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More News April 24, 2017

On occasion, UCR Library employees document their work through a blog.

Using blogs as a communication tool for the library allows insight into the behind-the-scenes processes that library patrons don't usually get to see. Blogs also make it possible to highlight new discoveries of important or interesting content in our collections as we identify it.

Collections Management Librarian Jessica Geiser kept a detailed record of her progress while working on the George Brown political papers, before that collection was made available to the public in 2016.

Similarly, the Jay Kay and Doris Klein Librarian for Science Fiction, JJ Jacobson and graduate student Miranda Butler, her co-curator for the "200 Years of Frankenstein" exhibit scheduled to debut in fall 2018, are currently documenting their exhibit-design journey on the Frankenblog.

Those interested in learning more can read other UCR Library blogs here.

More News October 08, 2019

Join us as we celebrate these recent achievements by the following UCR Library employees.

Dan Szilagyi, Manager of Cyberinfrastructure recently completed the UC Information Technology Leadership Academy (UCITLA), taught by faculty at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. UCITLA is an intensive learning experience that consisted of two three-day sessions in February and May 2019, along with a team project that was completed in between sessions. Szilagyi participated in the fourth UCITLA cohort.

Participants learned about strategic leadership, innovation and change management; networked with peers to support collaboration and innovation initiatives across the UC system; and prepared to guide staff through change, challenge and opportunity.

UC Riverside’s CIO Danna Gianforte nominated Szilagyi for UCITLA 2019. He said, “UCITLA was excellent and eye-opening, particularly in the area of innovation. The people were amazing to work with.”

***

Elisha Hankins, Orbach Library’s Access Services Desk Coordinator recently completed her Professional Academic Advisor Certification Course (PAACC), a 10-month comprehensive professional development program that teaches the history, practice and art of academic advising, including the crucial role that academic advisors play in student success, building student-centered and responsibility-sharing relationships, and honing the advisor’s conceptual, informational and relational skills.

Hankins’ role keeps her working closely with dozens of library student employees in Access Services, which is what first piqued her interest in PAACC. “A traditional academic advisor only interacts with their students once per quarter, and that’s if their students are proactive. I work with my students 20 hours a week. PAACC gave me tools and resources to use in my current job,” she said.

“The people that I end up hiring tend to be the ones who want to be world-changers or world-shakers, the ones who want to make a difference,” she added. 

The PAACC program also provided skills for working with library patrons. As Hankins explained, “Because we work at the Circulation Desk, people think we’re their best friends, so they’ll tell us their life stories. So we can put these skills into practice with the patrons we assist, as well.”

***

Cataloging Librarian Ruben Urbizagastegui recently published “Analysis of El Niño Coastal phenomenon by the method of associated words.”(Ciência da Informação. 2019, v. 48, n. 2.). In this paper, he compared two articles about the local weather phenomenon that affects the coasts of Peru and Ecuador. “El Niño causes a mess all over the world, with typhoons in India and droughts in Australia and California,” he explained. “But the Incas already knew of this phenomenon and knew how to control it.”

The articles he contrasted were written by two of the most prestigious newspapers in Peru -- one government-owned and the other privately owned. He noted the impact of socio-economic influence on the written word. “We analyzed the information, expecting to find two different perspectives, but we found only one,” he said. “In other words, the newspapers don’t care about the people. They do what they do to protect their own interests.”

Urbizagastegui has worked at the UCR Library for 30 years and has published eight books in that time. Additionally, he regularly reviews articles for five or six different library scientific journals. Most of his work has been published in Spanish or Portuguese on issues that affect marginalized communities.

***

In May 2019, Raul Aguilera, Access Services Assistant (Evenings) at Rivera Library completed his Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree with San Jose State University. He began his career as a work-study student at Orbach Library in January 2014, while working toward his Bachelor’s degree in English at UC Riverside (class of 2015).

“Originally, I wanted to be an English professor,” Aguilera said. As a student, he saw the value of the services that the library provided and the research that librarians do; so he began to envision a different career path in academia. Aguilera believes that his life experience as a UCR student gives him an added perspective about which kinds of library services would be most valuable to our patrons.

“I really like giving service, and if someone leaves the desk happy, I feel like I’ve accomplished something,” he added. “I think that’s just part of my nature, being able to contribute in a higher capacity, going above and beyond whenever I’m able to.”

***

Judy Lee, University Programs Teaching Librarian co-wrote a chapter,“Remembering Consciousness is Power: Working to Center Academic Library Outreach in the Service of Social Justice, Asian and Pacific Islander American Ethnic Visibility, and Coalition-Building,” in Cura, Yago S, and Max Macias. Librarians with Spines: Information Agitators in an Age of Stagnation: Volume II. Los Angeles: Hinchas Press, 2019. Lee co-wrote the chapter in collaboration with Melissa Cardenas-Dow, a former colleague at the UCR Library who is now a librarian at California State University, Sacramento.

Librarians with Spines is the second volume in a radical book of essays and chapters on library issues and topics related to emerging and marginalized communities, and is available for purchase on Amazon.

More News August 16, 2024

In accordance with a new University of California-wide agreement with Taylor & Francis, content access for UC affiliates, including those at UCR, has changed effective August 15, 2024. 

As August 15, access to current-year content (2024) will be limited to journals included in this list.

These selected titles account for approximately 90% of recent content usage. Therefore, we anticipate minimal impact on end users. Once the agreement is finalized, Taylor & Francis will likely make adjustments to pre-2024 content access.

What Does This Mean for You?

The vast majority of Taylor & Francis content remains available, including most articles published before 2024 and, as mentioned above, approximately 90% of 2024 content. The Get it at UC link will work as usual. However, some 2024- articles in Taylor & Francis journals will not be directly available to UC affiliates via Taylor & Francis Online.

How to Access Articles No Longer Available After August 15, 2024

If you need access to Taylor & Francis articles that are no longer available after August 15, you can:

• Use Open Access Tools: Tools such as LibKey Nomad, Google Scholar, Unpaywall, and Open Access Button can help you quickly find open access copies, which are free to read online when available. LibKey Nomad will also route you to UC Library Search for requests.
• Request via UC Library Search: You can request articles through UC Library Search using the request through interlibrary loan option. For urgent requests, please use the comment field to ask for expedited delivery.
• Contact the Author: Consider emailing the corresponding author to request a copy directly.

We are also working towards some additional rapid access options and will update you once those options are available.

If you need assistance or have any questions, please contact our STEM Collections Librarian Michele Potter at michele.potter@ucr.edu. 

• Read more about Accessing Special Collections & University Archives (SCUA) Materials

• Read more about Research Support

More News July 14, 2021

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.

For questions, email specialcollections@ucr.edu.

Newly Processed Collections - Summer 2021

Philip Flint papers (WRCA 248)

This collection consists of research materials for Flint's dissertation, printed materials; statistics, tables, and graphs; as well as a small amount of correspondence and personal material. Related subjects include nitrogen nutrient levels, arctic tundra, and the International Tundra Biome.

Joan Simpson Collection on Philip K. Dick (MS 081)

The collection consists mainly of letters, poems, and story drafts written by science fiction author Philip K. Dick to Joan Simpson, who he was in a relationship with for most of 1977. Letters in the collection focus mostly on Dick's relationship with Simpson, including their breakup in November of 1977, as well as reflections about his life and experiences. Also included in the collection are some correspondence from Dick to reviewers and publishers about his works and others, and personal correspondence and invitations sent to Simpson.

Anne R. Dick Collection on Philip K. Dick (MS 083)

The collection contains correspondence and related materials from author Philip K. Dick compiled by his third wife and biographer Anne R. Dick. Items in the collection are from the period after their divorce, and consist mostly of personal correspondence, along with some items related to Anne's biography of Philip K. Dick.

More News June 01, 2018

This month in 4 to Explore, your Special Collections librarians and archivists have selected four new items and placed them on hold in the reading room.

Here's what you can see this June in 4 to Explore:

Bookbinding Models
Sample structures by Karen Hanmer

Commencement Setup Photos
See UCR graduation in the 1990s

Tetsuwan Atomu
Astro Boy meets Frankenstein

History of the Bucaniers of America
The 1699 English translation

Why you should try 4 to Explore:

Special Collections materials are kept in closed stacks, which means you can’t see the shelves and browse. You also can’t check things out and take them home. So, 4 to Explore is a great way to experience first-hand some of the collections that truly make the UCR Library unique.

4 to Explore will give you the chance to visit a reading room, like the ones that are used for archival research or by rare book scholars, and to get a sampling of our collections without having to submit a request ahead of time.

You’ll be asked to show photo ID and to check your bags – but don’t worry! Our UCR Library staff will explain everything to you when you arrive.

We will also have rotating exhibits of items from the collections on display.

Where to find 4 to Explore:

Department: Special Collections & University Archives

Where: Take elevators to 4th floor of Rivera Library

Hours: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday - Friday

Bring: Photo ID

Don’t bring: Food or drinks

Who: Everyone is welcome. 4 to Explore is more of an individual experience, but we can usually accommodate up to two people using the same item at the same time, so feel free to bring a friend.

What to expect: Staff will help you sign in and feel comfortable in the reading room. It should take about 5-10 minutes for you to get up to the 4th floor and get settled. Then you can stay and enjoy as long as you like!

Want to receive updates each month with more details about our 4 to Explore items? Sign up here.

More News March 29, 2022

Please extend a warm welcome to Scott McAvoy, the UCR Library’s new Marker Services Coordinator. 

Scott joined the UCR Library on March 15 and is an expert in 3D design, data manipulation, and modeling. His work spans a wide range of disciplines, including archaeology, medicine, and GIS. 

As the Maker Services Coordinator, Scott’s key responsibility is overseeing the daily operations of the Creat'R Lab, which include assisting Creat’R Lab patrons, supervising student employees, implementing and maintaining specialized equipment, and facilitating outreach activities such as meetups and workshops for students and faculty.

Scott received a BA in History and MA in Educational Technology from San Diego State University.

More News March 30, 2017

Professor Emeritus Ronald H. Chilcote has transformed art and natural beauty into political activism.

With a long-standing love of nature and landscape photography, Chilcote has combined the two passions into a project that has raised millions of dollars to preserve hundreds of thousands of acres of wilderness.

“I’ve always been a photographer, but really started concentrating on it in the mid-90s,” Chilcote said. “I had several art shows, and finally got into the book production and the conservation cause.”

In 2003, Chilcote founded The Laguna Wilderness Press (LWP) with another photographer, Jerry Burchfield. “Our idea was to use photography as a means to raise awareness to protect and preserve natural areas,” Chilcote explained. Their books facilitated this cause. His original goal with the Laguna Wilderness Press was to preserve the Laguna Greenbelt, approximately 22,000 acres of open green space bordering Laguna Beach and its five neighboring cities.

Plans existed to develop these lands, once part of Spanish and Mexican land grants, but Chilcote and his colleagues felt the land should be protected as a nature preserve. Chilcote helped organize a Committee for the Preservation of the Laguna Legacy whose documentation and photography on the history, art, and culture of the region has recently been recognized as a Historic American Landscape (HALS) by the National Parks Service and the Library of Congress.

Chilcote explained that the committee has just published a book, Laguna Beach and the Greenbelt to celebrate this honor. “To have that quantity of undeveloped land, it’s something that’s very unusual in a highly urbanized region of the country,” he said.

Under LWP Chilcote initially published a photography book on the greenbelt, titled, Nature’s Laguna Wilderness (2003). It appeared as the formerly private lands opened to the public. The Los Angeles Times published a six-page spread with photos on Chilcote and his book.  A substantially revised edition, The Laguna Wilderness, appeared in 2014.

Chilcote has published other books devoted to a similar purpose, yet with even higher stakes, including Wind River Wilderness (2006) and The Wild Wyoming Range (2013). Chilcote edited these books which featured the work of a dozen renowned photographers and essays by at least eight different writers, all associated with the state of Wyoming, where he and his wife, Frances, reside during summers.

Speaking of Wind River Wilderness, Chilcote said, “It was a photographic and written portrayal of a segment of the Rocky Mountains that is one of the most beautiful and important along the whole range.”

He collaborated with Susan Marsh on The Wild Wyoming Range, which was one of Chilcote’s most impactful endeavors in publishing. “We spent five years working on that book,” he reflected. “It focuses on another mountain range which is south of the Snake River, extending about 150 miles and reaching over to the Idaho border.”

He added that, until recently, there were 100,000 acres of leased land held via oil and gas companies. “They were determined to go in and drill, radically impacting the upper regions of the Hoback River, which flows into the Snake River,” Chilcote said. "Drilling would have altered the beautiful landscape and it would have affected the western waters.”

Chilcote’s book came out just before The Trust for Public Land in Washington reached an agreement with the oil companies to buy back the leases, at a cost of approximately $8.4 million. “The book was used for awareness and to raise some of the funds for that purpose, and finding a resolution,” Chilcote explained. “There were three large donors, and all of them were excited about the book. The book raised several hundred thousand dollars in other areas, too. Booksellers sold it and donated all funds toward that cause.”

It’s not often that we have a happily-ever-after conclusion to a real life story, but Chilcote’s tale is a wonderful exception. “Now all the leases have been bought back,” he said of the acres in Wyoming. “The area will hopefully endure and remain the same for future generations to enjoy.”