UCR Library is pleased to welcome Rochelle Settle as the Administrative Assistant in Library Administration, effective April 3, 2017.

Rochelle's work station is at the front desk in suite 141 of Rivera Library. She will manage supply orders through the Library’s supply database, as well as scheduling, cash/check deposits, and other library projects and administrative duties.

Rochelle has over nine years of experience working in an educational environment. Most recently, she worked with the Raytown C-2 School District in Kansas City, Missouri.

Rochelle earned her Master of Arts in Theological Studies at the Central Theological Seminary, Shawnee, Kansas.  She also has a Bachelor of Science in Biblical Studies from Calvary University, Kansas City, Missouri.

Effective August 9, 2016, Diane Bisom’s title has been changed to Associate University Librarian for the Digital Library.

This development will position the UCR Library for continued success as a major academic research library. Diane will retain her existing departments and units; she will also begin planning and implementing the creation of a Digital Initiatives unit.

Every aspect of contemporary academic research librarianship is intimately tied in with digital technologies and digital strategies, regardless of the formats of the materials acquired or managed. Two-thirds of our acquisition dollars go towards digital content; the tools that libraries use to describe and provide access to materials are digital in nature, regardless of the format of those materials, and academic research libraries manage large and growing quantities of born-digital content in the form of digital archives and research data.

The AUL for the Digital Library role is designed to ensure that the UCR Library employs a coordinated set of digital strategies to manage the life cycle of information resources acquired or managed by the library. Similarly, the AUL for the Digital Library role will emphasize the UCR Library’s commitment to ensuring fast and durable access to high-quality information for the students, faculty, and other researchers at UCR.

We will rely on Diane’s guidance for vision, strategic leadership, and management to help us advance the Library’s digital efforts and innovative technology services.

At all-staff meetings held on February 21 and 22, Library Human Resources acknowledged two UCR Library employees for their outstanding contributions.

Director of Teaching and Learning Dani Cook and Geospatial Information Librarian Janet Reyes became the first two UCR Library team members to be recognized through the KUDOS program.

Under the KUDOS program, non-probationary staff and academic employees at the UCR Library can be nominated by a peer for actions or contributions related to the library's mission that have a significant, positive impact on colleagues, library users, or others.

Nominations were submitted anonymously by library non-probationary staff and academic employees, and then were reviewed by members of Library Cabinet to determine which staff members would receive the KUDOS awards.

Cook’s nomination form stated the following:

“Through Dani's leadership, the Teaching and Learning Services Department has undergone some great changes. She has worked hard to revise and restructure the department in a very compassionate and conscientious manner; and she has continued to make us an even more cohesive team than we already were. Most of all, she leads, but alongside – and not over – us, which is the mark of a great leader. She has been doing amazing things, and I am sure she will continue to do so in the years to come.”

Reyes’ recommendation had the following comments:

“Janet has had a positive impact on the Library department and the UCR community. Her willingness to learn and participate when and where needed is invaluable. Janet has done an amazing job to connect GIS users on campus, giving them a way to communicate and share ideas and information.”

Please join us in celebrating Dani’s and Janet’s achievements!

UCR Library is presenting a pop-up exhibition about the historical roots of Harry Potter.

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” And, it is with pleasure that the UCR Library Special Collections has chosen to present Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine an exhibition at the Rivera Library from Monday, May 15 to Saturday, June 23.

This traveling exhibition was originally developed and produced by the Exhibition Program at the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, and curated by Elizabeth J. Bland. The exhibit panels explore Harry Potter’s world, its roots in Renaissance science, and the ethical questions that effected not only the wizards of Harry Potter, but also the historical thinkers featured in the series.

As a complement to the traveling exhibition, also showcased will be selections from the UCR Library’s Special Collections 16^th to 19^th century original illustrated materials related to magic, witchcraft, herbal medicine, magical creatures and fantastic beasts.  Included are some of the foundational works which serve as sources for Harry Potter’s magical world of wonder and wizarding.  

“These early illustrated printed materials are crucial in their ability to transmit a wide body of knowledge about science and medicine over a broad geographical expanse. For example, one of the works on display will be Gerard’s Herbal, printed in London in 1597. It’s the first work to record and describe American plants, and it also includes early printed images and descriptions of deadly Nightshade and Mandrake, both of which figure prominently in the Potter novels,” noted Cherry Williams, the UCR Library’s Director of Distinctive Collections.  The Special Collections display will also include Ulisse Aldrovandi’s illustrated work on the history of dragons and serpents printed in 1640 in Bologna Italy.

In 1997, British author J. K. Rowling introduced the world to Harry Potter and a literary phenomenon was born. Millions of readers have followed Harry to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he discovers his heritage, encounters new plants and animals, and perfects his magical abilities.

According to the National Library of Medicine, “Although it is a fantasy story, the magic in the Harry Potter books is partially based on Renaissance traditions that played an important role in the development of Western science - including alchemy, astrology, and natural philosophy, …Incorporating the work of several 15th- and 16th-century thinkers, the … series examines important ethical topics such as the desire for knowledge, the effects of prejudice, and the responsibility that comes with power.”

Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine will be located in the Special Collections Department located on the fourth floor of the Rivera Library – which is open Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the pop-up exhibition, please visit the UCR Library’s Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine exhibition event website.

When Class of 2019 alumnus Matthew Diep first enrolled at UC Riverside to double-major in accounting and public policy, becoming a children's book author was not on his to-do list.

However, a missed opportunity in another campus department led him to apply for a student employee position at the UCR Library, which became the catalyst for a huge shift in Diep’s career and life plans.

“My whole life would have been different if I had gotten that first job,” Diep reflected. “When I was a senior at UCR, my dad passed away. The library was always there for me. They were so supportive. Books were always there for me. You know, books get me through everything.”

In January 2021, Diep self-published his first children’s book (under the pseudonym Matthew Dee) titled, “There’s a Book on That,” which is currently sold through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Book Depository. In his book, Diep wanted to show his young readers all the wonders that books in libraries have to offer.

“When I was a kid, I despised reading,” he admitted. “But the one thing that I did like to read was books that rhymed.” Diep eventually learned to love reading and began writing poems during high school, so he knew that he could rhyme, but he had never written anything like this.

After writing the manuscript last year, Diep saved it in his Google docs and promptly forgot about it. “Then this winter break, I got bored,” he said, which is why he decided to self-publish.

Throughout all 4 years of his undergraduate studies, Diep found himself feeling “miserable but practical” about his decision to focus on accounting. “Toward the end of senior year, I reflected on what would make me happy and what would I enjoy, and I knew I enjoyed working at the library. So I decided to totally switch my career path.” He applied for a Masters program in Library and Information Sciences (MLIS) at San Jose State, and hopes to complete his degree within two years.

He is currently employed part-time with the City of Ontario Library and full-time with the University of Redlands Library, where he supervises student employees in the Access Services department. This reminds him of his former supervisor: “Leslie [Settle] is someone I always think about because she was a great supervisor and she was always there for her students, and that’s what I aspire to be for my students.”

Upon completion of his MLIS, Diep hopes to work in an academic library, perhaps at his alma mater. He has ideas for more children’s books, as well. In the meantime, he is focused on marketing his first book and getting it onto the shelves of as many libraries as possible. “I do want to see it with the little call number and everything,” he said.

Diep's endeavors have been met with overwhelming support from his family and friends on social media, though interested libraries should move quickly, he said. “The hard copy is already out-of-stock on Amazon.”

Fortunately, the UCR Library has already ordered a copy of “There’s a Book on That,” which will soon sit proudly alongside its counterparts in the library's juvenile collection.

Supportive Highlanders can follow their classmate at matthewdeebooks.com.

At all-staff meetings held in November 2019, Library Human Resources acknowledged one UCR Library employee for her outstanding contributions.

Acquisitions Accounting and Administrative Assistant Michelle Xu was included in the seventh announcement of library team members who were recognized through the KUDOS program.

Under the KUDOS program, non-probationary staff and academic employees at the UCR Library can be nominated by a peer for actions or contributions related to the UCR Library's mission that have a significant, positive impact on colleagues, library users, or others.

Nominations were submitted anonymously by library non-probationary staff and academic employees, and then were reviewed by members of Library Cabinet to determine which staff members would receive the KUDOS awards.

Xu's nomination form stated the following:

"Everyday that Michelle walks into the office, she is motivated to take on the tasks at hand and is ready to fulfill her responsibilities. Acquisitions Accounting is a fast-paced, highly-engaged environment with a demanding workload. As Michelle’s time has been limited in the last few weeks, the work needed to get done to meet certain deadlines has been completed, showing me that Michelle has taken on a sense of personal ownership and purpose finding a way to get the work done. Michelle’s sense of ownership also inspires fellow team members to show the same level of commitment. The energy and initiative that Michelle brings to the workplace serves as a powerful tool for exhibiting her dedication and commitment to the Library."

Please join us in celebrating Michelle's contributions!

We are pleased to announce Britt Foster as our new Director of Teaching and Learning! 

Britt joined UCR Library staff on September 6 and comes to UCR from California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) where she was most recently a subject specialist in the agricultural sciences, providing instruction and reference to the university's Agricultural Business, Food Science and Nutrition, Plant Science, Viticulture and Enology, and Child and Family Science programs. 

Britt studied Creative Writing and English Literature at San Francisco State University. After graduating, she went on to UCLA where she completed her MLIS. 

Her library career began as a public children's librarian, but after taking a part-time position at a university, she fell in love with information literacy instruction and decided to stay in higher education. While at Fresno State, she took advantage of the tuition waiver program and completed a Master’s in Education with a Curriculum and Instruction emphasis. 

Britt first visited the UCR campus in 2018 as part of a student success fellowship program. She was impressed with the thoughtfulness of the programs at UCR and the supports in place to attend to the whole student, not just their academic needs. Britt also believes in teaching skills that go beyond academic and professional preparation.  

 “We teach to develop the skill set our students need to be successful in their academic and professional endeavors, but also, to have the information skills they need to self-advocate and navigate within their communities and civic spaces,” Britt explained. “To be able to focus on growing and developing these learning opportunities, with collaborators in and out of the library, is so exciting.” 

• Read more about How Do I Find - K-12 Curriculum Materials

• Read more about Print, Copy, Scan

If you’ve visited Rivera Library in the past three years, you’ve likely seen Mohamed Jawara’s smiling face behind the front desk.

What you might never have guessed is that Jawara took the job at the Circulation / Reserves Desk to help him conquer shyness and to improve his communication and interpersonal skills.

“I saw how the staff at the front desk would help patrons, and I thought it would be a great way for me to get out of my comfort zone,” Jawara explained. “Working at the library, it’s a really positive environment. Everyone is very caring and supportive and they’ve played a great role in me improving myself and becoming a better person. We treat each other as a family.”

“Mohamed is a true servant leader at heart,” said Leslie Settle, Rivera Library's Access Services desk coordinator. “As a student supervisor, he sets the tone for the front desk and is an exemplary example of phenomenal customer service. When I think of training others in leadership and customer service, the things I have seen Mohamed do come to mind -- from how to greet patrons to making everyone feel like they belong.”

Born in the Republic of Sierra Leone in West Africa, Jawara immigrated to the United States in 2008 with his mother, a certified nurse assistant. At first, they stayed with his uncle’s family in Torrance, CA, but eventually settled in Loma Linda.

In 2016, Jawara’s younger brother and two sisters arrived from Sierra Leone. His father, formerly an accountant for the Sierra Leone Ministry of Defense, finally joined his family in May 2018, more than a decade after his wife and eldest son first came to the U.S.

“I felt like my mother did a great job trying to substitute whatever support my father would have given me, had he been here,” he said. “Even though it was difficult, she made the process a bit easier.”

He chose to attend UC Riverside because of its proximity to home. “It’s easy to commute here, and it would have been very expensive to live in the dorms,” he said.

Once he arrived, he was pleased to discover that UCR lived up to its reputation as a diverse campus. “It’s been great to meet people with different backgrounds of different races and develop friendships with them. That has enhanced my education here at UCR.”

Jawara graduated with the Class of 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a focus on law and society. He hopes to pursue graduate study and work in the field of public health, an interest that stemmed from tragedies he witnessed in his homeland.

Before Jawara came to California at age 12, he saw many horrors in the midst of Sierra Leone’s civil war, which only compounded challenges the country already had with meeting basic healthcare needs.

“I was born in the middle of that upheaval,” he said. “Growing up, I got to see those casualties of war, people who had limbs amputated. It was common to see close friends that I grew up with dying from malaria. I also had an uncle who suffered from a liver condition. The right professionals weren’t even available, so he relied heavily on native healing. Unfortunately, it just got worse and he ended up passing away.”

His father and siblings were still in Sierra Leone during the Ebola crisis of 2014. “It was really excruciating to hear their calls and how frightened they were,” he said. As a result of these experiences, Jawara has devoted his studies to learning how to improve healthcare so that he can someday make a difference in Sierra Leone by building more hospitals staffed with trained medical professionals.

Settle commented, “Mohamed was born to understand and love all people in sincerity without judgment. Not only is he talented, but he has a purity about him that is unexplainable.”

How can someone who has seen firsthand so many gruesome tragedies still have such optimism? In a word: travel. “It plays a big role in me having a more positive outlook on life because I’ve had the opportunity to see the difference between having to struggle for basic things,” Jawara said.

“See how the rest of the world lives. By traveling, you get to compare and contrast and have a much deeper appreciation for what you have, no matter how little,” he added. “For you, it might seem like it’s nothing, but to someone else out there, it’s the whole world.”

In June 2018, Jawara was hired as a Research Assistant at UC Riverside's School of Medicine's Center for Healthy Communities. Additionally, he continued at an internship with the Riverside County Department of Public Health.

While interning and working, Jawara will begin applying for a variety of graduate programs in social science and healthcare.