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More News November 17, 2021

November is drawing to a close, and with it the end of fall quarter of the 2021-2022 academic year. Finals week is only days away.

The UCR Library is committed to creating a supportive atmosphere for our students, as final exams can breed a lot of stress. That is why we present our Finals Week Stress Relief (FWSR) event series at the end of every quarter.

These events give library employees an opportunity to get to know our students better, and for our students to let off steam together in a safe and fun way.

Finals Week Stress Relief will kick off on Tuesday, November 30, 2021. The full event schedule will include:

Tuesday, November 30

• Bingo (Virtual) – 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Play via Zoom to win gift cards and other prizes. RSVP to save your seat.

Wednesday, December 1

• Therapy Fluffies with The WELL & UCR Active Minds (Rivera & Orbach) – 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, December 2

• Kahoot! (Virtual) – 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., & 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Play via Zoom to win gift cards and other prizes. RSVP to save your seat.

Friday, December 3

• Surprise Snack Giveaway (Rivera & Orbach) *while supplies last

Monday, December 6

• Spin It to Win It (Orbach) – 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. *while supplies last

Tuesday, December 7

• Unstressable Uncrustables (Rivera) – 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. *while supplies last

Wednesday, December 8

• Surprise Snack Giveaway (Rivera & Orbach) *while supplies last

In addition, our FWSR committee curated an extensive list of free, online activities that we hope R'Students will enjoy, including:

• Virtual Therapy Fluffies
• Story Time with two of the UCR Library's staff team
• Guilty pleasures
• Escape rooms
• Relaxation
• Virtual tours
• Fun and educational videos
• And campus resources to support student wellness

Visit the Finals Week Stress Relief activities page and click on each of the category tabs at the top of the page to see all the options.

More News September 21, 2015

National leaders convene to support and advise UCR Library

On Saturday, September 19, 2015, the UCR Library hosted the inaugural meeting of the newly-established African American Collections Advisory Board. Thought-leaders from across the nation met with library and university leaders to discuss and establish best practices in collecting and preserving the history of the African American experience, and methods of documenting local, regional, national, and international issues.

The day-long series of round-table conversations were energized by national leaders such as Dr. Meredith Evans, Director of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum, who spearheaded the Documenting Ferguson project and Dr. Abdul Alkalimat, Professor Emeritus of African American Studies and library and information science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prominent community members also joined the discussion series, including Rose M. Mayes, Executive Director of the Fair Housing Council of Riverside County and president of the Riverside African American Historical Society, and Hardy Brown, Jr., Executive Director of the Black Voice Foundation.

University Librarian Steven Mandeville-Gamble encouraged the board to broaden the scope of their work on behalf of the UCR Library by not limiting their focus to black Americans. Scholars and leaders from across UCR disciplines — including Vice Provost for International Affairs Kelechi Kalu, and faulty from the departments of Ethnic Studies and History — engaged the group in discussion about how the university can best support the library, and the international scholarly community, in collecting and preserving history from underserved and underrepresented communities at large. Bergis Jules and Dr. Alison M. Scott, both from the library's Special Collections and University Archives department, described their past and current work in this arena and shared their successes and challenges.

Further discussion evolved around fundraising as a necessary aspect of collecting historical documentation, building relationships in communities that have historically been distrustful of higher education as a reliable keeper of their family history, as well as the importance of educating the general public about the "history of everyday life" and the valuable historical snapshot that a seemingly-unexceptional object may hold for others in the future.

This first meeting of the American Collections Advisory Board formally launches the UCR Library's nationwide collaborative efforts to share, create, and sustain knowledge among ethnic groups whose history and experiences are woven into the fabric of the country. While library initiatives such as the founding of the Tuskegee Airmen Archive in 2005 and the newly-established Inland Empire Memories project have exemplified the library's and university's continued commitment to diversity on campus, this Board elevates UCR to a significantly larger stage, and establishes the university as driving these vital considerations on a national and international level.

More News June 16, 2020

On June 16, 2020, the University of California announced a transformative open access publishing agreement that will make more of the university’s research freely and immediately available to individuals and researchers across the globe.

The deal furthers the global push for open access to scientific research by bringing together UC, which accounts for nearly 10 percent of all U.S. publishing output, and Springer Nature, the world’s second largest academic publisher.

The agreement, which is the largest open access agreement in North America to date, and the first for Springer Nature in the U.S., signals increasing global momentum and support for the open access movement. As leaders in accelerating the pace of scientific discovery, UC and Springer Nature aim to get research into the hands of scholars and the public to help solve the world’s most pressing problems, including those in the critically important fields of medicine and health care.

“During my years leading the University of California, I have fervently supported expanding knowledge through various avenues, including access to research,” said UC President Janet Napolitano. “Now, more than ever, as we seek to better understand and combat COVID-19, it is abundantly clear why researchers need immediate, unfettered access to each other’s work to spur new discoveries and make timely advancements in health care.”

Under the four-year agreement, all UC research published in more than 2,700 of Springer Nature’s journals will be open access. In addition, the deal commits Springer Nature and UC to launching an open science pilot project in 2021 and to developing a transformative path for the prestigious Nature journals, to be fully operational by the third year of the agreement. The deal, which also provides UC students, faculty and researchers with access to over 1,000 journals to which UC did not previously subscribe, upholds the university’s goal to manage its costs for academic journal subscriptions responsibly.

UC has worked to advance open access since 2013, when the systemwide faculty Academic Senate endorsed an Open Access Policy that affirmed its commitment to “disseminating its research and scholarship as widely as possible.” Learn more about open access at UC.

For questions about Open Access publishing at UC Riverside, please contact Tiffany Moxham, Assistant University Librarian for Content and Discovery.

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Moving forward

Over the course of the year, UC has also implemented four other transformative open access agreements, with a diverse range of publishers — Cambridge University Press, society publisher ACM, and native open access publishers JMIR and PLoS) — and conversations with other publishers are still underway. Together, these deals demonstrate the broad potential of UC’s approach to transform scholarly publishing in the United States to a sustainable, open access model, and to provide broad public access to the fruits of UC’s research.

• Read more about Find Data

More News April 28, 2025

The UCR Library plays an important role in supporting CHASS F1RST, a student success program in the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CHASS) that helps first-year freshman and transfer students adjust to college life. 

On the library’s end, this collaboration is led by Student Success and Engagement Librarian Carrie Cruce and Social Sciences Teaching Librarian Michael Yonezawa.  

The UCR Library contributes to the program in two key ways: by embedding information literacy modules into CHASS F1RST courses—CHFY 007 for freshmen and CHFY 010 for transfer students—and by providing research skills training to the program’s peer mentors through the library’s WRI (Workshop-Related Instruction) Research Ready program.

Rather than having students come to the library, the team meets them where they are. “Our modules are integrated into their Canvas courses, and our training for peer mentors happens in their space,” Carrie said.  

First-year students often face challenges navigating implicit or unspoken academic expectations, a concept sometimes referred to as the “hidden curriculum.” According to Carrie, this includes understanding self-advocacy, seeking help, and utilizing campus resources.  

“Our collaboration with CHASS F1RST is one of the avenues we have to support students in building academic support networks, cultivating help-seeking skills, and understanding the role and resources of campus support departments like the library,” Carrie explains.  

Michael noted that first-year students—and in some cases, new transfer students—are often not aware of the vast resources and services a modern academic library provides. “The challenge for these students is to learn how to search, evaluate, and effectively use different types of information in their coursework and projects, particularly but not exclusively scholarly and academic information,” he said. “Ideally, students begin their academic journeys with an introduction to important foundational library concepts.”

Feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive. Students have reported feeling more confident in their ability to navigate the library’s resources and conduct research effectively.  

Carrie emphasized that fostering positive relationships with students has been key. “I’ve built connections with several students who now recognize me at other campus events,” she said. Librarian recognition and personal relationships support a positive impression of the library which contributes to further engagement.”

By meeting students early in their academic journey, the UCR Library is setting the stage for these students’ continued academic growth and engagement throughout their time at UCR. 

More News February 11, 2022

It's hard to believe that winter quarter 2022 is drawing to a close, but suddenly Finals week is only days away.

The UCR Library is committed to creating a supportive atmosphere for our students, as final exams can breed a lot of stress. That is why we present our Finals Week Stress Relief (FWSR) event series at the end of every quarter.

These events give library employees an opportunity to get to know our students better, and for our students to let off steam together in a safe and fun way.

Finals Week Stress Relief will kick off on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. The full event schedule will include:

Tuesday, March 8

• Bingo (Virtual) - 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Play via Zoom to win gift cards and other prizes. RSVP to save your seat.
• Surprise Snack Giveaway (Rivera & Orbach) *while supplies last

Wednesday, March 9

• Therapy Fluffies with The WELL & UCR Active Minds (Rivera & Orbach) - 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, March 10

• Kahoot! (Virtual) - 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Play via Zoom to win gift cards and other prizes. RSVP to save your seat.
• Goodie Bag Giveaway with UCR Basic Needs (Orbach) - 3:00 p.m. *while supplies last

Friday, March 11

• Spin It to Win It (Orbach) - 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. *while supplies last
• Joke Booth (Orbach) - 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Monday, March 14

• Pi(e) Day (Orbach) - 3:14 p.m. *while supplies last

Tuesday, March 15

• Taco Tuesday with ASPB (Rivera) - 2:00 p.m. *while supplies last

Wednesday, March 16

• Surprise Snack Giveaway (Rivera & Orbach) *while supplies last

Thursday, March 17

• Good Luck on Finals Giveaway (Rivera & Orbach) - 2:00 p.m. *while supplies last

In addition, our FWSR committee curated an extensive list of free, online activities that we hope R'Students will enjoy, including:

• Virtual Therapy Fluffies
• Story Time with two of the UCR Library's staff team
• Guilty pleasures
• Escape rooms
• Relaxation
• Virtual tours
• Fun and educational videos
• And campus resources to support student wellness

Visit the Finals Week Stress Relief activities page and click on each of the category tabs at the top of the page to see all the options.

More News April 01, 2024

The UCR Library’s Creat’R Lab is excited to announce the 2nd Annual Maker Week, taking place Monday, April 22 - Friday, April 26, 2024.  

Maker Week 2024 will feature a variety of exciting activities! All Maker Week events are free and open to the UCR community. 

Here's what you can expect:

Monday, April 22

• Circuit Painting (RSVP required) | Noon - 1 p.m. | Orbach 122
  • Use conductive paint to make an art piece of your own in this workshop! Conductive paint will let you create a circuit on the canvas which will enable you to add LED lights to your work.

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Tuesday, April 23

• Cosplay Show/Contest (RSVP required) | 1 - 2 p.m. | Orbach 240
  • Come and showcase your Cosplay costumes or just come and watch! If you want to participate in the contest, fill out this form (different from RSVP link). First, second, and third place receive a trophy and a certificate for a free 3D print! 

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Wednesday, April 24

• Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair  | Noon - 1 p.m. | Bell Tower
  • If you have a project you want to showcase at the Bell Tower (any kind of project, ranging from academic to hobby-related to entrepreneurial), fill out this form. Prizes range from $50 - $200! Anyone can stop by and look at projects! This event is co-sponsored by ASUCR and Blackstone LaunchPad.

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Thursday, April 25

• VR and Video Games (RSVP required) | 1 - 3 p.m. | Orbach 122
  • Come explore new worlds in VR or simply grab a remote and play some video games for fun. Also take a tour of the Makerspace.

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Friday, April 26

• DIY Jewelry Making (RSVP required) | 1 - 2 p.m. | Creat'R Lab
  • In this workshop, we'll be using chords, beads, and other materials to show you how to make your own piece of jewelry that you can wear and take home!

More News May 07, 2019

Over the past year, librarians in the Research Services Department have taken an old-fashioned approach to innovation: one-on-one, face-to-face meetings over coffee with faculty and researchers to ask how the library can best support their work.

Director of Research Services Brianna Marshall first launched this initiative, called the Conversation Project, in winter quarter 2018, basing the idea on a similar project started by Martin Tsang, a University of Miami librarian. Research Services librarians plan to continue the project during next fiscal year, as well.

During the project, Marshall and her team discovered that researchers are often surprised by what the library is doing and the kinds of tools and support it can provide, such as guidance on research data management, scholarly publishing, geospatial resources, and emerging technologies like virtual reality and 3D printing.

So far, the librarians have gathered a wealth of suggestions about how they can improve library outreach, resources, and services. Marshall sees the Conversation Project as a starting point to enable the UCR Library to continue to assess – and evolve – its service-delivery model and content in order to meet researchers’ needs.

At times, contacting researchers who work in unfamiliar disciplines required stepping outside librarians’ comfort zones. “It was important to be able to reach out, remain open to learning about research workflows and needs that were new to us, and reflect as a group about how our conversations went,” Marshall said. “These discussions continue to help us understand a wider variety of researcher perspectives.”

“One takeaway that emerged was that researchers aren’t sure where to go to learn what research resources they have available to them on campus,” Marshall added. “That's a gap that the library can help bridge.”

The unexpected – and perhaps most valuable – outcome was the fortification of relationships between the librarians and the faculty and researchers who participated in the project.

“The proactive and open-ended engagement that the Conversation Project has produced between the librarians and faculty has been both exciting and empowering -- as well as serving as a measure to make sure we continue to support the areas and research that are most vital,” said Ann Frenkel, Deputy University Librarian.

If you would like to participate in the Conversation Project or if you have suggestions for the Research Services department, please contact Brianna Marshall.

More News October 21, 2021

UC Riverside class of 1968 alumna Ann Kelsey recently pledged a $489,000 planned gift to the UCR Library to fund an endowment that supports initiatives in technology advancement.

Born on June 20, 1946 in Kokomo, Indiana, Ann Kelsey’s father served in the Navy, having enlisted after Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941. At age five, her father’s career brought the family to a Southern California facility.

Very early in life, Kelsey knew that she wanted to become a librarian. She spent much of her adolescent years reading and working in libraries; starting at sixteen, she worked for the Riverside city-county library.

Both of Kelsey’s parents encouraged her to attend college because neither of them nor most of her extended family members had gone to university. By her senior year of high school, she knew that UC Riverside was the natural choice.

At UCR, Kelsey double majored in English and Anthropology; from her anthropology classes, she developed an interest in Asian cultures and Southeast Asia.

After graduating from UCR, Kelsey attended library school at UCLA, where she met Army Special Services recruiters. Kelsey served as a librarian during the Vietnam War, traveling to Vietnam to establish and oversee recreational libraries for soldiers.

Kelsey’s career as a librarian placed her at the helm of introducing new technologies within library spaces to better support the changing needs of the communities they serve.

Her $489,000 planned gift to the UCR Library will provide unrestricted support, allowing the library to strengthen and sustain its programs and services in emerging technology, which directly aligns with Kelsey’s own life and career.

University Librarian Steven Mandeville-Gamble said, “The UCR Library is honored by the generosity and confidence shown by Ann Kelsey in her establishment of this bequest. Ms. Kelsey’s career has spanned the advent of library automation to the evolution of digital scholarship and emerging digital literacies. This gift will allow the UCR Library to continue to evolve to meet the increasingly sophisticated technology needs of our faculty and students for many decades to come.”