More News April 02, 2021

As one of the largest public university systems in the world, the University of California holds a vast collection of resources in its libraries.

However, until now, each campus library used its own catalog, making it difficult for patrons to find items held at other campuses without using a separate search tool.

Beginning July 27, 2021, UC Library Search will bring all UC campus libraries into the same system, which will allow you to find resources from any campus simply and quickly, saving precious time and effort.

UC Library Search will look the same as the discovery tool that the UCR Library has already been using since 2018, but comes with expanded features.

With this update, you will now be able to see what you have borrowed, request extensions, and manage your account with a single login. You’ll no longer need to log in to UCR’s local catalog, Melvyl, and Interlibrary Loan (ILL) separately to find and request items from outside UC Riverside.

Another exciting new benefit is that you will be able to pick up UC Library materials from any campus, giving you the option to check out materials from the UC library closest to you.

UC Library Search is the next step in the evolution of a unified UC discovery tool, and will enable greater collaboration between campuses in research and collections management.

For more information, including an updated FAQ, please see our UC Library Search website, or contact Tiffany Moxham, Associate University Librarian for Content and Discovery.

More News June 21, 2024

We are excited to welcome Mary-Michelle Moore to the UCR Library as our new STEM Teaching Librarian in the Teaching and Learning Department.

Mary-Michelle's journey into the library field began during her undergraduate years working at UCLA's Charles E. Young Research Library, where she started as a stackie and later worked in interlibrary loan. "After graduation, I tried a couple of jobs in small companies but they weren't the best fit, so I went back to working in the library," she shared. This decision led her to roles at the UCLA Lab School, UC Irvine's Law Library, and UCI’s main library. She eventually decided to pursue a library degree from Rutgers University.

“At some point, I realized that if I wanted to continue to move up, it was either stay in the paraprofessional space and wait for the head of ILL to retire or get my library degree and switch to the librarian side of the library,” she explained.

Her career has taken her to various institutions, including her most recent position at UCSB in the Teaching & Learning Department, and a part-time role at Allan Hancock Community College as a reference librarian. "I've enjoyed all of my library jobs to date and have learned so much at all of my previous institutions," Mary-Michelle said, reflecting on her journey.

Mary-Michelle's educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology from UCLA, with a minor in Philosophy. Initially, Mary-Michelle had her sights set on an Astrophysics major but made the switch to Anthropology. Her genuine interest in the sciences and humanities has equipped her with a diverse skill set that she brings to her library roles.

When asked about her interest in joining our library, Mary-Michelle explained, "When I was a librarian at CSU Dominguez Hills, I was the liaison to the Natural Sciences half of the College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, and I really enjoyed the work. As someone who comes from an interdisciplinary science background, the blending of information literacy and science needs for students in the library was enjoyable and appealing."

In addition to her professional excitement, Mary-Michelle has personal ties to the area. "I grew up in Redlands and have family nearby, so in addition to a new work environment, I'm looking forward to seeing my family more often," she said.

Mary-Michelle’s enthusiasm for teaching and her interdisciplinary science background will be tremendous assets to our library. We look forward to the innovative ideas and energy she will bring to our team. Please join us in welcoming Mary-Michelle to our library community!

More News July 18, 2016

Dani Brecher Cook is our new Director of Teaching and Learning at the UCR Library.

Dani's key responsibility is to lead the development, implementation, and ongoing program for library teaching and learning services and initiatives to support the curricular and research activities of UCR faculty, researchers and students.

The opportunity to establish a new teaching and learning department with a focus on curricular collaboration and learner-centered approaches in a uniquely diverse environment is what excites Dani most about coming to UCR Library. She hopes to build sustainable, ongoing relationships with partners across campus.

“By situating librarians as expert co-educators and sharing our expertise in information resources and pedagogy, UCR Library can materially contribute to the University’s mission to graduate critical thinkers and information-literate citizens,” Dani said. “These skills are especially important in navigating the 21st-century world, where the abundance of information can make it challenging to determine authority, accuracy, and value.”

This newly re-imagined department will also assist faculty and instructors in developing research assignments for students that focus on discovery, exploration, and process.

Previously, Dani served as the Information Literacy and Research Services Coordinator at the Claremont Colleges Library.

Dani has presented nationally at the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), LITA Forum (Library Information Technology Association), LOEX (Library Orientation Exchange), and other instruction- and library technology-focused conferences. Her team at Claremont received the 2015 Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT) Innovation in Instruction Award for their work in curriculum mapping. Dani and Kevin Michael Klipfel’s article, How Do Our Students Learn? An Outline of a Cognitive Psychological Model for Information Literacy Instruction, was recently selected as one of LIRT’s top 20 articles for 2015.

Dani received her MSLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and holds an A.B. in English Literature from the University of Chicago, and a Diversity Advocacy Certificate also from UNC Chapel Hill.

More News May 25, 2018

As the second-largest student employer on campus, each spring the UCR Library takes time to celebrate the students who comprise half of our staff team.

At the 2018 Student Employee and Staff Appreciation Luncheon held in the lower courtyard at Rivera Library, we also recognized these 27 library student employees who will graduate with UC Riverside’s Class of 2018: Majany Alcantar, Abigail Arreola, Anastacia Azor, Adrian Barragan, Henry Cho, Jessica Reyes Flores, Alondra Gomez-Andrade, Candice Kim, Joyce Kim, Hayden Jackson, Mohamed Jawara, Dana Jee, Eli Labinger, Stephanie Lim, Leilani Lopez, KaJuan Matthews, Samantha Oh, Melinda Pho, Rebecca Raven, Ricardo (Ricky) Rios, David Roualdes, Nicole Prado, Mary Sarchizian, Abigail (Abby) Siegel, Samuel Tang, Hogan Tran, and Kiara Wright.

We asked our 2018 graduates to share their favorite memories from their time spent working at the UCR Library, and what they would miss most about working here. Here are some of their responses:

“My favorite memory from working at the library is seeing Scotty and getting free snacks during midterms week. What I will miss most about working at the library is not seeing all the people that I have gotten to know these past four years while working here.” – Joyce Kim

“Both my favorite memory and the aspect about working in the library I'm going to miss most have to do with my coworkers. I've met the most amazing people in Special Collections and I can confidently say that I have best friends I would have never met if it weren't for the library. I'm lucky enough to have found someone from my hometown, but those I'm leaving behind will be sincerely missed! With my brother starting his college adventure in Southern California, I'm excited to say that I hope to return for a visit soon.” – Leilani Lopez

“My favorite memory from working at the library was the many student appreciation events that I had the opportunity to experience. I felt that my work at the library was valued and that motivated me to go the extra mile to provide the best customer service possible to our library patrons. I will miss the family-like bond that I have been able to sustain with my fellow coworkers and supervisors at the library. There is a sense of teamwork and belonging among other library staffs and coworkers that is very refreshing, and I will be missing that tremendously.” – Mohamed Jawara

“My favorite memories are going to be the night shifts with LSM [Library Security Monitors]. I always was a night owl and it was kind of funny to get my mind off finals. I am going to miss everyone I got to work with. Whether it be in the break room at Orbach or in the back room in Rivera, it was always a pleasure to just small talk with other workers. The work environment has always been something I loved about this job and I'm going to miss it.” – Ricky Rios

“What I will miss most about working at the library would be the flexibility of schedule here. I know once I enter a different job outside of UCR it’ll be hard to have a flexible work schedule, but I am grateful that UCR Library provided me with a flexible schedule so I can manage my class schedule and family.” – Majany Alcantar

“I enjoyed scripting a streamlined process for imaging patron computers, which we have been using for a couple years now. It was a fun learning experience that I was able to apply immediately. I will miss the flexible hours and friendliness of the library staff.” – Sam Tang

“I'll carry with me so many wonderful memories from my time at the library, mostly because of the wonderful people and environment I worked in.  I learned so much from my supervisor (shout out to amazing Wendy), and other co-workers. The experience I gained working at the library will be invaluable in the next step of my journey.” – Nicole Prado

“I'll most miss the feeling of having found a patron exactly what they need. It's just a great feeling knowing that you were the one who got someone exactly the thing they needed to finish that assignment or to complete their research.” - Hayden Jackson

More News October 23, 2017

Change is in the air as UCR Library leaders work to transform the Library into a library of the future.

Since University Librarian Steve Mandeville-Gamble started at UCR in 2013, he has focused on developing strategies to support and accelerate the research and teaching programs on campus. One of the objectives in the Library’s Strategic Plan is to develop library leaders to anticipate and meet the rapidly changing campus environment within a culture of innovative thinking and calculated risk-taking.

Starting in 2014, Deputy University Librarian Ann Frenkel (above, center) has been exploring with the librarians the best staffing structures to most effectively support teaching, learning, and research. As typical for many research institutions, the majority of librarians were grouped in parallel departments in discipline-focused libraries (Rivera or Orbach), with each librarian expected to have broad responsibilities and expertise in teaching, research support, and collection building.

After much discussion, in FY2017 the Library recruited two new leaders to work collaboratively to create two departments that would provide more focus specifically for teaching and research: Dani Brecher Cook, Director of Teaching and Learning (above, left), and Brianna Marshall, Director of Research Services (above, right).

During the summer Cook and Marshall worked together with the librarians to develop the mission, vision, and positions needed for their two new departments. “This collaborative leadership structure is not seen in a lot of other libraries,” Marshall said.

“Our administrative team is really open to new ideas and trying out things in an experimental way,” Cook said of the library’s workplace culture.

Marshall echoed her sentiment. “I’m really excited to be in this role. I was drawn to it because of the focus on creativity, innovation, and trying new things.”

Supporting new researcher workflows in the ever-evolving era of digital learning presents unique challenges, according to Marshall. “There are pressures on new faculty that weren’t on their predecessors,” she reflected.

Cook added that the library is exploring technology-enriched models. “We’ve been very empowered to think about new ways of doing teaching and learning and research services at this university that’s growing at an incredible pace.”

Cook and Marshall both came to UCR with forward-thinking ideas about doing things differently – and perhaps better – than other campuses. “What’s getting most libraries stuck is their fear of failing,” Marshall explained, adding that the culture she aspires to is one that embraces vulnerability and builds a community of practice. “We want to figure out an aspirational view of what our department can provide to the campus community.”

Another goal is breaking down silos. Cook explained the library’s approach to solving this challenge, “We’re helping faculty and instructors to support students in accomplishing research-related learning goals. There are a lot of great partners on campus that we’ve identified already. We’re looking forward to deepening and evolving those collaborations.”

“This campus has an incredible energy to it,” Marshall observed. “People are open and optimistic.”

Frenkel added, “This is very much a living process, with adjustments and refinements along the way, and we look forward to constructive conversations with faculty and researchers regarding their experience with this new model over the coming months.”

More News September 14, 2018

The University of California, Riverside Library will host Open Access Week 2018, as part of the global event called International Open Access Week.

The event series will kick off on Monday, Oct. 22, with workshops held each afternoon from 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday in the Orbach Library, Room 122. “Designing Equitable Foundations for Open Knowledge" is the 2018 theme.

Open Access Week is an opportunity for the academic and research community to learn about the potential benefits of sharing what they’ve learned with colleagues, and to help inspire wider participation in helping to make “open access” a new norm in scholarship, research and data planning and preservation.

The Open Access movement is made of up advocates (librarians, researchers, publishers, etc.) who promote the free, immediate, and online publication of research.

This will be the ninth International Open Access Week program hosted by the UCR Library.

The Open Access Week workshops are free and open to the public.

The program includes:

More News November 22, 2024

In her first year as Senior Director of Development at the UCR Library, Shannon Castro has worked to expand the UCR Library’s ability to support students and provide a space that meets their academic and personal needs. 

With over 900,000 visits in the past year, the library is one of the most-used spaces on campus, offering study areas, access to rare collections, and programs that enrich the student experience.

For Shannon, the UCR Library is central to student life. “I often tell donors that the library is the heart of UCR,” she said. “It’s where students from every discipline come to study, collaborate, and find a space they can call their own. Supporting the library means impacting the most students and helping them succeed.”

Shannon has spent the past year growing the library’s donor base, reengaging past donors, updating the library’s giving website, and building awareness of the library’s critical role on campus. She has collaborated with campus partners, participated in UCR’s Give Day, and developed new marketing materials to make supporting the library easier than ever. “Every donation makes a difference,” she said. “Whether it’s enhancing library programs, creating welcoming spaces, or supporting access to unique resources, every contribution helps students thrive.”

One of Shannon’s favorite moments this year came during a conversation with a long-time donor. “She shared how much the library meant to her as a student,” Shannon recalled. “She called it her safe haven and told me it would always hold a special place in her heart. It’s stories like these that show how much the library means to our students, both past and present.”

Looking ahead, Shannon sees incredible opportunities to grow the library’s impact. “The potential for development is limitless,” she said. “Every gift helps us create opportunities for learning, discovery, and community.”

If you’d like to support the UCR Library and make a lasting impact on the lives of students, please contact Shannon Castro to learn more about giving opportunities or visit library.ucr.edu/giving. 

• Read more about Digital Collections

More News February 12, 2018

Currently an institutional archivist for The J. Paul Getty Trust, the world's largest cultural and philanthropic organization dedicated to the visual arts, class of ’08 alumna Sara Seltzer began her career as a UCR Library student employee in Special Collections and University Archives.

“I’ll never forget when I got that job,” Seltzer said. “I came home that day and told my parents about it and my dad was like, ‘This is the start of your career!’ And I said, ‘I guess it is!’”

From a young age, Seltzer’s family instilled a love of history and literature into her life. “My mom in particular is a huge history buff and culture fiend,” she said. “Growing up we always went to museums, we always did lots of cultural things. I had influential people who exposed me to the kinds of environments where archives live.”

Her grandmother was a Cuban refugee who later worked in the corporate library for Southern California Edison, which also inspired Seltzer’s career goals. “That was her favorite job,” she explained.

Her academic studies at UC Riverside focused on European history and art history, while at the library Seltzer felt most passionate about working with archives tied to British history. “I’m a huge Anglophile, so that was exciting,” she said of working with the Ann Harris correspondence  in 2009, among other projects for Special Collections and University Archives.

As a student employee, she appreciated the autonomy that her supervisors gave her, as it helped to build confidence in her own judgment and critical thinking skills. “Since I knew this was the path that I wanted, I was very thankful for that job and I took it very seriously,” she explained. “It was a bit unusual for student workers to be given that responsibility, but when it’s the right student worker, they get a lot out of it.”

Seltzer believes that library student employees can reap more long-term benefits than students at most typical entry-level jobs. “The library is so much more than just people working with books,” she explained. “There’s a huge demand for people with programming skills in this field, people who understand digital technologies, user experience designers. This is an opportunity to gain professional experience and to find a career path. It’s a viable field and it’s growing all the time.”

After graduation, Seltzer remained at the library until 2009 for an internship supervised by Manuel Urrizola, Head of Metadata & Technical Services. “He was very inspiring. He took me under his wing,” she commented. “He taught me all the basics of cataloging before I even started library school.” After graduating from UCLA with a MLIS in Archival Studies, Seltzer eventually moved to her current position where she is responsible for managing the current and historic business records of the J. Paul Getty Museum.

“I’m still working and doing what I always wanted to do,” Seltzer reflected. “I’m really happy with this path that I’ve been put on. It all pretty much began here, so I’m really grateful to UCR Library for giving me my start.”

The UCR Library is committed to enhancing the student learning experience, which includes supporting the professional development and advancement of our student employees. This article is the second in a series of stories following the success of former UCR Library student employees. We are incredibly proud of the alumni talent that was cultivated here, at the UCR Library. 

More News August 03, 2018

A new campus-wide pilot cloud printing system will launch by fall quarter, installing two new wēpa printers each at Rivera Library and Orbach Library.

UC Riverside's Information Technology Solutions (ITS) department will oversee this project. For the time being, the current Quota and Pharos/Xerox printing services will remain in service at all three library locations.

Wēpa was developed specifically for higher education to bring students, faculty and researchers a cloud printing solution that fits easily into their daily lives and technology habits.

Using the new wēpa system, you will have six different ways to upload your documents:

1. Traditional: One-time download to your computer: wepanow.com/printapp
   • Open the document on your computer.
   • Choose “File>Print” and select a wēpa printer.
2. Email: 
   • Attach your documents to an email using the email address tied to your wēpa account.
   • Send the email to print@wepanow.com.
3. Web: 
   • Go to wepanow.com/webupload.
   • Drag & drop your documents and then select “Send to wēpa.”
4. Mobile: Apple® App or Android® App
   • Download the “wēpa Print” app from the Apple® App Store or Google Play®.
   • Open the document on your device and send it to the wēpa cloud.
5. USB:
   • Insert your USB drive at any print station.
   • Select your documents and preferred options.
6. Cloud:
   • Tap the Cloud Storage button on the print station screen.
   • Select your preferred cloud storage provider and enter your credentials.

There are 4 ways to access your files to be printed:

1. Swipe your campus card or enter your username and password to log in.
2. Enter wēpa code.
3. Insert a USB drive.
4. Access cloud storage.

For faster login with your R'Card:
Tag any card with a magnetic stripe to your wēpa account. Log in and select the “tag card” icon at the wēpa print station to tag your card.

Then, select specific files or choose “Select All” to print all files. You can pay for prints using your campus card, credit/debit card, wēpa print card, or wēpa account.

With the new wēpa system, students will have a fun user experience that allows them to print anywhere via six different methods. A smarter, better way to print, wēpa will be quick, easy, and accessible anywhere on campus.

If the pilot program is successful, ITS plans to replace all Pharos/Xerox printers at the Music Library, Rivera Library and Orbach Library with new wēpa print stations.