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On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, the UCR Library hosted Congressman Shomari C. Figures for a visit to engage with our Tuskegee Airmen Collections. 

The visit was coordinated by UCR’s Senior Director of Federal Relations Kathleen Eiler and her team in the Office of Governmental & Community Relations. Upon his arrival at the Tomás Rivera Library, the Congressman was greeted by University Librarian Mihoko Hosoi, Deputy University Librarian & Associate University Librarian for Content and Discovery Tiffany Moxham, and Special Collections Processing Archivist Andrew Lippert.

The visit began on the first floor, where the Congressman viewed our long-standing exhibit dedicated to Tuskegee Airmen history. As the representative for Alabama's 2nd Congressional District, which includes Tuskegee, the exhibit held particular personal significance. Alongside the exhibit, he viewed paintings of Tuskegee Airmen displayed to the left, which were originally featured on a 2010 Rose Parade float honoring the Airmen’s legacy.

The tour then moved to the fourth floor to view a curated selection of Tuskegee materials housed in Special Collections and University Archives. Andrew Lippert provided historical context for these items, highlighting the origins of the collection which began under the leadership of former University Librarian Ruth Jackson.

Reflecting on the significance of the archives, University Librarian Mihoko Hosoi noted, "As librarians, our duty is to collect, organize, and preserve history. The Tuskegee Airmen’s distinguished military service and monumental contributions must never be forgotten."

Among the items that drew Congressman Figures' attention most were the personal diary entries, which he found to be an intimate and powerful glimpse into everyday life during the period. He also spent considerable time with photographs from the collection, including a wedding photo from the 1940s. The Congressman noted professional wedding photography was a luxury few could easily afford at the time, and even less so for many Black families, making its survival in the historical record all the more meaningful. Rounding out the breadth of the collection were unexpected items like Tuskegee Airmen GI Joe action figures, underscoring just how wide-ranging our Tuskegee Collections are.

The UCR Library remains committed to ensuring that collections like these continue to inform and inspire whether for researchers seeking to deepen the historical record or for advocates like Congressman Figures working to ensure the Tuskegee Airmen receive the recognition they deserve.

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More News September 25, 2024

We are excited to announce Dr. Raymond Uzwyshyn is our new Director of Research Services.

Ray joined us on Monday, September 9 and brings a wealth of experience and a distinguished academic research background, including a Ph.D. from New York University, MLIS from the University of Western Ontario, and an MBA (IT Project Management) from American Public University.  

Before joining us, Ray served as Research Impact Coordinator (full professor) at Mississippi and Texas State University Libraries. His work involved supporting the academic research lifecycle through development of digital research ecosystems, AI possibilities for research across departments and supporting and developing innovative digital systems, projects, and infrastructures for faculty and graduate students’ research.  

Ray shares what sparked his interest in the Director of Research Services position here at the UCR Library, "I was quite intrigued by this position's unique technological focus for research directions and current wealth of new digital and IT innovation possible this way. I'm a huge believer in new technologies and enabling the university scholarly community with these new infrastructures for communicating, collaborating and enabling research."

Ray hopes to continue to shape the Research Services department into an innovative and interdisciplinary service infrastructure where staff expertise and cutting-edge technologies—such as AI, augmented and virtual reality, data, digital research archives and multimedia—can empower faculty and student research directions to create national level best-in-class projects.

Outside of his professional work, Ray has longstanding interests in the humanities and the arts. "I still have a passion for film, art history, literature and the socio-historical valences of media, more recently—everything AI and new media," Ray says. He also enjoys hiking, yoga, meditation, strength training, and jogging to maintain work/life balance with academic and creative pursuits.

We are thrilled to welcome Ray to our team and look forward to the exciting contributions he will bring to the UCR Library and the UCR research community.  

More News November 01, 2019

The University of California, Riverside Library and campus partners will host several events in celebration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day.

This year, UCR will observe GIS Day on Thursday, Nov. 14, with other related events leading up to it.

GIS Day, first established in 1999, provides an international forum for users of geographic information systems technology to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in our society.

The 2019 event will showcase the variety of disciplines using GIS, illustrate how GIS is used in both academic and community settings, and provide students opportunities for learning and networking.

This is the third year a poster contest for students is being held. Contest posters will be exhibited in the Orbach Library atrium from November 12 – 22, with the winners being announced on the afternoon of Nov. 14 at the poster display.

GIS Day 2019 at UCR will feature talks by researchers and community members who will share how they use GIS to advance their work. The talks will be held from 12:30 – 2:30 pm in Orbach Science Library, Room 240.

Pre-GIS Day events

October 23: Introduction to QGIS workshop, 2:00 pm, Orbach Library Room 122

October 31: deadline for students to enter the GIS Day poster contest

November 6: Introduction to GIS workshop, 2:00 pm, Orbach Library Room 122

November 7: Campus Safety Walk – Housing Edition, 5:30 pm, meet in Parking Lot 15

November 12-13: Visit our table on the quad from 11:00 am-1:00 pm to learn more about GIS @ UCR and enter our prize giveaway!

November 12: Poster contest display begins, Orbach Library atrium

GIS Day event schedule: November 14

11:00 -12:00 – Geography-related activities in the Creat’R Lab, Orbach Library

12:00 – 12:30 – Lunch and mingle, Orbach Library, Room 240

Speaker Schedule:

12:30: Elia Scudiero, Assistant Research Agronomist

• GIS for Precision Agriculture

12:50: Ahmed Eldawy, Assistant Professor of Computer Science

• UCR STAR: The UCR Spatio-temporal Active Repository

1:10: Sunny Shao, Researcher, Center for Social Innovation

• The Use of GIS in IE Census 2020 Planning

1:30: David Yu, Data Scientist, GeoAI, Esri

• Exploring the Intersection of AI and GIS

1:50: Paea LePendu, Professor of Teaching, Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering, and Ulyana Tkachenko, UCR undergraduate student in Computer Science

• Homelessness in Riverside: Analyzing the Point-in-Time Counts 

2:10: Elizabeth Perez, Campus Space/GIS Coordinator, and Alan Siero, Data & Process Analyst; both from Facilities Services

• Campus Safety Walk: Collector App in Action for Public Safety

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2:30 – 3:30: Meet the poster contestants, Orbach Library Atrium

3:30 – 3:45: Giveaway Prize Drawing

3:45: Announcement of poster contest winners

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Cosponsoring the GIS Day events are UCR Facilities Services and the Departments of Anthropology, Entomology, History, and Environmental Sciences. Additionally, logistical support is being provided by the Center for Conservation Biology and the R’Geospatial student organization.

More News January 23, 2017

Join us as we examine the academic themes of Living the Promise: The Campaign for UC Riverside, and how UCR is impacting our community, our nation, and our world, and how you are part of it all.

Living the Promise Symposia are a yearlong series that will reflect on the key themes of UCR’s comprehensive fundraising campaign.

All symposia are free to attend for UCR students, staff, faculty, and alumni, as well as community members, friends, and supporters of the university.

Upcoming events include:

Discover the Emerging Technologies and innovations at UCR that enrich the ways we experience and interact with our world. RSVP online.

Date:	Thursday, February 16, 2017
Time:	6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location:	HUB 302 at UCR

 

From Genomics to Harvest: Explore the vast contributions UCR is making to the basic science, cultivation, and production of plants and food. RSVP online.

Date:	Friday, March 17, 2017
Time:	6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location:	The Barn at UCR

 

Examine the concept of Renewable Nature and learn how UCR’s environmental, energy, and sustainable development research solutions are creating a healthier planet. RSVP online.

Date:	Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Time:	6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location:	University Theatre

 

Watch, look, and see the New Voices and Visions of UCR as we showcase the various expressions and celebrations of our humanity through visual and performing arts, and nurture voices from across the rich tapestry of society. RSVP online.

Date:	Thursday, May 4, 2017
Time:	6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location:	University Theatre at UCR

 

The Symposia Launch took place in October 2016, where special guest U.S. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell discussed improving access, increasing affordability, enhancing quality, and accelerating college completion, and how UCR is leveraging these priorities to become a university of the 21st century: A Place Where All Succeed.

The second symposium was held in November 2016, and that event focused on the topic of Social Innovation & Empowerment.

More News September 21, 2015

National leaders convene to support and advise UCR Library

On Saturday, September 19, 2015, the UCR Library hosted the inaugural meeting of the newly-established African American Collections Advisory Board. Thought-leaders from across the nation met with library and university leaders to discuss and establish best practices in collecting and preserving the history of the African American experience, and methods of documenting local, regional, national, and international issues.

The day-long series of round-table conversations were energized by national leaders such as Dr. Meredith Evans, Director of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum, who spearheaded the Documenting Ferguson project and Dr. Abdul Alkalimat, Professor Emeritus of African American Studies and library and information science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prominent community members also joined the discussion series, including Rose M. Mayes, Executive Director of the Fair Housing Council of Riverside County and president of the Riverside African American Historical Society, and Hardy Brown, Jr., Executive Director of the Black Voice Foundation.

University Librarian Steven Mandeville-Gamble encouraged the board to broaden the scope of their work on behalf of the UCR Library by not limiting their focus to black Americans. Scholars and leaders from across UCR disciplines — including Vice Provost for International Affairs Kelechi Kalu, and faulty from the departments of Ethnic Studies and History — engaged the group in discussion about how the university can best support the library, and the international scholarly community, in collecting and preserving history from underserved and underrepresented communities at large. Bergis Jules and Dr. Alison M. Scott, both from the library's Special Collections and University Archives department, described their past and current work in this arena and shared their successes and challenges.

Further discussion evolved around fundraising as a necessary aspect of collecting historical documentation, building relationships in communities that have historically been distrustful of higher education as a reliable keeper of their family history, as well as the importance of educating the general public about the "history of everyday life" and the valuable historical snapshot that a seemingly-unexceptional object may hold for others in the future.

This first meeting of the American Collections Advisory Board formally launches the UCR Library's nationwide collaborative efforts to share, create, and sustain knowledge among ethnic groups whose history and experiences are woven into the fabric of the country. While library initiatives such as the founding of the Tuskegee Airmen Archive in 2005 and the newly-established Inland Empire Memories project have exemplified the library's and university's continued commitment to diversity on campus, this Board elevates UCR to a significantly larger stage, and establishes the university as driving these vital considerations on a national and international level.

More News March 29, 2019

UC Riverside hosted the 2019 Statewide Assembly for the Librarians Association of the University of California (LAUC).

LAUC is a statewide organization of all librarians employed at least half time by the University, and its formal objectives are: to advise the University on professional and governance matters, to make recommendations concerning the UC librarians' rights, privileges and obligations, and to promote full use of UC librarians' professional abilities.

More than 60 librarians from all ten UC campuses attended, with additional participants watching the proceedings remotely via Zoom.

On Thursday, March 28, 2019 the Assembly met in the Fox Hole in the Pentland Hills complex on the UCR campus. LAUC President Roger Smith (UC San Diego) called the Assembly to order shortly after 9:30 a.m. Following general announcements, UCR University Librarian Steven Mandeville-Gamble gave welcoming remarks.

In the morning, the Business Meeting consisted of roll call, and reports from Standing Committees, the Nominations Committee, LAUC Representatives, and the President.

At lunch break, attendees were invited to join student-led campus tours. LAUC-Riverside Chair Kent LaCombe also led two walking trips to the UCR Botanic Gardens. A LAUC-themed word search puzzle was also distributed.

The first part of the afternoon session was a working discussion, in which all attendees reacted to and generated ideas on the value of LAUC and barriers to engagement at the statewide and local levels. After a break, the Assembly concluded with a review of the major ideas generated and a summary of action items.

Roger Smith adjourned the Assembly shortly after 4:00 p.m. Interested parties were invited to continue the discussions at a happy hour gathering at the Getaway Cafe.

LAUC-Riverside Chair Kent LaCombe spearheaded making the local arrangements, with assistance from several LAUC-R members, including but not limited to: Geospatial Information Librarian Janet Reyes, Director of Teaching and Learning Dani Cook, Scholarly Communication Librarian Swati Bhattacharyya, Social Sciences Teaching Librarian Christina Cicchetti, University Programs Teaching Librarian Judy Lee, Collections Strategist for the Arts & Humanities Carla Arbagey, Early Experience Teaching Librarian Michael Yonezawa, Medical Education and Clinical Outreach Librarian Elisa Cortez, Head of Preservation Services Patricia Smith-Hunt (not pictured), Special Research Projects Director David Rios (not pictured), and Arts and Humanities Teaching Librarian Ken Furuta (not pictured).

More News May 20, 2024

April 22-26, the UCR Library’s Creat’R Lab hosted its 2nd annual Maker Week, which included the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair.

The event, co-sponsored by Blackstone LaunchPad and ASUCR, showcased the creativity and technical prowess of UCR students. The top 3 student projects, chosen by a panel of judges, were awarded prizes.

Senior Ernest Romero, representing a team of bioengineering students, secured first place and a $200 prize with his group’s pediatric smart harness to support and monitor movement. The harness, designed for children with cerebral palsy and similar conditions, integrates three types of sensors to monitor improvements in things like heart rate, step count, and pressure distribution.

"Our project is a senior design project sponsored by Dr. Kokkoni from the bioengineering department,” Romero shared. “The majority of our work was done in the Creat’R Lab and the Robotics Lab, where we focused on sewing and assembling our different sensors."

Acknowledging the collaborative effort, Romero added, "It wasn't just me who won. This award is a testament to our entire team's hard work."

Other projects in the fair included:

• Sam Sheikholeslami’s automotive racing parts and apparel brand (2nd place)
• Sethya Pugal’s security system (3rd place)
• Lilianna Angel’s cosplay masks
• Samatha Graham’s handmade jewelry

Dr. Francisca Reyes, Campus Director of Blackstone LaunchPad, emphasized the diversity and creativity among the participants: "It's great that we had a diverse group of students from different backgrounds. It's important for other students to see that innovative and entrepreneurial ideas can range from technical to creative."

Brendon Wheeler, Maker Services Coordinator for the Creat’R Lab, praised the event, noting, "The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair was a great representation of what our students are capable of. We’re thankful for our partnerships with Blackstone, ASUCR, and the UCR Library, which played a crucial role in supporting our students’ innovative projects."

The success of Maker Week underscores the UCR Library’s commitment to fostering an environment where students can collaborate, innovate, and bring their ideas to life. As the Library continues to support innovative projects with resources like the Creat’R Lab, Robotics Lab, 3DXP Lab, and STAR Lab, the future looks bright for UCR’s budding innovators!

More News January 29, 2025

The Creat’R Lab kicked off the new year with an open house and the relaunch of Maker Meetups.

The Creat’R Lab Open House on Monday, January 13 served as an opportunity for the campus community to explore the lab’s upgrades and learn about its offerings, which include cutting-edge tools like 3D printers, VR headsets, Cricut cutting machines, laser cutters, and sewing and embroidery equipment.

“After a period of renovations, the goal was to invite people in and show them the changes,” said Innovative Media Librarian Alvaro Alvarez. During the open house, visitors had the chance to see the equipment in action, participate in demonstrations, and envision how they might use the lab for their own projects. Attendees included individuals from diverse backgrounds, such as medical students and facilities staff, highlighting the lab’s wide appeal.

Based on the success of the open house, the Creat’R Lab Team hopes to host similar events in the future, potentially once a quarter or annually, to showcase new equipment and updates.

Building on this momentum, the Creat’R Lab relaunched Maker Meetups this quarter to encourage exploration of maker technologies. These casual meetups, which had previously been on pause since the pandemic, have been revitalized with the hiring Maker Services Coordinator Brendon Wheeler.

The Maker Meetups are designed to lower the barriers for students and UCR community members to engage with STEM and maker fields, regardless of their experience level. “It’s about opening doors for people who might feel discouraged or unfamiliar with these topics,” Brendon explained.

This quarter’s meetups cover topics like robotics, music creation, 3D printing, and more. The lab has partnered with campus clubs and faculty to bring in guest speakers and provide insights into emerging technologies and real-world applications.

“We want to encourage participation from everyone,” Brendon said. “You don’t need to have a background in STEM to join, this is a space for exploration and learning.”

The Maker Meetups aim to foster a sense of community while equipping participants with skills and knowledge to bring their ideas to life. With plans to host these meetups regularly, the Creat’R Lab continues to solidify its role as a hub for creativity and innovation at UCR.

More News April 28, 2025

UCR students looking for support with their coursework, research, or general library questions have another valuable resource at their disposal: librarians are now available at the Help Desk in Rivera Library. 

Located at the combined Library Support/IT Support Desk, this service offers in-person help for a wide range of needs. Since the start of the academic year, the number of students seeking in-person help has increased by 32% compared to the same period last year, demonstrating that more students are turning to the library for guidance.  

Bringing librarians back to the Help Desk is part of the library’s efforts to support students in their academic success. According to Britt Foster, Director of Teaching and Learning, this change helps ensure students have access to the guidance they need when navigating their research and assignments. “Student success research has demonstrated that relationships with university faculty and staff have a positive impact on student engagement and sense of belonging: by having librarians very visible and available to our students, the hope is the Help Desk is a place where these relationships can form,” Britt said.

Today’s information landscape is increasingly complex, and students often need support not only in finding sources but also in evaluating them. Britt explained that “now it’s less about finding information, and more about efficiently navigating the flood to find high quality, relevant resources.” Librarians can help students develop these skills, offering practical strategies for identifying credible materials and managing research challenges.

Students are encouraged to visit the Help Desk for a wide variety of questions, from finding books and e-books to developing effective search strategies. Librarians are also equipped to help students verify citations, particularly as issues with inaccurate references generated by AI tools have become more common.

“We can help with almost anything”, Britt says. “Probably the unofficial model of reference is, I might not know the answer, but I know how to find it.”

Britt emphasized that students should feel comfortable seeking help at any stage of their research process. “Wherever you are in your research process, we’re excited to join you there,” she said. “Librarians want research help to feel like a warm conversation where we focus on getting you to your goals.”

Trained student assistants are also available at the Help Desk in both libraries. Their work not only supports patrons but contributes to their own professional growth. One student assistant researched technology to improve accessibility at the Help Desk, while another is developing a guide for evaluating social media posts. These projects reflect the library’s commitment to both quality service and meaningful mentorship experiences.

For students looking to get the most out of their visit to the Help Desk, Britt recommends bringing assignment details, if possible, as this can help librarians connect students with the most relevant resources. Most importantly, she encourages students to visit sooner rather than later. “The only thing that kills us at the desk is when our upper division or grad students say, I wish I had known I could get this kind of help from the library sooner! ”

Librarians are available at the Rivera Library Help Desk, located at the combined Library Support/IT Support Desk, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Students are encouraged to stop by, ask questions, and take full advantage of this valuable support system. 

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