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Library launches six-week digital scholarship certificate program
The Library’s first-ever certificate program will take place in summer 2023. Undergraduate students can apply now!
The UCR Library is excited to announce the launch of a digital scholarship certificate program that will provide undergraduate students the opportunity to engage deeply with primary sources that highlight student activism and BIPOC student voices from the past at UCR. Digital scholarship is used in this context to describe the use of digital tools or methods for a variety of scholarly activities like research, teaching, and publishing.
The program will be led the UCR Library’s Digital Scholarship Program Team which includes Digital Scholarship Librarian Rachel Starry, Digital Initiatives Specialist Krystal Boehlert, Special Collections Public Services, Outreach and Community Engagement Librarian Sandy Enriquez, and Innovative Media Librarian Alvaro Alvarez.
Participants will have the opportunity to engage in hands-on projects and work with archival material from the UCR Library. They will also gain valuable skills in research, photography, data, and critical analysis.
“Since 2020, the Digital Scholarship Program has been working to expand the support we offer to campus for teaching and learning with digital tools,” explains Rachel Starry. “We’re very excited to launch this new opportunity for students to really dig into special collections and build their digital literacy skills.”
While the certificate program is non-credit bearing, students in the social sciences and humanities may find it not only complements their coursework but simultaneously provides an opportunity to explore subjects that they may not typically have access to through their departmental curriculum. Students accepted into the program can look forward to taking workshops on the following topics:
- Encountering Archives: Materiality and Space
- DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Imaging in the Archives
- Metadata & Data Management for Digitized Archival Materials
- OCR (Optical Character Recognition): Turning Digitized Documents into Searchable Texts
- Close and Distant Reading: Quantitative Text Analysis for Archival Materials
- Curating Digital Exhibits
Undergraduate students can apply for the program now until April 28, 2023. A maximum of 30 applicants will be accepted into the program and applicants will be notified of their acceptance status in May 2023. The program will run from June 26 to August 4, 2023.
Students interested in learning more about the program can join the Digital Scholarship Program Team on February 24 for a virtual Info Session. RSVP on Eventbrite. Instructors are welcome to attend and share this opportunity with their undergraduate students.
For more information and to apply for the program, please visit our Digital Scholarship Certificate Program web page.
Fall 2020: The Library is still here for students
The UCR Library buildings remain closed during Fall Quarter 2020 to protect the health of the essential employees who are working on the premises to meet the teaching and research needs of our undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and researchers.
Although this means that students won’t be able to enter the Rivera or Orbach Libraries during fall quarter, rest assured: the UCR Library has not forgotten about R’Students!
As soon as campus closed in mid-March, the library quickly pivoted to online access to our services and library collections, as much as we possibly could.
Following the campus guidelines from the Chancellor and Provost, we are focusing our fall quarter plans on remote services that put students first, including:
Get stuff
- Curbside delivery of physical materials
- Expanded/free digital access to existing collections
- Additional online Course Reserves (E-Reserves)
Get help
- Ask a Student (starting Sept. 28) is a new chat service that connects students with peers to provide the resources they need to be successful in a remote learning environment, in collaboration with Undergraduate Education
- Ask a Librarian (online chat 24/7, text or email)
- Librarians assigned to Highlander Connections communities for first-year and transfer students, in collaboration with Student Life
- One-on-one Consultations with UCR Librarians
Learning communities
- Biweekly Maker Meetups with the Creat’R Lab
- Biweekly Digital Scholarship meetups
- Special Collections & University Archives workshops & events
- Workshops on a variety of other topics
In 2019, the library partnered with representatives from ASUCR’s Student Voice Committee to identify more ways in which the library could support our students. Through that survey, we identified the top five challenges facing UCR students at that time. However, we recognize that new challenges have certainly arisen in this new remote learning environment.
We want you to know that we are still listening. If you have ideas on how the Library can help you during remote instruction, please fill out this form so that library leadership can consider your suggestions. You can also suggest a book you need for your research, if we don’t already have it in our collections.
We know that many students miss the community and opportunities for collaboration that came from seeing one another face-to-face at the library. Library staff miss your in-person presence every day. We are offering online meetups and workshops on an assortment of topics to facilitate human connections and a chance to learn together.
UC Riverside aims to help students succeed academically and strive toward their dreams beyond graduation. The UCR Library is here to serve you, so please, let us know how we can best support you during these challenging times.
UCR Library at the California Libraries Association Annual Conference
On Nov. 2-4, several UCR Library staff members contributed programs and poster sessions for the California Libraries Association (CLA) Annual Conference in Riverside, CA. The 2017 conference theme was, “New Worlds Emerge.”
Maker Services Librarian Krista Ivy, Open Research Librarian Michele Potter, and Data Librarian Kat Koziar gave a presentation session called From Zero to Makerspace: The UC Riverside Creat’R Lab Story. “It was well attended, and the audience was engaged with what we presented,” Koziar said.
Data Librarian Kat Koziar, Special Collections Public Services Assistant Zayda Delgado, Head of Preservation Services Patricia Smith-Hunt, Preservation Assistant Sara Stilley, and Director of Distinctive Collections Cherry Williams collaborated on a poster presentation titled, New Technologies, New Worlds. The poster showed the evolution of books across a timeline from 2500 BCE to present day, highlighting the most significant inventions used to create, package, disseminate, and access information.
“We took several items from our teaching collection and people who stopped by got to see and touch the transformative technologies our poster highlighted,” Delgado said. “Conference attendees really enjoyed the hands-on experience.”
Social Sciences Teaching Librarian Christina Cicchetti gave a poster presentation called Promoting School Readiness Through Diverse Children’s Books, which she prepared in collaboration with Dr. Ashaunta Anderson, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the UCR School of Medicine and Principal Investigator for the Cultural Pride Reinforcement for Early School Readiness research project; Sharon Rushing, PhD candidate in the UCR Department of Anthropology; and Dr. Annette Goldsmith, Lecturer at the University of Washington Information School.
“The study will distribute books to children during well-child visits to their pediatrician,” explained Cicchetti, who serves with Goldsmith on a community advisory board that helped to select books used in the study and prepared an informational handout for parents.
University Programs Teaching Librarian Judy Lee organized and led a Riverside Asian American Walking Tour on Sunday, Nov. 5, after the CLA Conference concluded.
Carla Arbagey, Collection Strategist for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) led a tour of the UCR Library for attendees from the CLA conference.
“I had a lot of fun showing off our libraries and our campus,” Arbagey said. “Of course, the highlight of the tour was our visit to Special Collections and University Archives, and everyone was excited to see the home of the Eaton Collection.” Katz shared program goals and findings for 4 to Explore, along with the featured items from the current and prior months.
When showing Project Bi Nary by Steven McCarthy (nicknamed the “pillow book” by library staff), a recent acquisition from the September road show with Vamp & Tramp Artists Booksellers, Arbagey had an a-ha! moment: “I saw how one item from our collection can show how the seemingly disparate departments in our library are actually very connected.” The tour group first encountered it when they met with Patricia Smith-Hunt in Preservation, who explained how Preservation creates custom-made, acid free boxes to store special collections items.
Then in Special Collections, Katz explained that she had suggested the book as a purchase because it could be featured as part of a Creat'R Lab event on crafting and artists' books.
“So, you can see how our tour, which went from the Creat'R Lab to Preservation to SCUA, could be connected by this single (and very cool) book!” Arbagey concluded.
Master Musician Curtis Wright to Trace the History of the Banjo at Orbach Science Library
Lecture and musical performance will show the evolution of the instrument from its African roots to contemporary times
By Ross French
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) — Master banjo player and historian Curtis Wright will explore the historical roots of the instrument and other African-derived elements in bluegrass music in a special performance on Friday, February 22, 2013 at 12 noon in room 240 of the Orbach Science Library at the University of California, Riverside.
The performance, titled “The African-American Banjo: A Musical Journey from Slavery to Contemporary Times” is sponsored by the Librarians Association of UCR and is a part of the campus’ celebration of Black History Month throughout February.
“Curtis is a wonderful musician. I take any opportunity I can to hear him play” said Christina R. Cicchetti, reference and educational services librarian and the organizer of the event. “It is a real privilege to share his talent with the campus community. He is particularly knowledgeable on the history of the banjo and its African roots. This event will be both a fun and informative opportunity to celebrate Black History Month.”
Wright’s appearance is a combination lecture and musical performance that traces the origins of the banjo from its roots in Africa as the West African kora, through its evolution from a handmade instrument made and used by African-American slaves to its current position as a mainstay instrument in country, folk, traditional and bluegrass music.
The predecessor of today’s banjo traveled to North America with slaves brought from Africa.
In a career that spans nearly four decades, Wright has worked as a professional cowboy, educator and is currently a circuit pastor as well as an in-demand musician, having performed with Buck Page and the Riders of the Purple Sage, the Frank Wakefield Band and Jimmy Collier. In addition to the banjo, Wright plays violin, mandolin, harmonica, guitar and the Indian flute.
The event is free and open to the public. Metered visitor parking is available in Lot 10 or a parking permit may be purchased at the parking kiosk near University Avenue.
Photo Shoots in the Library
Please submit your request to do a photo shoot (e.g. graduation / senior portraits) inside Orbach Library or Rivera Library at least 48 hours in advance, to allow sufficient time for leadership to review your request.
You can expect a response from library staff within two business days.
UCR’s Asbestos-Covered Fahrenheit 451 To Go Abroad
A book from the UCR Library's Special Collections & University Archives will be taking an Italian vacation this winter. A rare copy of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 will be on display at Fondazione Prada in Milan from February to June 2016 as part of the show To the Son of Man Who Ate the Scroll by Polish artist Goshka Macuga.
This best-selling dystopian novel depicts a future in which books are banned and firemen start fires instead of fighting them. The exhibition will include other artistic and scientific reflections on "humanity's concern with its own conclusion" to, in the words of the organizers, explore "the preservation and destruction of knowledge" in the face of "threats to our fragile existence."
Fahrenheit 451 was first published as a paperback in October 1953 by Ballantine. Later that year, the publisher issued 200 copies signed by the author and bound in boards covered in Quinterra Electrical Insulation, a chrysotile asbestos manufactured by Johns Manville and used for its fire-retardant properties. The UCR Library owns copy number 148.
If you’re worried that you might you miss "the asbestos edition" while it is away, there are plenty of other editions of Fahrenheit 451 in the UCR Library's Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy – including this limited edition published in 1982. It is bound in aluminum and features colorful, full-page illustrations by Joseph Mugnaini.
Questions about external exhibition loans can be directed to Robin M. Katz at specialcollections@ucr.edu.
Chicanas/Latinas celebrated through personal memories in Semana de la Mujer exhibit
Every year, UCR’s Chicano Student Programs (CSP) coordinates Semana de la Mujer, a week-long series of events that celebrate Chicanas/Latinas and coincides with Women’s History Month. Semana de la Mujer 2023 included an exhibit at the Rivera Library that will be on display till the end of March.
“This year, the committee wanted to do something a little different,” said Arlene Cano Matute, CSP Assistant Director.
Since fall quarter, CSP staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students have been meeting weekly planning the 2023 Semana de la Mujer series. It was at a committee meeting that the idea of an exhibit at the Tomás Rivera Library commemorating the women and femmes in the lives of UCR community members was born.
“Having this exhibit at the Rivera Library made perfect sense to us,” said Arlene. “Named after our first Chicano chancellor in the UC system, who was a poet, author, and also from a campesino family, it speaks to the stories of so many of our students at UC Riverside, a Hispanic Serving Institution.”
Arlene and the committee connected with the UCR Library’s Special Collections Public Services Outreach and Community Engagement Librarian Sandy Enriquez. Sandy was part of a group of UCR Library staff members who previously worked with CSP on the digitization of Nuestra Cosa that coincided with CSP’s 50th anniversary last year.
The Library’s Head of Facilities Dave Schuster was able to work with Sandy and the CSP committee on how best to bring their vision to life in the Rivera Library.
From the start, Sandy understood the responsibility that came with a community-centered exhibit like this.
“Chicano Student Programs did a call for submissions from the UCR community,” Sandy explained. “Community engagement like this is so meaningful and necessary. It takes a lot of responsibility and trust to build connections. I am so happy we were able to facilitate this exhibit and collaborate with Chicano Student Programs to create this unique space.”
18 people submitted items, coming mostly from UCR students but UCR alumni, staff/community members (including two from the UCR Library), and a seven-year-old who is the daughter of one of CSP’s committee members also contributed. Each person who submitted also wrote their own item description that is included in the exhibit. Items submitted include pictures, illustrations, clothing, jewelry, pottery, photos, and more.
You’ll see items that bring back memories of deportation and separation of families, memories of loved ones who have passed away, dolls and blankets that remind people of their family in Mexico and Central America, and many more objects that evoke memories of happiness and sorrow.
“This process of developing and memorializing our stories is painful sometimes, but we hope that it was also joyous and healing,” Arlene said. “I hope people take the opportunity to read the submissions of the women and femmes that are part of our exhibit, they are inspiring!”
Sandy adds, “When we think of exhibits, we often think of very famous or influential people’s stories, not ordinary and intimate moments like these. But I hope this exhibit helps people realize that this is their space too, and their stories deserve to be showcased with the same care and intention. It’s a gift to be a part of sharing these memories.”
The exhibit reception took place on February 22 at the Rivera Library. At the reception, Arlene spoke about the exhibit being influenced by the work of Dr. Yolanda Chávez Leyva from the University of Texas, El Paso who talks about memory as esperanza (hope).
“Dr. Chávez Leyva reminds us that memories bring us back home. It becomes reparation and healing for us. Memory work is more than an emotion. It's our responsibility. In this exhibit, we make a conscious decision not to forget and not to let anybody else forget,” Arlene said speaking to the crowd.
View the exhibit on the first floor of the Rivera Library till the end of winter quarter.
Event: Semana de la Mujer exhibit
Location: Tomás Rivera Library, 1st floor
Dates: Feb. 22, 2023 - Mar. 24, 2023
Filming in the Library
Please submit your request to film inside Orbach Library or Rivera Library at least two weeks in advance, to allow sufficient time for leadership to review your request.
You can expect a response from library staff within five business days.
Supporting Students When They Need It Most
Finals Week Stress Relief at the UCR Library provides much-needed support to students during the most demanding time of the quarter.
The week before finals and the week of finals, the UCR Library offers free activities to students like arts and craft events, food giveaways, contests, and games to help students take a break, recharge, and refocus. Therapy dog and cat visits, known as Therapy Fluffies, are a special highlight and brought to students with the help of our on campus partner The Well’s Active Minds.
UCR Library Serials Assistant Andrea Newman, a member of the UCR Library's Finals Week Stress Relief Committee, shared how impactful these events are. “The number one comment I’ve heard from students is, ‘Thank you so much… You guys are amazing!’ Whether we’re handing out snacks or boba drinks, the students are always so appreciative,” she said.
Students have shared how these programs help them navigate finals. “I really like the food-related ones because sometimes I forget to make time to eat,” one student said. Arts and crafts are another favorite, providing a creative escape from the pressures of exams. “Students often ask us to put on more arts and crafts events because they find them so calming,” Newman added.
The UCR Library is a space all students use, and programs like Finals Week Stress Relief ensure that it supports students in more ways than one. With over 900,000 visits annually, the library is a cornerstone of campus life, offering students not just academic resources but also a place to find balance during stressful times.
With additional donor support, the UCR Library could expand these offerings, creating even more opportunities to help students de-stress and succeed. If you’d like to support Finals Week Stress Relief at the UCR Library, there are many ways to contribute: you can donate food/snacks, beverages, arts and craft supplies for stress-relief activities, or provide financial support to help us broaden these initiatives. Please contact our Sr. Development Officer Shannon Castro to learn more about how you can make a difference. Your generosity will help us continue to ensure students have a space that supports their well-being and academic success.
Curious to see what we have in store for students for Fall 2024 Finals Week Stress Relief? Click here!
Join us for Maker Week 2023
Attention all makers and DIY enthusiasts! The UCR Library’s Creat’R Lab is excited to announce Maker Week, taking place Monday, April 24 - Friday, April 28, 2023.
Join us for a week of hands-on learning and creative expression as we celebrate all things maker culture. Our Maker Week will feature a variety of exciting workshops and events designed to inspire your inner inventor, tinkerer, and designer.
Here is what you can expect during Maker Week:
Monday, April 24
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Build Your Own Robot (registration required) | Noon - 1:30 p.m. | Creat'R Lab
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Arduino Basics (registration required) | 2 - 3 p.m. | Zoom
Tuesday, April 25
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VR Games and Makerspace Tour | 2 - 4 p.m. | Creat'R Lab
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Jewelry Making (registration is required) | 12 - 1:30 p.m. | Creat'R Lab
Wednesday, April 26
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Draw with 3D Pens/3D Pens Demo | Noon - 1 p.m. | Creat'R Lab
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Intro to 3D Modeling & Printing (registration required) | 2 - 3 p.m. | Zoom
Thursday, April 27
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Project Showcase/ Entrepreneur Fair + Hoodie Giveaway | 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Rivera Arches | While supplies last
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Talk on 3D Printing Innovation | 2 - 3 p.m. | Creat’R Lab
Friday, April 28
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Creat'R Lab Birthday Bash! Grab a Cupcake | Noon - 1 p.m. | Creat'R Lab | While supplies last
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Crochet Your Own Small Animal (registration required) | 1 - 3 p.m. | Creat'R Lab
All of our Maker Week events are free and open to members of the UCR community.
Whether you're a seasoned maker or just starting out, we invite you to come explore the Creat’R Lab. Don't miss this exciting opportunity to unleash your creativity and bring your ideas to life!
We hope to see you there!