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Wikipedia Edit-a-thons Begin Oct. 12
UCR Libraries to host events that will teach Inland residents, campus students, scholars and staff to write entries for online encyclopedia
Wikipedia edit-a-thons sponsored by UCR Libraries will make use of archives such as the Eaton Collection, the Water Resources Collection and the Tuskegee Airman Archive. Pictured above are a fan magazine from the Eaton Collection, a photo by Walter Leroy Huber of the junction of the All American Canal with the Coachella Canal, and Tuskegee Airman Clarence D. “Lucky” Lester.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — UC Riverside Libraries will host three Wikipedia edit-a-thons this fall during which Inland residents and university students, scholars and staff may make use of library resources to write articles for the free, online encyclopedia.
The first of the all-day edit-a-thons is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 12, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Box lunches will be provided for preregistered participants. Free parking will be available for community residents who preregister. Email carolem@ucr.edu to register for each of the three dates. Additional edit-a-thons are scheduled Oct. 26 and Nov. 23.
Veteran Wikipedia editor Adrianne Wadewitz will attend the Oct. 12 event and teach participants how to write articles that are polished and designed to face fewer challenges for accuracy and neutrality. Wikipedia trainers will attend each edit-a-thon.
Participants may access a variety of UCR Library resources, including documents housed in Special Collections and University Archives, to research articles of their choosing, said University Librarian Steven Mandeville-Gamble.
“We want this to be fun, but there is also a serious goal of enhancing Wikipedia as a platform of information exchange,” Mandeville-Gamble said. “These edit-a-thons will give students and others a chance to write in a public forum and learn how to create a well-crafted information article. It also is an opportunity for us to forge stronger relations with community members beyond UCR’s borders.”
Wikipedia describes itself as a multilingual, Web-based, free-content encyclopedia project supported by the Wikimedia Foundation that is based on an openly editable model. Content is produced collaboratively by anonymous volunteers who write without pay.
Two years ago Wikipedia launched its Wikipedia Loves Libraries initiative to collaborate with galleries, libraries, archives and museums in an effort to make the online encyclopedia a more accurate and useful resource, Mandeville-Gamble said.
The UCR librarian introduced Wikipedia edit-a-thons when he worked at George Washington University. The project was so popular that it continues on a monthly basis.
At UCR, participants in the edit-a-thons will be able to research topics that make use of UCR Libraries collections such as science fiction; the Tuskegee Airmen; author and former UCR Chancellor Tomás Rivera; historical figures in the political, cultural, and social life of the Inland Empire; water resources in California and the West; or Native American literature, art and culture.
“Participants can write about any topic, not just ones we suggest,” Mandeville-Gamble said. “This will be a safe place for people to learn to write Wikipedia articles, receive feedback, make their articles more ‘bullet proof,’ use citation tools and information boxes, and effectively utilize images. Our libraries have tremendous resources that can enhance Wikipedia articles, particularly those that relate to our unique collections and local history.”
Celebrating our Class of 2021 library student employees
In years past, the UCR Library would host a Student Employee and Staff Appreciation Picnic in May to honor the people whose work serves and supports the UC Riverside community.
Due to the continuing campuswide COVID-19 closure, we were not able to hold the celebration again this year.
Still, we would like to recognize and celebrate these library student employees who will graduate with UC Riverside’s Class of 2021: Haneen Abbas, Sabrina Aguilera, Hugo Arcos, Samantha Berrospe, Daphne Burnett, Nicholas Carter, Martin Cruz, Daniel Garcia, Ted Kim, Tim Koo, Terry Mach, Michaela Miller, Brenda Nguyen, Carol Rodriguez, Daysia Rodriguez, Sandra Samayoa, Jonathan Sanchez, Mina Shiratsuchi, Manasi Soni, Kathy Tran, Phyllis Ung, Lisette Ureno, Jasmine Vaquera, Sebastian Vizcarra, Xeng Yang, and Jennifer Zhou.
We asked our 2021 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:
Jasmine Vaquera
My favorite memory from working at the library was my first week on the job and still being invited to the annual student appreciation picnic. My favorite part of working at the library was being exposed to so many books that I wouldn’t have otherwise encountered. I also loved my bosses and coworkers at ILL and Reserve. What I will miss most about working at the library are those that helped build my best memories there, my bosses and coworkers.
Daysia Rodriguez
My favorite memory working from the library is the finals week activities we would do for the students. I will miss the amazing staff and students who I worked with for the past 3 years. All of you have truly made my experience at this university memorable and fun. Thank you to everyone who has shown me support and especially thank you to Leslie and Sahra for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful team.
Tim Koo
My favorite memory from working at the library is when I first learned how to use the myriad of technologies and tools at the Creat'R Lab. I will definitely miss my coworkers for making my experience of working at the library incredibly fun!
Lisette Ureno
My favorite memory from working at the UCR library Would definitely have to be Finals Week Stress Relief programs! I loved seeing the joy these programs brought to students as they were able to take a break from their studies and interact with other students and staff rather than just their books. I worked at the UCR library since freshman year so I will definitely miss the amazing staff that grew to be great mentors and friends to me. The student life inside the library is also something I feel nostalgia from as I observed throughout the years how social, helpful and welcoming students were to one another despite being in a library setting. I love that!
Haneen Abbas
My favorite memory working at the library would be finals week each quarter when we would put on Disney movies and students would poke their heads in or take a seat for a quick study break. What I'll miss most is interacting with all the unique students and faculty with equally as unique and exciting projects that I was able to watch come to life.
Michaela Miller
My favorite memory of working at the library was coming into a shift at Special Collections after class and just being able to work in the quiet of the library. It was always so calming being there. I’m going to miss working up in Special Collections. Everyone was always super nice there and it was a great experience working there.
Kathy Tran
During week 10 and finals week, the library was giving away snacks for people who were studying at the library at that time. I was able to walk around the library and encourage people with their studying and also spend time with Scotty! It was such a blast. Honestly, I think I'll miss walking up and down aisles and aisles of books. Although I've only used the library a couple of times throughout my undergraduate career, something about the tons of books available just fascinated me. I'll also miss talking to the librarians (shoutout to the Teaching & Learning Services) about our days or something so small. These librarians have made my day 10x better from talking to them and I'll definitely miss them.
Hugo Arcos
One of my favorite memories was celebrating the graduation of past students in the library's patio. Alongside good food and games, it was great to reflect on the many bonds I developed with fellow coworkers. What I will miss the most are the encouraging staff across all sectors of the library. The library was the first job I had at campus, and I was naturally scared of the environment I potentially had to deal with, but I am glad the library turned out to be a place filled with motivational and understanding people. I can't thank everyone enough for providing me with a positive work experience, and many of the skills I learned from various people will hopefully manifest themselves into my future aspirations.
Carol Rodriguez
My favorite memory from working at the UCR Orbach Science Library would be meeting new friends and meeting new people that would come in and come out from the library every day. Also, one thing that I will miss dearly would be the annual Thanksgiving Feast where they would give us so much good food and we would just have fun. Also, congrats, grads -- we did it!
Samantha Berrospe
My favorite memory from the library is seeing all the students take a break from studying, and enjoy relaxing by attending our Finals Week Stress Relief activities. What I will miss most about working at the library is hanging out with my coworkers and gaining some new friends.
One Day to Make a Difference
Save the date! On Tuesday, December 3, UC Riverside will host its second annual Day of Giving.
Day of Giving is a unique, online fundraising opportunity that lasts only 24 hours.
For Day of Giving 2019, the UCR Library will highlight these three funds:
There are two ways you can help.
First:
Post on social media about the Day of Giving. Tag us (@ucrlibrary on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook) and include the hashtag #GivingTueUCR in your post, so we can interact with you. (Hint: Also tag some fellow Highlanders who love the library.)
You can use the “Share” buttons (above right) to share this story easily by email, Facebook or Twitter.
Second:
Make your gift early using the button below (scroll down to "Library Development Fund"). All charitable contributions are tax-deductible and will directly benefit everyone at UC Riverside who uses the UCR Library.
Student Research Ignites a ‘Revolutionary’ Poster Exhibit
During winter quarter 2024, the UCR Library collaborated with Dr. Alejandra Dubcovsky and her History 197 students on a ‘revolutionary’ project.
From March 15 through March 28, 2024, a poster exhibit near the Information Desk in the Tomás Rivera Library was on display that offered different perspectives on the American Revolution.
Dr. Dubcovsky aimed to deepen students' understanding of the American Revolution by allowing students to explore it from diverse angles, with their research culminating in a poster exhibit.
“There are so many primary materials available and they cover all sorts of topics, from fashion to food, from warfare to everyday life, and from women's experiences to the role of political discourse,” Dr. Dubcovsky explained. “Students can always find something of interest in the American Revolution!”
Key to this exploration were the efforts of Social Sciences Teaching Librarian Michael Yonezawa and Arts and Humanities Teaching Librarian Robin M. Katz. They collaborated with Dr. Dubcovsky to design a library instruction session for the class that not only introduced students to valuable library resources but also helped them engage directly with primary sources.
Dr. Dubcovsky credited this collaboration as critical to the project's success, stating, "The library and librarians were instrumental in the success of the students' research projects. Michael and Robin then went above and beyond (as usual), and held individual meetings with each student; these one-on-one meetings allowed students to ask specific questions and resolve particular research queries."
Student Kasen Milhon-Martin appreciated the one-on-one session. “I met with Michael Yonezawa and he was incredibly helpful and walked me through using the databases…it was also really helpful to talk through my topic while looking for sources to use.”
Another student in the class, Jacob Spencer, expressed how the library’s resources proved invaluable. "The library was the linchpin in my work…giving me free use of internet databases like Gale's Sabin Americana and JSTOR were immensely helpful."
Jacob was unaware of how easy library services like Interlibrary Loan were to use until this project, noting how smooth the process was.
“I needed a book that UCR didn't have, but through the interlibrary loan system, I was able to get it without any problems,” Jacob said. “It's such a wonderfully useful facet of the library that I most definitely will turn to should I need something that I can't pick right off the shelf at Rivera.”
Another History 197 student, Bailey Hellman, shared their enthusiasm for the accessible presentation of historical research through posters: "It's really nice to be able to see something that you have spent so much time working on being displayed. A lot of academic papers are difficult to read, so something like a poster makes historical work more digestible and accessible."
Bailey was surprised by all of the databases accessible to the UCR community for free through the UCR Library, "There are so many sources in those that don't come up with a simple Google search––and I couldn't have written my paper without them. It made everything so much easier," Bailey said.
Haydn Marshall, another student in the class, successfully tracked down the full original text of the Heritable Jurisdictions (Scotland) Act of 1746 in a book in the Rivera Library. There is a free online version from the UK Parliament’s website, but it only goes back to 1991 and not all of the original text is included. Haydn was able to leverage library resources to find the full original text version.
“I gave some advice, but I didn’t point out this specific title,” Robin M. Katz said. “This is just one example of the many students who had a chance to hone and demonstrate tremendous skill and initiative.”
Robin continued, “This story also shows how meaningful it is for us librarians to see students’ final projects – most of the time, we teach a session, or have a research consultation, or answer a question and we don’t know where the research leads. Getting to reconnect with Haydn and see his fantastic work and hear his insightful argument was a real highlight of the quarter for me.”
This exhibition not only showcased students' hard work but also underscored the library's vital role in fostering academic research and information literacy.
“Working with instructors to support students' information literacy development is one of our primary missions,” said Director of Teaching and Learning Britt Foster. “And being active creators of information, as with these posters, is the perfect example of this, as students are bringing together primary and secondary sources to tell these stories in new ways.”
Collection Strategists
Arts and Humanities
Eaton at the Movies
A celebration of science fiction film and television-related materials from the Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy.
This exhibit takes up the themes of wonder and terror as it relates to SF film and television, and showcases a variety of materials from the Eaton Collection.
From periodicals to intimate photographs, rare books to concept art, many of these items are being exhibited for the first time, and represent holdings from multiple archival and print collections.
Visit Special Collections & University Archives to view the exhibit or learn more by downloading the exhibit guide here.
| Event | Eaton at the Movies |
| Location | Tomás Rivera Library, 4th Floor in Special Collections & University Archives (SCUA) |
| Dates | Monday, February 12, 2024 - Summer 2024 |
| Hours |
View this exhibit during SCUA's operating hours. Please note, SCUA will be closed on Monday, February 19 in observance of Presidents' Day. SCUA's normal operating hours are below: Monday - Friday: 10 a.m. - 4 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:
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