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Finding yourself in the archives
Christopher Queen and Brandy Lewis were the first two SCUA graduate student interns and both of their experiences provide excellent examples of how these internships can benefit students and enhance their academic and professional goals.
The UCR Library’s Special Collections & University Archives (SCUA) is known for its vast collections of books, manuscripts, photographs, and other rare research material. UCR students pursuing graduate studies were provided a unique opportunity to explore these treasures up close and gain valuable experience through SCUA’s first graduate student internship program.
Christopher is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of English whose research focuses on 14th and 15th-century Middle English literature.
“When your work involves rare materials or delicate materials, it's not easy to gain access to those items,” Christopher explained. “It's not something that you necessarily see or get to interact with every day.”
The beginning of Christopher’s internship was exploratory. He spent time learning how archives work, how items are documented and stored, and spent time walking around the stacks discovering what was in the collection.
Christopher appreciated the time familiarizing himself with the space and the collection and was happy to have the opportunity to fine-tune the proposal he submitted for the internship based on his discoveries in the archive.
Once settled into the space, Christopher was able to find items he never expected.
“SCUA has really wonderful, idiosyncratic examples of The Canterbury Tales," Christopher said. “One of them is a collection of prints by an artist named Ron King. That wasn’t what I was looking for originally, but that was the wonderful thing about the internship, finding things I wouldn’t have necessarily found otherwise.”
One of the biggest things Christopher took away from the internship was a bigger sense of confidence.
“I went to England this past summer to work with some materials in libraries there. Having this experience made me more confident about interacting with other libraries' materials, interacting with librarians and staff, and not being afraid to ask questions.”
Christopher has some advice for graduate students who may be interested in applying the next time applications are open but aren’t sure if SCUA has the right material for them.
“Even if you don't think that what you're doing is related to what special collections has, you should still apply,” Christopher said. “At first, I was actually hesitant to apply myself, because we don't have a large collection of Middle English literature, but once I was able to start actually looking through what we did have, I knew there was value for me there.”
Brandy Lewis is also a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of English, but her research focuses on fandom and fanzines.
Brandy was familiar with SCUA and the Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy before the internship. She went to UCR as an undergraduate student and had the opportunity to do a book review for the late Fred Patten’s Furry Fandom Conventions and spent time with the Eaton Collection which houses the Fred Patten Papers.
“As an undergrad, I thought this is great, but a little overwhelming,” Brandy said. “But coming back as a graduate student, it gave me a lot more time to sit with the materials and have a little bit more fun.”
Brandy enjoyed the freedom and flexibility that came with the internship and found herself thinking in ways she never had before.
“Originally, I had not been a print and manuscript scholar, I was very much into studying literature and looking at the words on the page,” Brandy said. “Yet handling the materials and getting a chance to sit with the bends of the page, the smudge marks — it’s a completely different experience.”
Brandy continued, “I was able to sit in the space and ask myself, what does the page offer? The experience entirely changed my dissertation because it opened a new frame of thought I never touched on before.”
The internship experience ended up being more emotional than Brandy could have ever imagined.
“As a first-generation student and as a disabled student, years ago I would have never thought that I would get a chance to sit with material considered science fiction history,” Brandy said. “The experience really allowed me to say It's okay to feel geeky, it's okay to feel, what I feel. That's what makes me me. Even though the experience is academic and a learning experience, for me it was also a personal growth experience.”
Honoring the life of a treasured colleague
On Monday, Mar. 29, library employees gathered virtually to celebrate the life and enduring contributions of Christina Cicchetti, a UCR librarian for the past 14 years, most recently the Social Sciences Teaching Librarian.
Christina passed away on Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021 from complications related to COVID-19.
In 2007, Christina joined the UCR Library as an Education / Reference Librarian, after more than 30 years of experience in higher education, including librarian roles at La Sierra University and the University of La Verne.
Christina was well-known as a supportive and caring colleague who fostered fruitful and warm partnerships between the faculty and the library. She formed deep and lasting collaborations with UCR’s Graduate School of Education faculty and students. In 2019, her librarian position expanded to include support for all social science disciplines.
She oversaw the Learning Resources Display Center at Tomás Rivera Library. Beyond UCR, Christina connected with local educators on college readiness and became a founding member of a regional group of K-12 and academic librarians to create a library bridge to college.
She consistently enhanced the patron experience at the library with book fairs, dynamic displays, professional development events, and faculty orientation sessions.
Christina is deeply missed and remembered fondly by her colleagues at the UCR Library and around campus.
“In addition to Christina’s genuine heart and professionalism was also her spirit and perseverance. Especially the past few years. Christina was an inspiration to us all. Christina made me want to be more than just an excellent librarian, she made me want to be an excellent individual and human being. I will truly miss her.” - Michael Yonezawa, Early Experience Teaching Librarian
“Christina brought so many great qualities to the workplace! I always appreciated her calm, reasoned, and collaborative approach, as well as her wry, realistic views on whatever was happening. She’ll be sorely missed. Wishing comfort and strength to all who mourn her loss.” - Janet Reyes, Geospatial Information Librarian
“Christina was a compassionate and beautiful soul. She truly cared about the work she did, and she cared about the people she worked with. She definitely embodied Colossians 3:23-24. It reads, ‘And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.’ Christina will be missed on earth, but blessed to know she is now in Heaven with the Father. Thank you Christina for every story you shared and every word of encouragement you gave me. I love you always.” - Leslie Settle, Access Services Desk Coordinator
“Thank you Chris for your kindness, encouragement, and friendship over the years. Chris was kind and caring. I remember the care she took as a librarian whether at reference or in the early days at the curriculum resource center. She will be missed. My deepest condolences to the Cicchetti family.” - Elisa Cortez, Medical Education and Clinical Outreach Librarian
"Christina was a kind and thoughtful colleague, who embodied a quiet assuredness. She was always supportive, professionally and personally. Even though my office was in Orbach, she would still come over to my office or the reference desk, to follow up on a project, offer support for something, or just to say hi. More recently, she reached out to offer support to me when I experienced a personal tragedy due to the pandemic. Her example as a colleague and librarian encourages me to be better. She will be missed. My deepest condolences to her friends and family." - Kat Koziar, Data Librarian
"We were all so fortunate to get to work with Christina at UCR. She embodied an ethic of care with her colleagues, and was always so kind to everyone she met. May her memory be a blessing." - Dani Cook, former Director of Teaching & Learning
"Christina was a gift to the Graduate School of Education. She looked out for our library needs and shared her expertise with our faculty and students. She was one of my favorite people at UCR. Thank you for sharing all of the stories about Christina’s wonderful life. She will be remembered and missed by all." - Sharon Duffy, former Dean, UCR Extension
"Christina was remarkable; such an amazing help to students in the GSOE. Every time she came to a class to open the exploration of a search, I learned something new." - Rollanda O'Connor, Professor, Graduate School of Education
"Christina was a wonderful colleague, librarian, researcher and teacher--always quick to help and with a serene and healing smile on her face. I am thankful for Christina's presence in my life and in the lives of our students, staff, and faculty. We miss you very dearly, Christina." - Robert Ream, Interim Associate Dean and Associate Professor, Graduate School of Education
Che’s Village – Virtual Reality to Stimulate Critical Thinking
UC Riverside’s Associate Professor of History Juliette Levy likes to teach from the edge of the e-learning revolution.
Her latest experiment involved a virtual reality (VR) platform intended to stimulate intellectual learning on an emotional level for the students in her History 20 / World History course. Dr. Levy co-created a VR application called “Che’s Village” and invited students and faculty to test and review the platform in Orbach Science Library on February 15 and 16.
"Juliette felt that the library is precisely where this type of exploration should take place, as our mission is to expand critical thinking skills in studnets," explained JJ Jacobson, UCR Library's Jay Kay and Doris Klein Librarian for Science Fiction. Jacobson and Dr. Levy collaborated for several months on the concept and development in order to bring "Che's Village" to life.
“We serve a population of students who are digitally savvy,” Dr. Levy explained. “We have an amazing student body and an amazing faculty, and we need to teach them to think critically using the tools in their environment.”
Gesturing toward the wall, where a large monitor displayed what the student in the virtual reality goggles was seeing at that moment, Dr. Levy added, “This is the future of public education in here. Technology is a means to activate and render moments of the learning experience more intense.”
The platform was built to amplify students' experience of studying Che Guevara's speech, "Social Ideals of the Rebel Army," which he delivered on January 27, 1959. Guevara along with Raul Castro and others had recently won the rebellion against the existing Batista regime in Cuba, Levy explained. In his speech, Guevara had to balance the nationalistic, pro-Cuba intent of Castro with Guevara's own intent to lead a communist revolution.
The application’s co-creator and head of a VR prototype studio named Shovels and Whiskey, Tawny Schlieski stated, “We built this VR environment for students who have read Che’s speech. It’s meant to provoke them into compelling questions, to connect pieces of text with other pieces of research.”
Once inside the virtual world, exactly as Schlieski had explained, the user could see the text of Che Guevara’s 1959 speech in the setting of a Cuban jungle, with links to other content directly connected to highlighted passages in the speech. Using a pointer, the user could open and view the additional resources – whether text, images, or video – to elaborate on the themes of that particular passage. “It’s like footnotes, but in a virtual reality environment,” one user commented.
Users who tested the VR application saw potential in it. Professor Robert W. Patch from the UCR Department of History commented, “Technology will make certain things easier, certain things better.”
In some ways, the reflection indicated that UCR professors who leverage technology are already doing something right. One of the student testers observed that his best friend, who commutes over 50 miles to attend a different college, does not go to office hours because of the additional time it would require. He added, “He could have a more intimate learning experience if there were online office hours.”
“Good teaching is good teaching, whether that’s 100 years ago or 100 years from now,” Dr. Levy commented. “We owe our students to help them learn better and faster, especially with the amount of debt students are taking on to get an education. We are making it deeper and better with technology.”
“We’re looking to build applications of new technology in humanities that provoke critical thinking for students,” Schlieski stated. Reflecting on her previous work with Intel, she added, “From an industry perspective, problem-solving skills are sorely lacking in recent college graduates. Technology becomes obsolete so fast, but critical thinking skills are always valuable.”
Jacobson added, "After more than 10 years of library and education experience in virtual environments, I think that working with information, ideas, and learning in 3D is something educators and librarians would do well to keep on their radar. VR is in an incunabular age, and we don’t know yet what it will look like as it takes useful forms. However, the possibilities are so compelling that I’m confident VR (or other VE) will develop into important tools for teaching, learning, and information."
No stranger to using digital platforms, Dr. Levy currently employs a variety of digital resources including Podcasting, Zoom, online office hours, and a private virtual discussion forum to maintain a sense of connection with her students throughout the week. As a result, she has received overwhelmingly positive student feedback. For Dr. Levy, this latest endeavor with “Che’s Village” is intended to find new ways to engage her students. “Technology allows us to give students who live off campus and part-time students the same quality of attention and education that a small liberal arts college could,” Levy explained.
“I can teach 300 students and make it feel like a class of 30 students because the entire medium is devised for contact,” Levy added. “The students are all on a screen, and online, everyone is in the front row – so it feels more connected. Students who would usually not raise their hands and participate in a live classroom are more inclined to speak up in an online platform. It’s convenient and an environment in which they feel like they exist, their voice matters.”
“Che’s Village” was a first-step in the iterative design process, and both Dr. Levy and Schlieski are now incorporating the feedback they received from testers to improve the VR platform.
Charles Derleth Papers
Located in: Special Collections & University Archives
These papers concern the professional work of Charles Derleth (1865-1952), one of the 20th century’s leading civil engineers and educators, who helped build the Golden Gate Bridge and served the University of California, Berkeley, as the Dean of the College of Civil Engineering from 1907-1930, and as Dean of the College of Engineering from 1930 until 1942.
Finals Week Stress Relief Spring 2017 Event Series
It’s hard to believe that the 2016-2017 year is drawing to a close, but suddenly Finals Week is only days away.
UCR Library is committed to creating a supportive atmosphere to help our students cope with the stress of final exams. This is why we present our Finals Week Stress Relief 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.
This quarter, we have crowd favorites returning to the line-up, such as Surprise Snack Giveaway and Study Jam, as well as a few new activities.
Finals Week Stress Relief will kick off on Wednesday, June 7, 2017. The full schedule of events is as follows:
Wednesday, June 7
- Ah, Fudge - It's Finals! Surprise Snack Giveaway (Rivera & Orbach Libraries)
Thursday, June 8
- Chili Cheese Fritos - 3:00 pm* (Orbach Library)
- Late Night Snacks brought to you by the Provost & Student Affairs - (Orbach Library)
Friday, June 9
- Scantron Bingo - 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm (Orbach Library)
- Late Night Snacks brought to you by the Provost & Student Affairs - (Orbach Library)
Saturday, June 10
- Make Your Own Gauntlets with the Cosplay Brigade - 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm (Orbach Library)
- Late Night Snacks brought to you by the Provost & Student Affairs - (Orbach Library)
Sunday, June 11
- Study Jam Tutoring with the Academic Resource Center - 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm (Orbach Library)
- Late Night Snacks brought to you by the Provost & Student Affairs - (Orbach Library)
Monday, June 12
- It's Finals! Are You Cereal? Bar - 10:00 am* (Orbach Library)
- Massage Therapy - 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Rivera & Orbach Libraries)
- Stress Busters - 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Orbach Library)
- Smoke Free, Stress Free - 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Rivera Library)
- Late Night Snacks brought to you by the Provost & Student Affairs - (Orbach Library)
Tuesday, June 13
- Cookie Break - 2:00 pm* (Rivera Library)
- Snack Attack: Sandwiches with ASUCR - 6:00 pm* (Orbach Library)
- Late Night Snacks brought to you by the Provost & Student Affairs - (Orbach Library)
Wednesday, June 14
- Float Through Finals - 3:00 pm* (Orbach Library)
- Late Night Snacks brought to you by the Provost & Student Affairs - (Orbach Library)
Thursday, June 15
- #TBT: Unstressable Uncrustables - 1:00 pm* (Orbach Library)
- Late Night Snacks brought to you by the Provost & Student Affairs - (Orbach Library)
Friday, June 16
- Donut Worry, Be Happy - 10:00 am* (Orbach Library)
* = while supplies last
In addition, there is a contest to win a VIP Study Room. Details for the contest are available on our Facebook page.
Celebrating 50 Years of the Women's Resource Center
New Exhibit Celebrates WRC's 50th Anniversary
In 2023, UCR's Women's Resource Center (WRC) marked a significant milestone — its 50th year of existence! To commemorate this remarkable journey, the WRC — in collaboration with the UCR Library — presents an inspiring exhibit that delves into the WRC's rich history and its continuing impact on the UCR community. See flyers and buttons that transport you to the 1970s, enjoy photos of the wonderful people who made the WRC what it is today, and learn how the organization has empowered Highlander women.
| Event | Celebrating 50 Years of the Women's Resource Center |
| Location | Tomás Rivera Library, 1st Floor (after entering the Library, turn left) |
| Dates | November 6, 2023 - January 19, 2024 |
| Hours |
Monday - Thursday: 7:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. |
| 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:
|
Orbach Science Library
About
The Raymond L.
Scott Metoyer
The Lead Software Developer provides programming, database administration, systems integration, deployment, and software-oriented project management services for on-premise and cloud-based application systems. Integration efforts include payment processing, software refactoring, and interfacing with a variety of third-party systems.
Lead Software Developer
