|
Rarities in Special Collections
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
UCR Librarians Present at Annual Symposium for Advancement of Science
|
|
|
Science Librarians contribute to conversation on gamification and education. UCR science librarians Julie Mason and Kat Koziar, with contribution from Michelle Potter, presented “Badges for Biology: Benefits of a Blended Library Instruction Model,” at the Library Science Symposium of the Pacific Division annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) held in in June at San Francisco State University. The presentation discussed the validity and power of gamification, as well as the future impact of gamifying information literacy throughout the science curriculum.
Integrating information literacy into the science curriculum is an ever-evolving process. With a variety of online learning platforms introduced each year, librarians have a wide array of options available for delivering online information literacy instruction. Gamification seeks to apply elements of game play, such as scoring points or competing with others, to various areas of activity, thus encouraging deeper engagement.
In order to increase student engagement and information literacy competencies, researchers have recently examined the impact of gamifying information literacy using digital badging systems. A badging system is much like the digital version of scout merit badges — students perform tasks, and receive an electronic, validated display of their accomplishment.
By using an established information literacy-integrated general biology lab course in conjunction with a badging system, UCR librarians and a biology lab coordinator collaborated on creating a digital badge requirement for lab students, introducing them to scientific literature prior to their in-person library session. Students’ information literacy skills are assessed through an in-class online exercise and a lab writing assignment. Mason's, Koziar's, and Potter's presentation compared the effectiveness of gamification in this setting to the online tutorial that was used in past instruction sessions for the lab class.
General topics at the Library Science Symposium included theory and practice of current trends in librarianship, including open access, makerspaces (creative spaces of fabrication, invention, and education) and preservation of their objects, integrating data management and information literacy into the curriculum, creative ways of using online technologies, and comprehensive integration of information literacy into freshman and sophomore engineering courses. Like-minded librarians working on similar projects had a multitude of opportunities to develop invaluable connections and actively converse on their successes and challenges.
|
|
|
George Brown Legacy Project Documents Congressman's Career
|
|
|
The service of a Congressional champion of science and civil rights is being documented at UCR Library. In what was formerly the Copy Center in the quiet basement of the Tomás Rivera Library, Jessica Geiser and her student workers process the papers and materials of former U.S. Congressman George E. Brown, Jr. who represented Inland Southern California in Congress for 14 terms. Known as a champion for science and a staunch defender of civil liberties and human rights, Congressman Brown's papers document his life and career from the late 1930s to his passing in 1999.
In 2010, Congressman Brown's widow, Marta Brown, donated 600 boxes of documents, photographs, and other materials that detailed the Congressman's 14 terms to UCR. Included were approximately 7,000 photographs, 114 VHS tapes, 89 audio cassettes, nearly 600 color slides, and a multitude of reels, floppy discs, and CDs. With the gift of this collection, a mission for the purpose of the project was developed: to ensure the preservation and accessibility of George Brown’s extensive collection at UCR for future generations of scholars, reporters, and leaders in science, labor, business, and public service.
The processing of this comprehensive project began when Geiser was hired as a project archivist in September 2014. Her first task was to relocate and reorganize the unopened boxes prior to unpacking. Once moved, she opened each box and created a content list. "This step was probably the most important step of the entire project and needed to be as detailed as possible," Geiser writes. This information would inform the arrangement of materials, the supplies and staff needed, and the processing time required to complete the project.
As Geiser combed through each box, she collected information on the subjects and dates of the materials, their physical extent in inches, the estimated amount of folders, and the condition of the enclosed materials. Consulting other congressional archival collections, she devised an arrangement scheme that mirrored the ways in which Brown and other Congressmen created and stored their records while in use. A high level of detail and close attention were vital to this success. Finally, she developed the plan which dictates the goals, and methodology to meet those goals, for the entirety of the two-year project.
She and her team then began re-foldering the materials in acid-free folders and boxes that allow for better preservation in long-term storage. Ms. Geiser also ensures that other basic preservation activities take place, such as removing metal paperclips and rubber bands which cause damage, and photocopying fragile and acidic materials — such as newsprint and fax paper — to prevent further deterioration. Although some material is confidential and restricted and must be redacted, the goal is to keep as much information accessible to researchers as possible.
The George Brown papers hold clues to key advances of today and major innovations of tomorrow, and a blueprint for bipartisan problem-solving spanning four decades of federal decision-making. This unique trove of knowledge will be accessible to current and future entrepreneurs and students of effective public service.
As she works towards opening the collection at the end of this two-year project, Ms. Geiser maintains a blog in order to connect with any potential researchers or other interested parties.
|
|
|
|
Summer Hours
June 13 - Sept 23
|
|
RIVERA LIBRARY
Mon-Fri: 7:30a - 6:00p
Sat: 10:00a - 5:00p
Sun: CLOSED
ORBACH SCIENCE LIBRARY
Mon-Fri: 7:30a - 6:00p
Sat: 10:00a - 5:00p
Sun: CLOSED
MUSIC + MEDIA LIBRARIES
Mon-Fri: 9:00a - 6:00p
Sat: CLOSED
Sun: CLOSED
All buildings will be closed September 7th in observance of Labor Day.
|
|
The UCR Library was invited to attend the inaugural Stanford Capture Lab Conference, hosted by the Stanford University Libraries' Digital Library Systems and Services unit. From July 22-24, 2015 a group of 40 archivists, computer scientists, librarians, and technicians from 25 universities worldwide attended this highly participatory “unconference” to share ideas and best practices for recovering data from legacy computer media.
Eric Milenkiewicz, Manuscripts Curator in Special Collections & University Archives, attended and presented a lightning talk at the conference on the integration of our FRED (Forensic Recovery of Evidence Device) machine into the Innovation Annex collaborative learning space. He also discussed the wiki that he is developing as a resource for those beginning to experiment with disk imaging and digital forensics.
Other highlights of the conference included group discussions on capture technologies and born digital workflows, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) demo of audio data cassette and video game cartridge capture technologies, an Emulation as a Service (EaaS) presentation by Klaus Rechert, and an overview of BitCurator and the new BitCurator Access Project by Cal Lee.
More information on the Stanford Capture Lab Conference 2015, can be found here.
|
|
Librarian Katherine "Kat" Koziar has taken on a new library role: liaison to the recently formed campus grant team. She brings over 16 years of experience working with grants and special projects at southern California community colleges. “I really enjoy being part of the grant process,” commented Koziar. “I’m glad my background and expertise in grants and data management can help develop new roles for the Library.”
The grant writing team, informally referred to as the Proposal Development Collaborative, is coordinated by Randall Black, Senior Grant Writer/Facilitator for the Office of Research and Economic Development. Grant writers from across campus meet monthly to share resources and needs. As a member of this team, Koziar has identified several key roles the library can play in the grant writing process including assisting with research, data management plans, collaborative citation management tools and document systems, and lending librarian search expertise for maximizing results from Pivot, a database for locating funding.
In addition to supplying grant writers with an up-to-date library description, many of the proposals, such as those for Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) grants, need information on how the library supports a particular discipline or disciplines. Koziar works with subject specialists to ensure that grant writers get the data they need.
Most federal granting agencies now require data management plans (DMP) as part of all proposals. Koziar has developed a template for the DMP and is creating support guides for researcher/grant writers as they plan to store and archive their project data.
|
|
Join us in welcoming Peter Reyna to the Orbach Science Library in Circulation/Reserves, and Miguel Ramirez to the IT team as a software developer.
Congratulations to Kat Koziar who accepted the position of Engineering Librarian as of July 20th.
|
|
|
|
