EXPLORE SPRING 2021 | VOLUME 3 | NUMBER 1
RESPONDING PANDEMIC TO A
EXPLORE SPRING 2021 | VOLUME 3 | NUMBER 1
Contents 2 The Library Welcomes Three New Leaders 6 A Lifelong Love of Collecting 8 Perseverance at its Finest 12 Letters to the Library 14 Here to Help 16 One University, One Library, One Discovery Tool 17 50th Anniversary Sponsors
On the Cover A rainbow arches over Geisel Library. The building has been open and serving the Triton community since September 1970. For the first time, it closed to the public and most staff for an extended period of time between March 2020–June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
EDITORIAL
COLLECTIONS
Nikki Kolupailo Editor
Turner Collection, Special Collections & Archives,
April Green Deputy Editor
UC San Diego Library (Pages 6–7)
CONTRIBUTORS Ellysa Lim Copy Editor PHOTOGRAPHY Diana Henderson, Erik Jepsen, Smruthi Karthikeyan, Nikki
University Communications. Public Relations Materials. RSS 6020. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego (Page 16) DESIGN Leah Roschke StudioGrafik
Kolupailo, Keith Langford, Don Lewis and Tori Maches
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I would like to thank each and every one of you who spent time with us virtually from your homes over the last year. You have all made this celebration of the Geisel Library building and its rich history one to remember. In this issue of Explore, we recognize the Library’s many successes over the past year. Our staff was able to adjust to remote work by developing new workflows to ensure uninterrupted service to our community. We also shifted a yearlong in-person celebration of Geisel Library’s 50th anniversary to an all-virtual celebration, which was no easy feat. Needless to say, the last 16 months have been anything but “business as usual,” and your support throughout this period has been instrumental in our success—thank you!
pandemic included our contactless Curbside Pickup Service, 24/7 chat, virtual study rooms and more. None of this would have been possible without the hard work and flexibility of every single Library employee. My deep appreciation is extended to our staff and student employees who have propelled us forward in ways we never thought possible in such a short period of time.
The pandemic presented the Library with many unique challenges, which were met with dedication and perseverance. Just as our faculty and students moved quickly to remote teaching and learning, we swiftly reevaluated and altered the ways in which we offer resources and services. Most importantly, we adopted a ‘digitalfirst’ service strategy, made possible by years of investment in digitization and innovative scholarly tools.
As we plan for the future, we are continuing to focus on a ‘digital-first’ strategy with the goal of providing a welcoming and accessible environment in our buildings and digital spaces. This summer, we will move our temporary study hall from the Biomedical Library Building to Geisel Library, and by September 13, our plan is to fully reopen both library buildings to the public. This means that students, faculty, staff and members of the community will not only be able to enter our library buildings, but also access the wonderful collections, resources and services that we offer in person in addition to online.
Other ways we were able to support research and learning during the
I hope you were able to join us for one of our Geisel Library 50th Anniversary
thank you FOR CARING
Signature Events this year. Although we were unable to host the events in the iconic building, I was grateful for the opportunity to welcome you all virtually to hear from notable speakers from around the nation. I would like to thank each and every one of you who spent time with us virtually from your homes over the last year. You have all made this celebration of the Geisel Library building and its rich history one to remember. This anniversary celebration would not have been possible without our 50th anniversary sponsors (Page 17), honorary chair Jeanne Jones and all members of Library Associates. I would like to conclude by extending my profound gratitude to these individuals for their unwavering generosity.
Erik T. Mitchell The Audrey Geisel University Librarian
The Library’s participation in u.care 2021, UC San Diego’s Day of Caring, was a huge success! Donor participation helped us unlock a $5,000 challenge, bringing our total raised to over $16,000 in just 32 hours. These funds will help us reimagine the Library’s spaces and services through the Geisel Library Revitalization Initiative and the Library Innovation Fund. We would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to those who participated in this special event. Your generosity directly impacts our students, faculty, staff and community. Thank you!
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The Library Welcomes Thr After a yearlong, nationwide effort, the Library successfully recruited two new associate university librarians and a chief administrative officer, who make up the senior leadership team with University Librarian Erik Mitchell. This group will work with Library employees, campus leaders and community partners to shape the strategic direction of the Library in the years to come.
Heather Hernández
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER (CAO) Responsible For: Providing strategic leadership and planning for Library operations by working with Library employees and campus partners, in addition to leading initiatives that serve the Library’s commitment to provide responsive and efficient business and employee services as well as safe and inclusive facilities.
Hernández holds a master’s degree in business administration from National University and a certificate in Advanced Lean Training from the Virginia Mason Institute. She is also a Prosci-certified change practitioner.
Oversees: Administrative Support Team; Business and Employee Services; Internal Communications; Library Facilities Services; Library Safety and Security
How did the Programs you oversee help the Library continue to thrive throughout the pandemic? All of the Programs in my area support the work of Library employees, and I am incredibly proud of how they showed up, and continue to show up, for their colleagues. It’s inspiring!
A longtime employee at UC San Diego, Hernández most recently served as a transformational healthcare coach at UC San Diego Health. During her time in that role, she provided guidance and process-oriented approaches to enhance institutional performance and consulted with leaders, departments and committees to address change management.
[ Get To Know Heather ]
Library Safety and Security and Library Facilities Services were critical to the continued operation of our Library facilities. Many staff from these areas worked on-site every day throughout the pandemic to ensure other essential workers could access the
library buildings. Business and Employee Services and Internal Communications played crucial roles in helping keep all 300 Library employees abreast of rapidly changing information, such as the status of operations on campus and at the Library. They also answered many complex questions for employees regarding the newly issued expanded leave program for COVID-19 related incidents. Meanwhile, the Administrative Support Team was busy processing requests and purchasing technology tools for staff who needed help building temporary home offices. Tell us about a project you are currently working on. Planning the safe reopening of Geisel Library. We serve 7,000+ patrons per day in our wonderful building and are eager to welcome everyone back. Our goal is to fully open by the start of fall quarter in September 2021. Of course this plan is influenced by campus, county and state guidelines and could change at any time given the direction the pandemic takes. A lot of work has gone into this as we have to make sure that we are not only bringing our staff back to a safe space, but also our students in need of a place to study. What have you been reading lately? I recently finished reading “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee in preparation for her talk at Geisel Library’s 50th Anniversary Signature Event that took place in May.
In this role, I plan to leverage my experience as an administrator to help the Library bring its strategic priorities to fruition. I will also do my part to ensure the organization achieves and embraces diversity, equity and inclusion and maintains its position as one of the nation’s top 25 academic libraries. 2
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ee New Leaders I’m delighted to have joined the Library, with its strong focus on service to our diverse user population and efforts to meet users where they are, both in physical spaces and online. The campus and the Library are in a moment of significant change, and I’m excited to work with my new colleagues to redefine our resources and services based on what we’ve learned throughout the pandemic. What makes you excited about working at the Library? There are two things about libraries that make me particularly drawn to them. First, they are a place for learning. I love learning new things and am really happy to be able to access so many wonderful materials. Second, libraries are a place of community. Whether you are an undergraduate or a distinguished professor, chances are you use the Library. It’s a place we all benefit from, and it is my sincere hope that our campus community feels welcome and connected to us. Can you provide an update on Geisel Library’s upcoming renovation? Our project timeline was impacted by the pandemic, and we are looking forward to seeing work begin this fall. Our 2nd (main) Floor renovation plans include: • A modernized lobby entrance and service points • New and enhanced technology services • The addition of an Active Learning Library Classroom • Significant enhancements to furniture, carpeting and finishes across Floor 2
Dani Cook
ASSOCIATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN, LEARNING AND USER EXPERIENCE (AUL, LUE)
Responsible For: Building collaborative partnerships within the Library and across campus that enhance academic engagement and strengthen patron services. Oversees: Academic Engagement and Learning Services; Spaces, Lending and Access; Technology and Digital Experience Cook brings a myriad of talents and next-level expertise in library science that will help advance the Library’s digital and physical experiences and spaces as destinations for scholarship and the academic community. With more than a decade of experience in academic and public libraries, Cook most recently served as the director of teaching and learning at the UC Riverside Library. Prior to that, she worked at the Claremont Colleges Library in various capacities, including as information literacy and research services coordinator. She holds a bachelor’s degree in
English literature from the University of Chicago, a master’s degree in library science from the University of North Carolina and a second master’s degree in research, evaluation, measurement and statistics from the UC Riverside Graduate School of Education.
[ Get To Know Dani ]
How did the Programs you oversee help the Library continue to thrive throughout the pandemic? The Learning and User Experience (LUE) team completely shifted the way they provide services to campus in a matter of days. Librarians in Academic Engagement and Learning Services (AELS) worked with campus and Library colleagues to move all instruction to an online format and deliver reference services online. They collaborated closely with Technology and Digital Experience (TDX) and Spaces, Lending and Access (SLA) to launch a new chat platform that helps us to better answer user questions.
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SLA worked closely with Library Safety and Security and Library Facilities Services to reopen the Biomedical Library Building (BLB) in October 2020 as a safe study space for students, and they have slowly been expanding that space as it is safe to do so. They also launched the contactless Curbside Pickup Service and ramped up scanning services for users. TDX facilitated the transition to remote work for nearly all 300 Library employees and built the infrastructure for that to continue successfully. They’ve been a key partner with SLA and AELS to continue to provide highquality services through our website while continuing to make significant progress on ongoing projects, like the Systemwide Integrated Library System (see Page 16) and Project Surfliner. Tell us about a project you are currently working on. LUE is a newly created group within the Library, bringing together AELS, SLA and TDX. These three Programs have undergone significant restructuring over the past few years, as well as being brought together under one AUL for the first time. We are currently working on a visioning process to define the work that we want to do together and the values that we want to exhibit when working with each other and Library users. This will position us to plan collaborative projects in the future and map where we want to go as a group over the next few years. If you could be any book character, who would you be and why? My favorite book character of all time is Sherlock Holmes. I love that he always solves the case, has an insatiable curiosity about everything and sees connections that no one else can. I think many of those same qualities drew me to librarianship: solving puzzles, making connections and learning a little bit about a lot of things. Can you explain what an integrated service hub (ISH) is and why the
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Library will be implementing this in its upcoming renovations? The ISH will bring many of our services into a single location in Geisel Library, making it easier for users to get the help they need as soon as they enter the building. For example, users will be able to check out books and technology, get help with scanning and printing, ask reference questions and even have a person lead them to materials on the shelves, all in one spot. This saves our patrons from having to navigate the multiple service desks that are currently throughout Floors 1 and 2. Your title includes “User Experience.” How does the Library evaluate its users’ experiences, and what changes have resulted or are on the horizon based on these evaluations? We consider “user experience” to include any instance that a user interacts with a digital or physical space, so we are constantly interested in investigating people’s experiences with the Library in an effort to continually improve our services and spaces. We do this in a multitude of ways, from surveys to website heatmaps to even asking students to write love or breakup letters to the Library (see Page 12). This gives us valuable insight into how we can meet evolving user needs. Some significant changes we’ve made based on user research and input include the types of furniture and layout in our spaces, building hours and website design. What is the Library Student Advisory Council (LSAC)? LSAC is a group of highly engaged students who advise on library-specific issues affecting students. They met entirely virtually this past year but would normally meet in person every month or so to give feedback on different spaces and services. Recently, we’ve asked members for their feedback on our new chat service, online study rooms, study space in BLB and other COVIDspecific services.
Roger Smith ASSOCIATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN, SCHOLARLY RESOURCES AND SERVICES (AUL, SRS) Responsible For: Providing leadership in information resource acquisition and access; digital conversion and preservation; and services in support of research, including: scholarly communications, collections, research methods, and tools in support of scholarship. Oversees: Collection Development and Management; Content Acquisition and Resource Sharing; Metadata Services; Scholarship Tools and Methods; Special Collections & Archives; Research Data Curation Smith joined UC San Diego in 2008 as the collection management and preservation librarian before transitioning to program director for the Digital Library Development Program (DLDP). Most recently, Smith served as interim AUL while continuing to serve as program director for DLDP. Prior to working at UC San Diego, Smith was the assistant head for access services at Rutgers University Libraries. With a bachelor’s degree in history and political science and a master’s degree in communication and information studies from Rutgers University, Smith has more than 25 years of experience working in libraries.
[ Get To Know Roger ]
How did the Programs you oversee help the Library continue to thrive throughout the pandemic? Scholarly Resources and Services (SRS) Programs were faced with diverse challenges when it came to supporting our users during the pandemic. For Scholarship Tools and Methods, the pandemic meant supporting many services related to research and scholarship
We plan to continue to acquire and provide impactful resources and tools that benefit our users; from the technology employed to support scholarship and research data to the wide range of physical and digital resources we collect — the UC San Diego community can expect more great things on this front in the coming years. that pivoted to remote service models. Support from TDX was noteworthy in setting up and maintaining virtual machines to enable software that is physically located in Geisel Library to be accessible to staff and users remotely. Content Acquisition and Resource Sharing, Metadata Services and Collection Development and Management are Programs that were focused on supporting the development of collections, both physical and digital, and continued their work remotely with adjustments to workflow and communication. E-resources became a critical focus, yet the acquisition of physical content continued with some backlog in cataloging to be addressed later in 2021. Special Collections & Archives utilized technology to continue to deliver reference services and, when possible, make available digital surrogates for primary resource and archival content. The Virtual Reading Room was well positioned to support such services. Research Data Curation actually saw increased activity as campus researchers maximized their available time to address management and preservation of their data. What has this last year been like for you transitioning into a new role? Transitioning into the AUL, SRS position has been a unique experience
by virtue of the pandemic and its impact on the Library and campus, but also because the process was for me defined by a need to leverage my work history with the organization while seeing my role with a fresh perspective. I feel fortunate to have historical context and connections to draw from in support of my work, yet recognize the need to reach out and form new relationships in the Library, on campus and across the UC system. What made you pursue a Library career path? I was placed in the Rutgers University Libraries’ Art Library as a student employee in 1991. It was a dynamic time as a new physical building was under construction and the library was planning new collections and services. A small staff that relied heavily on student employees gave me the opportunity to learn a range of skills that progressed into a career. What are some exciting tech advancements happening in the Library space right now? Our continuing evolution of our Digital Asset Management System promises a range of new services, including a forthcoming pivot to International Image Interoperability Framework and associated greater interoperability between repositories and options when presenting text and image content. I
would also add that transformative publishing deals are changing the landscape of how UC scholarship is acquired and made available. Why is digitizing materials so important for future generations? Digitizing materials provides for enhanced discoverability and access; ease of use in different teaching and research spaces; and options to better preserve primary resources and archival objects. Through enhancing metadata and the application of standardized schemas, the digital object often offers discovery modalities that transcend the original catalog record. With respect to preservation, a digital surrogate lowers the use of the physical original, often allowing a choice to be made to restrict access and store in optimal conditions. What is one scholarly tool offered by the Library that you consider to be a “hidden gem?” The Data and GIS Lab, which offers a range of services supporting the growing fields of data science and geospatial data. Hands on assistance with software applications in support of student assignments integrate these resources into a range of disciplines. During the pandemic, Library staff have supported students virtually in these areas and ensured continued access to key content and tools.
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A Lifelong Love of Collecting Steve Turner ‘82 first demonstrated his love for collecting when he was just six years old, and “one collection turned into another,” Turner shared. It started with stamps, coins and baseball cards and has since evolved into a profession, one that allows him to conduct his own primary research and glean new information about times past. Fueled by curiosity and driven by the pursuit of truth, Turner has continued to collect to this day. The majority of his material focuses on American and European history, with Southern California and California as a whole being his primary focus. Many of the items in his collections tell a deeper story than what can commonly be found in history books. The Steve Turner African Americana Collection, or the “Turner Collection,” was recently donated to the Library and is now housed in Special Collections & Archives. It comprises more than 300 items, including rare photographs, pamphlets, photocards, posters and pinback buttons, many from the 19th century and all of which shed new light on the African American experience, particularly in the American West. “Each piece in the African Americana collection sheds new light on the experiences of Black Americans migrating west during the late 19th and early 20th centuries,” said Turner. “I am happy to know that they will now be accessible to scholars of American history.”
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Turner hopes the donation of these materials helps inspire investigation. “My hope is that by donating this collection to the UC San Diego Library, researchers will begin to find new truths about the African American experience in the 19th and early 20th century,” Turner said, and then he gave an example. “There are two photos of Jack Johnson, an African American boxer who was
at the height of his career during the Jim Crow era, in the collection, both of which could benefit from additional research. The first image was taken when he had just returned to the United States and surrendered to authorities [for violating the Mann Act]. The second is of him in Tijuana in front of a saloon. Fascinating to think about the facts surrounding these moments.”
Each piece in the African Americana collection sheds new light on the experiences of Black Americans migrating west during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I am happy to know that they will now be accessible to scholars of American history. Steve Turner
Other notable items include original photographic postcards depicting Reuben “The Guide” Williams, a tour guide who escorted tourists from the border to the small village of Tijuana for at least 10 years at the turn of the century. The photocards tell us that he was a notable enough figure to have been placed on a postcard and speak to his success as a tour guide during that time. Something worth further investigation, Turner thinks.
Claassen, who has been serving as director of Special Collections & Archives since 1983, said, “We are truly honored to have received these materials. Each piece adds to the historical fabric from which so many different stories can be created. Each contributes to a different perspective on the American experience during this time. We very much look
forward to sharing this collection with our Triton community and the public.” Claassen and team are working hard to get the materials digitized so they are more readily accessible to Library patrons. The collection is expected to be fully online in 2022.
When asked why Turner decided to give his African Americana collection to the Library, he spoke of his great respect for Special Collections & Archives. “Luckily, my desire to give something to UC San Diego coincided with the fact that Lynda Claassen was going to be overseeing and curating the materials. She’s a true visionary, steward and builder of the collections in her care.”
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PERSEVERANCE
How Library staff ensured
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AT ITS FINEST
uninterrupted access to services during the pandemic Oftentimes, our response to adversity helps define us. Our commitment to achieving our goals outweighs any conflict of interest that may stand in our way. This is a story about just that—about how the Library was able to adjust to the “new normal,” which at UC San Diego and so many other campuses across the world took the form of fulltime remote learning, research and work. As announcements of the campus closure were made in lockstep with local, state and national ordinances surrounding the pandemic, Library employees worked tirelessly behind the scenes to develop solutions to real, tangible problems that resulted from the closure of our library buildings. We found ourselves asking questions like: How would we serve our students from afar? What kind of materials would we be able to share and how? Where would our students study? What staff absolutely need to be on-site to keep our collections safe and well maintained? How would we schedule our on-site staff in the safest way possible? Determined to find the answers, Library staff met regularly to discuss the best path forward. Leadership was demonstrated Library-wide, with each Program stepping up and taking ownership of their unique challenges.
[ Wastewater Detection Program ] UC San Diego’s response to the pandemic has been celebrated nationwide in higher education and has served as an example for others. Our researchers and staff have been instrumental in creating innovative ways to keep the campus community safe and out of harm’s way.
One such way they did so was by creating the Wastewater Detection Program. A cross-campus collaboration, this program analyzes wastewater from various buildings on campus in search of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, also known as COVID-19. With this early detection system in place, the university has been able to identify and focus on specific buildings where the virus was found.
to support the emerging Wastewater Detection Program.
But how did this program come to fruition? In part, by the help of the Library’s Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Librarian Amy Work.
“When we were in the early stages of program creation, we had a vision but lacked the technical know-how in terms of software that could be used to support our cause,” Henderson shared. “Amy came in and provided the guidance we needed to drive this project forward, which ultimately helped keep our students, faculty and staff safer during the pandemic. I am very grateful for her enthusiasm and willingness to share information with us. We couldn’t have done it without her.”
Shortly after the campus closure, Work was contacted by Diana Henderson, associate campus space analyst at Campus Planning. Henderson was interested in gathering information about GIS tools that could be leveraged
Work acted fast. She pulled together information that Henderson and team could use to inform the development of the program. Esri’s ArcGIS Dashboard (photo above) and Survey123 were among the first pieces of software Work
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute to this most important program on campus. It’s not every day you have the opportunity to make an impact of this magnitude during such a troublesome time for the university, our city and the world. A M Y W O R K
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recommended for this program—they both had viable geographical tracking capabilities that would nicely complement Campus Planning’s effort to trace the virus in wastewater outflow on campus. The Wastewater Detection Program is now considered to be one of the most useful programs as a part of UC San Diego’s Return to Learn strategy, which emerged as a result of the pandemic.
Librarian Recognized for Contributions During COVID-19 Librarian Bredny Rodriguez was chosen by the Medical Library Association as one of the 2021 MLA President’s Award recipients. He was recognized for his contributions to the MLA COVID-19 resource page, specifically the section on resources in Spanish. This page was created in the early days of the pandemic to help patients and the public find key information about COVID-19. In the MLA’s words, the resource “highlights the value of hospital and clinical librarians to our association and the communities we serve.”
Want to Learn More? Contact Us. If you have questions about ways in which GIS software can complement your next research project, contact Amy Work at awork@ucsd.edu. If you are interested in learning more about the Library’s web archive services, contact Tori Maches at vmaches@ucsd.edu or visit UC San Diego’s ArchiveIt public portal at lib.ucsd.edu/ archiveit.
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“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute to this most important program on campus,” said Work. “It’s not every day you have the opportunity to make an impact of this magnitude during such a troublesome time for the university, our city and the world. I want to thank Campus Planning for contacting the Library and approaching me. My contributions to this project will definitely go down as one of the highlights of my career!”
[ Archiving Websites ] Archiving websites, it’s a thing. And doing so during the pandemic has kept Digital Archivist Tori Maches very busy. UC San Diego, as well as the San Diego community at large, has launched several websites throughout the pandemic in an effort to share key updates with their respective audiences. At UC San Diego, our main focus has been to inform the Triton community about campus’s innovative and proactive Return to Learn program. But what happens when websites are no longer needed or the content is transitioned to a new web property? They are placed in Maches’ hands for archival purposes. As sections of a website are changed or perhaps removed entirely over time,
The Library was among our in the initiative’s success. Their during the pandemic. Maches archives them in the Library’s digital collections, taking stock of what was done and when from a digital communications standpoint. Regular archiving of the same websites allows researchers to see how campus’s and the county’s pandemic response has evolved. With web archiving, you can take a snapshot of a website’s look, feel and content, thereby providing future researchers with the ability to review the snapshot at any time, even after the original website has been taken down or changed. Web archives can also be used as datasets for analysis, to evaluate success or to better understand a timeline of events. “This work is important because it helps us capture information that was shared online during the pandemic and make it readily available, no matter its publication status,” Maches said. “These websites are historical material that can and will be used by researchers in the future to study how campus and San Diego at large responded to the pandemic.” Since 2007, the Library has been actively archiving web content and has amassed nearly nine terabytes of data. We use Internet Archive’s “Archive-It” service, which includes a public portal providing access to our web archive collections. Our collections are incredibly diverse and range from various campus departments to specific subject areas like Chinese studies, local government and Latin American studies.
earliest partners in Campus Curbside and was instrumental collaboration made it much easier to support our community J O S H K AVA N A G H
[ Contactless Curbside Pickup Service ] To help students maintain access to the Library’s vast collections and resources, the Spaces, Lending and Access (SLA) team worked quickly to launch the contactless Curbside Pickup Service. Initially, the team had been fulfilling borrowing requests from the Hopkins turnaround and the front entrance of Geisel Library (for pedestrians and cyclists), but after receiving several requests for longer service hours and additional parking, the Library partnered with Transportation Services to offer a more robust option at Campus Curbside, their new consolidated pickup site at the former Osler Commuter and Visitor Information Center. “It has been our pleasure to partner with the Library to provide Tritons with a more accessible and convenient way to pick up their borrowed items,” said Josh Kavanagh, executive director of Transportation at UC San Diego. “Combining pickup for Transportation, the Bookstore, the Library and other campus partners in one location made access easier for both campus residents and commuters. The Library was among our earliest partners in Campus Curbside and was instrumental in the initiative’s success. Their collaboration made it that much easier to support our community during the pandemic.”
Requested items are checked out remotely and made available for curbside pickup Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. After the remote checkout takes place, each borrower receives an email notification letting them know their item(s) are available for pickup, usually within two business days. Returning borrowed items is just as easy. UC San Diego affiliates simply place the items in the drive-up book returns at the Hopkins turnaround or in the book returns near the Geisel entrance. From there, the items are put through quarantine protocols to ensure the safety of our staff in processing returns. In an effort to optimize the program, SLA put out a survey for our community to share their experiences in using this service. Results of the survey will drive how the team continues this offering in the coming months. These projects are just a few examples of how Library staff rose to the occasion and helped the Triton community maintain access to our materials and services during the pandemic. We encourage you to visit lib.ucsd.edu/ remoteservices to view all of the ways in which students, faculty, staff and other patrons were able to continue their research and studies during our closure.
Providing Safe Study Spaces for Students During COVID-19 To provide students with a safe, quiet place to study, the Library opened the Biomedical Library Building (BLB) as a socially-distanced study space in October 2020. Students were required to make a reservation ahead of time, and upon entry had to show their reservation confirmation, campus ID and exposure screening results. In response to requests for additional study space, the Library expanded capacity at BLB during Spring Quarter 2021. Approximately 150 individual study seats were made available on both floors of BLB, including Mac and PC computer workstations, during designated hours. While reservations were no longer required, UC San Diego students, faculty and staff could view real-time occupancy levels via the Waitz app (waitz.io/ ucsd). Access to group study rooms, collections and library services remained unavailable due to state, county, and campus guidelines. Since its opening, the space has been used over 10,000 times by more than 2,000 patrons. During Summer Quarter 2021, BLB will close and Geisel Library will partially reopen as a study space on the 1st and 2nd Floors West. More than 300 individual study seats, including computers, will be available, and reservations will not be required.
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Letters Library TO THE
I wish you were open so I could meet you in person but I know this is for the best. You are making the right decision and I understand that it is better this way even though it does not change the fact that I miss you.
During the month of February, students were invited to submit love and breakup letters in an effort to learn how their long-distance, virtual relationship was going with the Library. This annual student survey is a great way for the Library to collect input from students regarding the resources and services we offer, which ultimately helps inform Library staff as they seek to enhance and expand these offerings with the goal of creating more meaningful experiences for our patrons. We hope you enjoy these winning submissions as much as we did!
Love Letter Geisel Library, I am so madly in love with you that when I learned you were closed due to the ongoing pandemic I could feel my fragile heart break into tiny shards of glass, stabbing my other organs. No one should have to suffer a fate like this, but alas, with tears rolling down my face I accept my accursed fate. You might not remember but I did have a brief rendezvous with you when I checked out a book for my introduction to theatre class. It was very easy to order and pick up at the parking lot. The employees were so kind and helpful. I wish you were open so I could meet you in person
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but I know this is for the best. You are making the right decision and I understand that it is better this way even though it does not change the fact that I miss you. I don’t want to break up so please don’t break up with me. I miss you so much that I wrote a poem about you for an assignment last quarter: An Ode to Geisel The inevitable diminishing of your bulbs brings me gloom, Sipping iced coffee complaining about my life to my friends, The only time I was ever productive was in your study room. Will I be able to return to Geisel when the flowers bloom, According to the large font on the news, it depends. The inevitable diminishing of your bulbs brings me gloom. You have no idea the amount of caffeine I would consume, Praying the deadline would be something the professor extends. The only time I was ever productive was in your study room. When will the in-person classes in college resume? Pulling all-nighters, others think I have a brain that transcends, The inevitable diminishing of your bulbs brings me gloom. I can’t hear myself think over these ridiculous calls on Zoom, Everything is swell and everything is chipper she pretends. The only time I was ever productive was in your study room. I took that building for granted; I was as pretentious as a plume, Not knowing when I will be able to visit again and make amends, The inevitable diminishing of your bulbs brings me gloom, The only time I was ever productive was in your study room. With Passion, Your Eternal Lover
Of all the things I expected to have taken from me, I never thought it would be you. Breakup Letter Hey Library, Or should I call you Geisel? I guess I just don’t know anymore. It’s been awhile since we’ve last met huh. This pandemic has really pushed us apart. I miss you. I want you to know I still love you, but I think we should break up. Or maybe we should just put the idea of us on pause? I used to love studying and reading at the Library. The way that you could feel the personality of each floor—it was comforting. From the loud and active 2nd Floor to the serene yet somehow tense 8th Floor. I could go up to the 6th Floor, read a little, admire the view, or even people-watch. It was the way that I could be in my own world without actually being alone because at least I was with you— with you and everyone else there. My world felt a little bigger with you. On rainy days, you were warm. You protected me from the chaos of outside. On sunny days, you were a place of unimaginable beauty. Nothing could outshine you when rays of light crept in through the windowpanes. Everything about you was absolutely unbeatable. But now, I just can’t feel the same way with virtual study rooms. Everything that you once were— that we once were—just can’t be recreated online. I know I can make a reservation with Biomed, but it’s just not the same. Sometimes I even find myself passing by and yearn for what we once were. I miss you dearly, and I hope we meet again someday. Sincerely, Anonymous
Love Letter
Breakup Letter
Dear Geisel,
My Dearest Library,
I loved you then, when I saw you every day more than I spent time in my own bed. I love you now, even though it has been far too long since I saw you face to face. How has the pandemic been treating you? I am trying my best to still live a life as if we were together. I’ve visited every public space I could find that resembles your presence. I still use sanitizing wipes before I sit down every time to study, knowing that you instilled that in me long before Corona. I asked my 2nd Floor East Wing buddy the other day if they remembered Audrey’s milk tea recipe; memories are fading away. I still have some of those free ear plugs that you generously gave. I don’t have many left though, so I hope to see you again soon.
Of all the things I expected to have taken away from me, I never thought it would be you. Where no one else could sooth my mind there was always a study room or a quiet corner, there were books to browse with curious desires. When the world got too loud, I could always walk through the doors. It is a love that I have had all my life, but with Geisel it was my second home. It was the safest place in my life. It is hard to be without the ritual, the way that the windows surround me. The loudness of the East Wing as you enter to the profound silence on the 8th Floor. The sound my footsteps make as I search for the proper shelf, as I seek out my new ideas. There are few other places to find such a profound silence, the introspection in halls filled with endless ideas sparking discovery in the past and possibility in the future. In online spaces, there is still no quiet, the internet waivers constantly in my apartment. I miss my Library; I miss the comfort and security of only needing to seek out the knowledge because the environment was set. I can’t wait to join you again, when the doors open again. I hope before I graduate, we can be together again.
I joked to my roommate once when I first moved in with you. She asked me, “Any cool places you’ve explored in San Diego?” The only answer I was able to give was, “Of course I’ve explored San Diego: Geisel 8th Floor, East Wing and West Wing, GIS lab and all the whiteboards downstairs!” My out-of-town friends always thought that I could go to the beach, but you know what I did instead? I spent the nights with you every chance I could outside of lectures. If you’re wondering, I only went to the beach on a few occasions after finals. All the sunrises from La Jolla shores can’t come close to a glimpse of light at 6 a.m. through your glass. And I thought that was the only sunrise worth being present to see. You and I stuck together like the vending machine and Burger King at 3 a.m. Remember all the nicknames I gave you? Affordable housing. Home for the sleep deprived. But don’t get me wrong, I loved you then, I love you now, I’ll love you the same way a Sixth College raccoon learns to dig out their trash, leaving them half empty, just so I can come back to you someday. Love, Anonymous
Hope to see you soon, Anonymous
Everything about you was absolutely unbeatable. But now, I just can’t feel the same way with virtual study rooms. Everything that you once were—that we once were—just can’t be recreated online. S P R I N G 2021
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Here to Help
At the Library, we have dozens of customer service experts who make it easy for students, faculty and researchers to access Library materials on a daily basis. With little notice, they had to pivot from supporting in-person needs to providing remote services for thousands of Tritons when the pandemic closed the Library in March 2020. Meet two individuals who were some of many at the forefront of these shifts and who helped make it possible for patrons to seamlessly access information resources while learning, teaching and researching remotely.
Rachel Conry Service Operations Strategist Describe your role at the Library. My job is to think about how to provide exceptional services and seamless experiences to our users, and how to assess and improve as needs and circumstances change. I work with a large team of extremely dedicated people who provide frontline services and behind-the-scenes operational support for borrowing activities, course reserves, study spaces, de-stress activities and so much more. Why was Curbside Pickup established and what were some of the challenges/ successes of the program? Campus Curbside Pickup was born from the pandemic in response to our building
closures, but it has provided a level of convenience we have long wished to offer. The early days were logistically tricky because Geisel Library doesn’t exactly have a convenient “curbside” near its front entrance. The greatest success has been partnering with Transportation Services to use their contactless Campus Curbside located at the Osler Parking Structure. We were quite thrilled to once again facilitate access to our print collections and have received overwhelmingly positive responses about the service. What was required behind the scenes in order to make Curbside Pickup possible? Creative thinking, collaboration, a bit of programming magic and the fearlessness
We also heard loud and clear that library spaces are a highly valued component of student success...
to try and to fail. My team values continuous improvement and gathers feedback constantly, both from users and our own staff. Having the courage to challenge our own preconceptions, and the resilience to pivot accordingly, is what makes the Library’s Spaces, Lending and Access Program such a dynamic force. How do you think the pandemic will affect the future of libraries? I think user expectations for virtual spaces have changed in meaningful ways over the last year, and libraries will have to focus on harmonizing virtual services and engagement with the activities that take place in the physical environment. We also heard loud and clear that library spaces are a highly valued component of student success, so I think we will continue to put a lot of effort into enhancing our spaces to increase opportunities for community, collaborative learning, exploration and discovery. What is one thing about your role that might surprise Library users? Real human beings read Library billing appeals! We have heard every story imaginable, from ultra-descriptive intestinal trouble (TMI, folks!) to “the dog ate my textbook.” There is really no need to make up a wild story, so don’t be afraid to ask us for help. What is a surprising fact about you? I do not get fussy about movies “ruining” my favorite books. I love to watch film adaptations of my favorite stories, and sometimes I’ll even read something just because I know it will be made into a film. I actually derive smug enjoyment from understanding the depth behind the story that the casual viewer may not recognize. Contact Rachel: rconry@ucsd.edu
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EXPLORE
I think we have learned a lot about how helpful online services can be, but we have also heard from many people who truly miss visiting the Library and seeing actual books in person.
Joel Scott Customer Experience Specialist Describe your role at the Library. I’m a member of the new Customer Experience Unit in the Library’s Spaces, Lending and Access Program. I do my best to answer all questions that we get in person and online, and I connect people with librarians when necessary to meet their research needs. What’s different about the new Ask Us portal and how can it better address student needs? Before the new Ask Us portal, (lib.ucsd.edu/ask-us) we didn’t have an easily navigable space or central repository of frequently asked questions. The new portal brings together our help content in one place and is constantly evolving to meet the needs of users. What is one of the most frequently asked questions you’ve received from students throughout the pandemic? “How can I check out books if the Library is closed?”
While students cannot visit the Library to browse our collections in person, Library materials can be requested remotely through our website and retrieved from the contactless Campus Curbside at the Osler Parking Structure. Furthermore, access to hundreds of thousands of copyrighted materials belonging to UC San Diego’s physical collections, in addition to millions of digitized public domain volumes, have been made temporarily available via HathiTrust due to the pandemic. How do you think the pandemic will affect the future of libraries? I think we have learned a lot about how helpful online services can be, but we have also heard from many people who truly miss visiting the Library and seeing actual books in person. Libraries will likely continue the trend toward more online services to meet
the needs of users, but I don’t see physical collections or library study spaces completely disappearing. What is one thing about your role that might surprise Library users? Working from home is not always as easy as it might seem. Once I was in a chat session with a student and my cat jumped in my lap and demanded my attention. It takes amazing multitasking skills to pacify kitties and answer chat questions at the same time. What is a surprising fact about you? I have become more than a little bit addicted to chess during the pandemic. I had not played much since college, but when my supervisor showed me an Eric Rosen YouTube chess video, it reminded me how much fun it can be. Contact Joel: jcscott@ucsd.edu S P R I N G 2021
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ONE
University, Library, Discovery Tool
UC Library Search will make finding and borrowing resources across the University of California system much easier.
As one of the largest public university systems in the world, the University of California (UC) holds a vast collection of resources in its libraries. However, until now, each campus library used its own library catalog, making it difficult for patrons to find items held at other campuses without using separate search tools.
Beginning July 27, 2021, UC Library Search will bring all UC campus libraries together into one search system, similar to how public libraries use one catalog for multiple branches. By bringing all 10 UC campuses under one discovery tool, UC Library Search will make it easier for patrons to locate, reserve and retrieve resources from any UC campus. It will also streamline the process for finding and requesting materials from outside the UC system via interlibrary loan (ILL), saving users time and effort. UC Library Search will replace Roger as UC San Diego’s local library catalog and Melvyl as the UC-wide library catalog. The new discovery tool includes upto-date features for customizing and filtering search results, along with
improved citation tools. Users will easily be able to see what they have borrowed, request loan extensions and manage their accounts with a single login. As a single, unified system, UC Library Search offers powerful tools to help all UC libraries make data-informed decisions that will help enrich the user experience at each institution and enable greater collaboration between campuses in research and collections management. Learn more at lib.ucsd. edu/uc-library-search.
Melvyl and Roger Are Retiring Now Then
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E X P LO R E
Melvyl debuted in 1981 and revolutionized the UC Library system, allowing researchers to find books at other UC campuses through computer terminals on their own campuses. Behind the scenes, however, Melvyl relied on a complex patchwork system that connected multiple catalogs and databases to coordinate interlibrary loan(s) and full-text access. As several of these systems approach the end of their life spans, the UC Libraries recognize the technical unsustainability and inherent risks associated with keeping the Melvyl system.
Roger, named in honor of UC San Diego’s founder Roger Revelle, debuted in 1990 as UC San Diego’s online library catalog, allowing patrons to view the Library’s holdings from off campus for the first time. By merging the card catalog and the circulation system, Roger combined the holdings of the entire UC San Diego Library into a single tool. Over time, however, the library collection has become more digital, and users now search library systems from mobile phones, tablets and other devices that Roger was not initially designed for.
Sponsorship of Geisel Library’s 50th anniversary enables the Library to continue providing transformational resources, services and experiences to the Triton family for the next 50 years and beyond. We’d like to thank our generous supporters for helping us ensure that Geisel Library remains as iconic on the inside as it is on the outside. 50th Anniversary Honorary Chair Jeanne Jones 50th Anniversary Bibliophiles Joan and Irwin Jacobs Jeanne Jones Sally WongAvery ’75 and Natasha Wong The Dr. Seuss Fund at The San Diego Foundation 50th Anniversary Collectors Atkinson Family Foundation Diana Fakhrai ’01, MPIA ’04, and Jacob Poorman Jeanne L. Herberger Mark A. Johnson ’88 and Melinda W. Johnson Brian and Sherri Schottlaender Sandra S. Timmons ’81 and Richard L. Sandstrom ’72, MS ’76, PhD ’79 50th Anniversary Authors Carol and Jeff Chang Karen Dow Jack C. Fisher, MA ’03, MD Theresa and Stan Fleming Wendy W. Kwok ’99
Charles H. Marston ’78 and Rosa Luevano Philip and Gayle Tauber Bebe and Marvin Zigman 50th Anniversary Readers Anonymous Anonymous Katherine H. Bower ’68 Mrs. John C. Carson Yi-Hung Chung ’97 and Yingfei Zhou Dr. Ruth M. Covell Tammy Nickelson Dearie ’84 and Kurt Dearie Degenkolb Engineers Erik T. Engelson ’82, MS ‘84 Phyllis F. and Daniel J. Epstein E. Clare Friedman Georgia and Alex Gilderman Alison and George Gildred Richard L. Gomez, MD ’79 Lynda Gualtier and Jeff Solis Noriko and Toshi Ishihara ’84, MS ’87, PhD ’89 Ron and Deborah Katznelson Geoffrey T. Lam ’01 Phyllis and Edward Mirsky Erik Mitchell and Jeffery Loo Judith Morgan
Mary C. Munk Vicki A. Nakamura ’75, MA ’76 and Charles J. Farwell Claudia J. Prescott Stephanie Sides Elizabeth H. Simmons and R. Sekhar Chivukula Georgiana and William Simmons Mary L. Walshok 50th Anniversary Partners American Institute of Architects, San Diego La Jolla Historical Society San Diego Architectural Foundation UC San Diego Alumni If you’d like to help support the Library for the next 50 years and beyond, please contact Jennifer Brown at (714) 334-7801 or geisel50@ucsd.edu. Sponsors listed as of print time
S P R I N G 2021
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9500 Gilman Drive #0175G La Jolla, CA 92093-0175 Change Service Requested
BECOME A MEMBER OF LIBRARY ASSOCIATES To date, nearly 300 alumni, faculty, staff, parents and dedicated community members have joined the Library’s newly established giving society. It is through this annual support that the Library can continue to pave the way in offering educational access, both online and in person, to the entire campus community and beyond. Library Associates are invited to partake in activities and lectures; obtain borrowing privileges; keep up with Library happenings through Explore magazine and e-newsletters; help the Library support student success; and support the expansion and preservation of Library collections and resources. To learn more, contact Jennifer Brown at jgbrown@ucsd.edu or (858) 822-4554.
SUPPORT THE LIBRARY lib.ucsd.edu/give
