June 6-9 and saw Phoenix speak and serve as moderator for the panels, When Clank! Clank! Meets Pew! Pew!: Combining Fantasy and Sci-Fi Elements and Write Well, Stay Well: Self-Care for Authors.

SFWA is an organization for professional science fiction writers and Phoenix has been deeply involved in the organization, even serving as a member of its History Committee for over a year. “The History Committee helps authors, and the institution itself, with things like records management, providing resources to authors, organizing and preparing their papers for donation to different institutions, and keeping track of the history of the award ceremonies.” Phoenix says.

Phoenix sold his first short story in 2018 and describes his own writing as predominantly science fiction/horror. His stories have been published in outlets such as The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Escape Pod, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. He secured his literary agent, Angeline Rodriguez from WME, after a rigorous process of submissions and queries. “Finding the right agent took about 100 applications, but the persistence paid off,” he says.

Despite his busy schedule, Phoenix remains passionate about his work and the Riverside community. His involvement in local events, such as tabling at the Mini Comic Fest Featuring Black Kirby in Downtown Riverside this summer, highlights his commitment to engaging with the local community.

In August, Phoenix presented at Worldcon, the longest-running science fiction convention in the world, in Glasgow and looking ahead, he will be moderating a panel discussion of science fiction authors at USC Fisher Museum of Art at an event titled Radical Imagination: Queer Stories through Sci-Fi Storytelling.

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Do you want to learn more about the Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy? Learn about the Eaton Collection from Phoenix in the short video below: