Explore Magazine: Spring/Summer 2024

EXPLORE

Close-up of a sailing vessel from Lieutenant Charles Hulot’s letters to his family, penned during the French circumnavigation from 1842-1845. The letters provide an eyewitness account at a time of French colonial expansion in the Pacific. One of 24 letters written by the officer, Hulot also included some 75 original pen and ink drawings — maps, coastal views, Indigenous peoples and ships. This letter was written aboard the corvette Somme on January 20, 1843. Image courtesy of Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library. Former HITO 178: A History of Seafaring in the Age of Sail student Aaron Morales ‘24 now serves as a volunteer at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, seen here climbing high in the rigging.

PHOTOGRAPHY / ILLUSTRATION

Camille Cannon, April Tellez Green, Mark Hanna, Valery-stock.adobe.com

DESIGN

Leah Roschke StudioGrafik

Camille Cannon, Lynda Claassen, Mark Hanna, David Minor, Jillian Mitchell Explore

PRINTER

Neyenesch Printers

As each academic year comes to a close, the Library and our partners –UC San Diego Alumni and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life – come together to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our student researchers through the Undergraduate Library Research Prize. This annual award highlights the outstanding research of undergraduate students who demonstrate critical thinking, problem-solving and strategic use of Library services and resources.

To better reflect the diverse range of scholarly research conducted throughout the university, we added two new categories to recognize projects utilizing resources from the Library’s Data & GIS Lab and Special Collections & Archives. This expansion has made the prize more accessible to a wider variety of students. You can read about the five winners and two honorable mention awardees and their inspiring research projects on Page 2.

As we head into the summer months, the Library is preparing to welcome our colleagues from the American Library Association for the ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition. Tens of thousands of librarians, library staff, educators, authors and publishers will gather in San Diego to discuss both timely and enduring issues, reflecting upon the ever-evolving role of libraries in today’s society. We are proud to have the opportunity to showcase our Library and our beautiful city to colleagues from across the nation.

I would like to conclude by expressing my deep appreciation to everyone who participated in and supported the Library during our National Library Week (April 7-13) campaign and Triton Giving Day (May 15). As a central part of the UC San Diego experience, the Library’s resources and services truly impact each and every student, faculty member and researcher. The proceeds from these giving campaigns directly

left to right: (standing) Dani Cook, Associate University Librarian, Learning and User Experience; David Artis, Dean of Undergraduate Research Advancement and Director of the Undergraduate Research Hub; Rishi Yalamarty, Life and Health Sciences Winner; Annie Do, Data & GIS Lab Honorable Mention; Mia Elliot, Special Collections & Archives Winner; Jingyi Chen, Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities Winner; Erik Mitchell, University Librarian (sitting) Saachi Shenoy and Srianusha Nandula, Data & GIS Lab Co-Winners; and Aashi Patel, Special Collections & Archives Honorable Mention.

support the Library’s collections, digital innovation and student-centered spaces, ensuring the continuation of our work and the availability of the valuable resources and critical services we provide to everyone on campus.

Erik T. Mitchell, Ph.D. Audrey Geisel University Librarian

Pictured

CELEBRATING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

On May 23, 2024, the 18th annual Undergraduate Library Research Prize (ULRP) recipients were honored during an awards ceremony at Geisel Library. This award was established to recognize and reward students demonstrating deep engagement with the Library’s collections, resources and services while producing scholarly work.

Faculty play a crucial role in nominating students for the award, and applicants must have presented their projects at research-focused events — such as the Undergraduate

MEET THE 2024 UNDERGRADUATE LIBRARY RESEARCH PRIZE WINNERS

Research Conference and the Summer Research Conference — or submitted their projects for UC San Diego course credit.

All seven students recognized at this year’s ceremony will have a book of their choosing plated in their name, and their research projects will be showcased in eScholarship, the University of California’s open access publishing platform. Additionally, the five first-place winners each received a $1,000 cash award.

Join us in congratulating this year’s awardees!

“This project taught me the importance of meticulousness and determination in library research. I also learned how to creatively leverage untapped primary sources to unveil the agency of historically marginalized groups, which is significant for promoting equity, diversity and inclusion in historical scholarship.”

JINGYI CHEN

Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities Winner

Major Political Science and Data Analytics

Project Domestic Abuse and Women’s Legal Consciousness: Cases from Magazines and Newspapers in China in the 1930s

Nominated by Weijing Lu, Ph.D., Professor, Department of History

Faculty Nomination Highlights During the winter of 2024, Jingyi worked under my mentorship in the Faculty Mentor Program. The subject of her study was challenging due to the scarcity of primary sources, but Jingyi was not deterred. To learn about the Library’s resources, she frequently consulted Chinese Studies Librarian Xi Chen. Jingyi managed to utilize a wide range of collections and databases from our Library and accessed additional publications through our interlibrary loan service. Jingyi devoted herself to the project and worked tirelessly throughout the quarter to locate, translate and analyze a wide range of sources, nearly all of which came from or were acquired through the Library. I am immensely impressed by the seriousness and persistence with which she carried out her research.

“The resources provided by the Library have been invaluable to my academic career as a researcher and undergraduate student. My project would not have been possible without the Library staff and its resources, and I am immensely thankful to everyone who helped me with this project!”

RISHI YALAMARTY

Life and Health Sciences Winner

Major Biology

Project A Blood-Based Diagnostic Approach for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Nominated by Weg Ongkeko, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Faculty Nomination Highlights Rishi joined my laboratory and immediately immersed himself in the Library’s resources, spending countless hours reading textbooks, articles and primary research papers. He played a key role in our lab’s development of a diagnostic test, expertly filtering through thousands of articles on diagnostics, reviewing commercial tests, studying various academic and private websites, and seeking out librarians’ assistance. Rishi’s dedication and initiative were crucial in narrowing our research focus, and his work ethic is a rare quality in a freshman. His contributions are a testament to his ability to complete impactful projects with unmatched fervor, dedication and deftness.

MIA ELLIOT

Special Collections & Archives Winner

Major History and Literature

Project Uncovering History Through Archival Poetry: Susan Howe’s The Midnight Nominated by Ameeth Vijay, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Literature, Modern and Contemporary Global Literatures in English

Faculty Nomination Highlights Mia’s essay for my Experimentalism in Modern Anglophone Poetry course extensively utilized the Library’s Special Collections & Archives. As a class, we visited Special Collections to examine concrete and visual poetry examples. For the final project, students could write an essay based on these items, and Mia, undeterred by the extra time and effort needed for archival research, chose this option. Her essay on Susan Howe’s poetry explored the recoverability of lost, forgotten or obscured histories, relying on unique materials only available in Special Collections. Mia engaged deeply with the material, aided by Librarian Nina Mamikunian, whose expertise was crucial. This project highlighted Mia’s research skills and laid the groundwork for her future archival research. Her enthusiasm and dedication were evident in the time spent on this project, showcasing her talent and ability to see it through successfully.

“I have often conducted archival research online; thus, entering the physical archive to conduct my self-directed research felt empowering and affirming of my interests and future pursuits. As it was my first time conducting real-life archival research and with the help of the kind staff, I learned about archival procedures and felt encouraged by their assistance and care.”

“I saw the importance of great mentorship in the research process, leaving me with lessons I will carry forward. This research experience has deepened my appreciation for the power of using the right resources and the transformative potential of archival research in shaping our understanding of literature, art and history.”

AASHI PATEL

Special Collections & Archives Honorable Mention Awardee

Major Biochemistry

Project The Circle of Violence: Eigner’s Poetry Amid the Socio-Political Unrest of the 1960s

Nominated by Ameeth Vijay, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Literature, Modern and Contemporary Global Literatures in English

Faculty Nomination Highlights Aashi’s paper for my Experimentalism in Anglophone Poetry course focused on American poet Larry Eigner, using resources from the Library’s Special Collections & Archives. She located correspondence between Eigner and his contemporaries to explore the socio-political stakes of his work. Librarian Nina Mamikunian was an essential resource as she helped Aashi locate and scan some of these relevant pieces from the archives. Through this project, Aashi learned important skills as a researcher. She learned how to use archival library resources, access librarians’ expertise, and bring together disparate primary texts to form a convincing argument grounded in Eigner’s historical and literary contexts.

SRIANUSHA NANDULA AND SAACHI SHENOY

Data & GIS Lab Winners

Major Data Science

Project Enhancing Historical Understanding with Retrieval Augmented Generation

Nominated by Colin Jemmott, Lecturer, Halicio´glu Data Science Institute

Faculty Nomination Highlights Anusha and Sacchi’s senior capstone project in Data Science 180 used retrieval augmented generation, combining semantic search and a large language model, to answer historical questions using primary sources. Their research demonstrated a high level of understanding and ability to apply complex concepts. Inspired by data guides curated by Data Science Librarian Stephanie Labou, their original topic was too broad, so they scoured the Library website for primary datasets and settled on utilizing historical archives of newspaper articles. Despite complications, they consulted with Labou and negotiated dataset use with lawyers. Anusha and Sacchi excelled in grasping the bigger picture and translating abstract ideas into functional, clean code. Their analytical approach to problem-solving shows a deep understanding of the practical implications and potential of data science.

“This project substantially enhanced our understanding of effective research methodologies. We learned the importance of accurate data curation and the critical role of library resources in providing reliable information.”

ANNIE DO

Data & GIS Lab Honorable Mention Awardee

Major Human Biology

Project tRNA-Derived Fragments as Post-Transcriptional Regulators of Oncogenes and Tumor Suppressor Genes in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Nominated by Weg Ongkeko, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Faculty Nomination Highlights Annie, a first-generation student, has displayed commendable resilience and perseverance in her research on transfer RNA-derived fragments in papillary thyroid carcinoma. She has faced common challenges in basic science and bioinformatics research and used them as opportunities for growth and leadership. Using the Library’s Data & GIS resources, Annie methodically determined the most appropriate tests to use, giving her the critical data she needed. With the assistance of a librarian, she identified the best plotting methods to visualize and present her data. Unlike many undergraduate researchers, Annie takes agency in her research and strives to improve her skill set through new challenges. This trait led to her co-presenting at the American Association for Cancer Research conference in April 2024, and I have no doubt it will continue to bring her success.

“ As a beginning programmer, I believe the most valuable aspect of the Data & GIS Lab is the wealth of knowledge its librarians offer. I am grateful for the support the Lab and its librarians have provided in my project; thanks to them, I am a more confident and capable bioinformatician today.”

THANK YOU TO THE 2024 ULRP JURY MEMBERS

Lynda Claassen Director of Special Collections & Archives

Interested in sponsoring the 2025 Undergraduate Library Research Prize? Contact Jennifer Brown jgbrown@ucsd.edu

Christina Mayberry Engineering Librarian

Jin Moon Subject Specialist for Japanese Studies and Korean Studies

Zemirah Ngow Subject Specialist for Psychiatry and Bioinformatics

Mike Smith Subject Specialist for Maps, Philosophy, Religion and Jewish Studies

Farshad Sonboldel World History and Cultures Librarian

Teri Vogel Subject Specialist for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering and NanoEngineering

Pictured left to right: Christina Mayberry, Zemirah Ngow, Rishi Yalamarty, Annie Do, Mike Smith, Saachi Shenoy, Srianusha Nandula, Mia Elliot, Lynda Claassen, Aashi Patel, Jingyi Chen and Jin Moon. Jury members not pictured: Farshad Sonboldel and Teri Vogel.

SETTING SAIL

ON EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

COURSE MODALITY TAKES STUDENTS OFF CAMPUS AND INTO THE COMMUNITY

Oftentimes, and perhaps expectedly, the rare and unique primary source materials in Special Collections & Archives (SC&A) are utilized to support instruction at UC San Diego. Among the university’s distinguished research collections is the Hill Collection of Pacific Voyages, the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of manuscripts, logbooks and other documents chronicling the experiences of seafaring individuals dating back to the 15th century. This remarkable collection not only enriches UC San Diego’s educational landscape but also offers invaluable insights into the history of maritime exploration.

Co-curated by the Library’s Director of Special Collections & Archives Lynda Claassen and UC San Diego Professor of History Mark Hanna, the Hill Collection was a gift to the university in 1974 from Kenneth E. and Dorothy V. Hill. It remains the most extensive gathering of publications (containing

more than 2,000 works) that document early voyages of exploration, discovery, commercial expansion and cultural contact to the Pacific. The strength of the original collection, combined with works that have been added since 1974, has made the collection a premier resource for scholars.

“The materials in this collection give students special insight into how life was lived during different periods and how life at sea is still dangerous, complex and relevant today,” said Claassen. “Working with Mark to curate the collection has been a true pleasure. We’re constantly looking for new materials to add to the collection to benefit and inform the UC San Diego community and the world.”

The collection’s scholarly value extends far beyond the fascinating accounts of the voyagers. Many explorers were accompanied by scientists, artists and scholars whose observations of what

they found on land and sea inform modern studies in anthropology, oceanography, botany, zoology, geology and linguistics.

The Age of Sail

Each year, Professor Hanna teaches HITO 178: A History of Seafaring in the Age of Sail (more simply referred to by Hanna as the Age of Sail), which heavily leverages the Hill Collection and gives students the opportunity to conduct primary research on the topic.

Thanks to a decade-long partnership between the Library, the Institute of Arts and Humanities — a program led by the UC San Diego School of Arts and Humanities — and the Maritime Museum of San Diego, the Age of Sail course allows students to venture off campus and onto either the Californian or the San Salvador, two of the museum’s fully functional historic ships docked in the San Diego Harbor.

The materials in this collection give students special insight into how life was lived during different periods and how life at sea is still dangerous, complex and relevant today.

LYNDA CLAASSEN, DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & ARCHIVES

Facing page: Students enrolled in Professor Hanna’s Age of Sail history course serve as the laboring crew aboard the tall ship Californian in San Diego Bay.

Far left: Professor Hanna (left) lends a hand as the class sets sail.

Left: Senior history major Roan Affronti-Gordon observes passing vessels as the Californian sails into the Pacific.

The course teaches students the complexities of life at sea and highlights how challenging it can be to embark on a journey in a hostile environment unfit for human habitation.

“The idea behind this course was to present students with a real challenge, to try to empathize with people living in some of the most stressful physical conditions in human history,” Hanna explains.

Some of the key learnings from the course, which anchor its relevance to modern society, are that the world’s trade still relies on transport via ship, life at sea is still difficult, individuals still take up sailing as a hobby (or professionally for sport) and international law when it comes to seafaring is complicated and nuanced.

“Life at sea and piracy are still present in the modern day, making the course crucial to understanding the challenges seafarers face when conducting their daily work or embarking on a journey,” said Hanna.

The Age of Sail asks questions such as, “What made people take to the sea and how did they manage the dangers and difficulties of shipboard life?” and “What kind of social world is born out of close confinement in trying conditions?” Posing these questions allows students to imagine existence on a whole other plane of being, drastically different from what we are accustomed to today.

The course investigates life at sea from the age of oceanic crossings by sail to the advent of the steamship.

Students investigate the impact of discovery, cartography, technology, piracy, fisheries, commerce, naval conflict, seaboard life and seaport activity.

Blending Collections and Instruction

The Age of Sail is just one example of how the treasured items in Special Collections & Archives enhance instruction at UC San Diego. The course asks students to self-select a printed text from Special Collections & Archives (dated before 1860) about life at sea, shipbuilding, nautical science or sail handling.

Each student also works with manuscript logbooks produced by sailors during their voyages, analyzing scrawling handwriting and sometimes poems and watercolors produced by bored seafarers. Students

Working with Special Collections & Archives allowed me to work with some incredible primary sources firsthand and gain experience conducting research in an archive setting.

AARON MORALES ’24

write papers about these texts and present their findings to each other in Classroom 1 at Geisel Library.

“HITO 178 was such an amazing experience in building familiarity with the archival research process. Working with Special Collections & Archives allowed me to work with some incredible primary sources firsthand and gain experience conducting research in an archive setting,” said Aaron Morales ’24, a past Age of Sail student. “Combined with the trip on the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s Californian, it was amazing to see the realities of our own experiences aboard the ship reflected in documents from hundreds of years ago.”

Morales now volunteers at the Maritime Museum, where he has learned complex sail-handling skills and even climbed high in the rigging during the Age of Sail’s most recent voyage aboard the Californian.

Far left (top) Onboard encounter between French sailors and Indigenous Tahitians. Original drawing by Lieutenant Charles Hulot, Letters from the DupetitThouars Expedition, 1843-1845

Far left (bottom) Designs for masts. David Steel, The Elements and Practice of Rigging and Seamanship, 1794

Center (left) Schooner President’s changing speeds, wind directions and sail maneuvering… in rhyme!; (right) Schooner President’s position at Meridian Lillibridge, R., master. Schooner President from Newport towards Hispaniola, February 16, 1797

Left (top left) Letter with pen and ink drawing from Lieutenant Charles Hulot to his family. Written aboard the corvette Somme on January 20, 1843. Letters from the Dupetit-Thouars Expedition, 1843-1845

Left (top right) Schooner President taking departure from Block Island, February 13, 1797

Lillibridge, R., master. Schooner President from Newport towards Hispaniola

Left (bottom left) Various knots and devices used in ships’ rigging. David Steel, The Elements and Practice of Rigging and Seamanship, 1794

Left (bottom right) Practice of sail making with various tools. David Steel, The Elements and Practice of Rigging and Seamanship, 1794

Images from Hill Collection of Pacific Voyages, Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library

Art of Navigation Maritime Museum of San Diego | Summer 2024

Professor Hanna is working closely with Lynda Claassen and Ray Ashley ‘77, president and CEO of the Maritime Museum of San Diego and captain of the Californian, on a new exhibition slated to open at the museum this summer: Art of Navigation. The exhibition features items from the Library’s Special Collections & Archives and draws upon some of the finest and most beautiful examples of period instruments, charts and voyage accounts, illuminated by the work of documentary maritime artist Gordon Miller. Visitors can also see models of the storied ships from the museum’s collections, and majestic full-scale operational versions such as the galleon San Salvador, man-of-war HMS Surprise, schooner Californian, and the museum’s flagship Star of India, veteran of 21 navigations around the earth. Visit sdmaritime.org for more information.

Setting Sail: Recording Life in the Wooden World Geisel Library | Fall 2024

UC San Diego Library will host the exhibit Setting Sail: Recording Life in the Wooden World this fall in Geisel Library. Visitors can view logbooks and diaries created by sailors and officers on board the wooden ships. Each volume is a unique manuscript, compiling multiple aspects of life at sea. Some reflect whaling voyages, with small images of a whale for each successful catch, while others record encounters with native peoples or the death of a comrade at sea, an occurrence often outlined in black. Location at sea and the weather were common themes. All manuscripts will be drawn from the Library’s Hill Collection of Pacific Voyages. Visit lib.ucsd.edu/settingsail for more information.

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant Aids Multi-Campus Effort to EMPOWERING RESEARCH UC’S

and governance structures to allow the network to grow and thrive beyond the grant period. It also intends to serve as a model for other large university systems.

What is an Open Source Program Office?

OSPOs are a relatively new type of group within higher education that seeks to promote awareness of and expertise in working with OSS. OSS is any software released under a license that allows others to freely use it for personal, research, and, in many cases, commercial use.

Much of today’s research relies on computers and software for data gathering, analysis and publication. To accomplish this work, many researchers use what is referred to as open source software (OSS), which is free to use and modify. As OSS has become more prevalent in higher education, universities have faced challenges providing the necessary resources for scholars to find, use and create new OSS tools. Thanks to an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant, the University of California (UC) is beginning to explore and develop ways to better assist researchers in this area.

The $1.85 million grant will support the formation of a UC-wide network of Open Source Program Offices (OSPO), effectively institutionalizing the OSPO approach in the UC system by creating coordinated activities that support local campus OSPOs and building a network that can leverage multi-campus efforts.

This award capitalizes on the work of the existing OSPO at UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) and funds a collaboration of UC campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Diego with UCSC to promote open source research, teaching and public service.

“We are excited to participate in this innovative UC-wide initiative,” stated Audrey Geisel University Librarian Erik Mitchell. “It aligns perfectly with UC San Diego’s enduring commitment to open research and scholarship. We are eager to collaborate with partners on campus, across the UC system, and with the global OSPO community.”

The UC OSPO network will pursue several main goals, including: strengthening collaboration and knowledge sharing among the campuses; highlighting the value of the network and OSPOs at various campuses; and identifying resource

OSS is the foundation of much of the technology we use in our daily lives. In many cases, the software at the core of our computers, phones and other technology is built on OSS. Additionally, students, faculty and researchers often use OSS in teaching and learning because it can be adapted to meet their needs, and the tools can be used without a fee — helping students avoid added course costs.

“In a way, OSS communities are like libraries; we collectively build something for the good of society and work together to ensure that it is freely available in the future,” said Mitchell. “For this reason, sustainability is an important issue that OSPOs focus on when supporting OSS communities.”

Why Now?

The establishment of OSPOs reflects the UC system’s recognition of the value of open source in increasing the impact of academic research and furthering the education and public services missions. Open source has traditionally focused on making software publicly available, but it can also encompass a more expansive view that includes library sciences, hardware development and more.

Build a Network of Open Source Program Offices OPEN SOURCE INITIATIVE

In a way, open source software communities are like libraries; we collectively build something for the good of society and work together to ensure that it is freely available in the future.

ERIK MITCHELL, AUDREY GEISEL UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN

“As part of this project, we are exploring how to build awareness and expertise with open source,” noted UC San Diego’s OSPO Principal Investigator and the Library’s Research Data Curation Program Director David Minor. “This work builds naturally on the Library’s collaborations with our colleagues across the UC system and will undoubtedly benefit the entire UC community and researchers at large.”

UC Santa Cruz was the first public university in a large state-wide system to establish an OSPO in 2022. While there are now several OSPOs at universities throughout the country, UC’s model is unique in that it uses a networked approach to leverage the diverse range of knowledge that exists throughout the system. This means that the UC network can share existing resources and take unified approaches to common challenges.

Building a Community Around Open Source

UC San Diego’s OSPO team is led by Minor and Mitchell. Initial collaborators include campus partners in IT Services, the Office of Research and Innovation and the San Diego Supercomputer Center. As part of the grant, the team will hire a position to help build partnerships across campus focused on open source landscape analysis and training.

Minor and Mitchell joined the UC OSPO network team in May at the project kickoff meeting in Santa Cruz. The group explored how they could work together to build a UC-wide community around open source. During this discovery session, it was reaffirmed that impressive elements are already in place, such as a map of open source contributions created by Principal Architect for Academic Technology Adam Tilghman at UC San Diego IT Services. This map was constructed by analyzing contributions to an open source code editing and publishing platform called GitHub. One of the early goals of the project is to replicate this analysis across other UC campuses.

“The two-year grant-funded project will rapidly establish coordinated activities at each participating campus while also fostering a broader shared understanding at all campuses,” said UC OSPO network lead and UCSC’s Co-Principal Investigator Stephanie Lieggi ‘91. “In just one day at the kickoff meeting, we built a significant level of shared understanding, and I’m excited to see how our future efforts will further strengthen and expand this collaborative network.”

In addition to contributing to the project as a whole, Minor will work with other UC OSPO partners to create new educational materials centered on OSS. This work will start by analyzing best

practices and current gaps in educational offerings around open source software, and then creating new training and support options for campus.

Minor added, “A big part of our work ahead is helping students, faculty and staff gain a better understanding of how and when to make use of OSS, and what they need to do if they want to create or contribute to OSS. There are many considerations, from the security of research to the importance of open science. Our goal is to help folks working in this space gain expertise and get practical assistance in this complex area.”

Visit datanexus.ucsd.edu/ospo for more information and updates about the project.

UC-wide OSPO kickoff meeting attendees (left to right): James Davis (UCSC), Emily Lovell (UCSC), Vessela Ensberg (UCD), Amber Budden (UCSB), Jarrod Millman (UCB), Vladimir Filkov (UCD), Stephanie Lieggi (UCSC), Greg Janée (UCSB), David Minor (UCSD), Todd Grappone (UCLA), Erik Mitchell (UCSD) Not pictured: Peter Brantley (UCD), Tim Dennis (UCLA), Jonathan Balkind (UCSB)

HERE TO HELP

Meet Greg Ferguson and Sarah Buck Kachaluba. As the integrated library system (ILS) program manager and a subject specialist, both play an integral role in connecting the Library to our colleagues, partners and community. Their dedication to building collaborative relationships is essential in helping our users reach their academic goals.

Greg Ferguson ’94 (he/him) Integrated Library System (ILS) Program Manager

Tell us about your role at the Library.

As the ILS program manager, I oversee behind-the-scenes software systems the Library uses to manage our collections and services. You can think of the ILS as a digital hub that connects across functions and enables the Library to provide a dependable and efficient experience for our users. Anytime you search for or check out materials, the ILS is at work! Maintaining and developing the ILS is a truly collaborative effort. I oversee

a team of Library employees (across acquisitions, analytics, cataloging, circulation, electronic resource management, resource sharing, serials and the public online catalog), who work independently and together to ensure that the system is reliable and accurate. I am also directly involved in the setup and management of integrations with the Library’s ILS, including, but not limited to, BorrowBot, San Diego Circuit, our selfcheckout machines, and several in-house developed applications and campus systems.

What excites you most about your work? I love problem-solving. A super complex system like an ILS will occasionally have a hiccup. The fun part is figuring out what is happening, why it is happening and how to fix it. Sometimes, the process is quick and easy, but other times, it takes a lot of trial and error. I enjoy that process and always look forward to that “Eureka” moment!

Tell us about a collaboration you worked on recently. This past year, I partnered with colleagues in Spaces, Lending and Access and Technology and Digital Experience to activate the BorrowBot for circulating pieces from the Library’s Tech Lending collection. Beyond the machine’s ILS integration, I spent a considerable amount of time evaluating the BorrowBot’s unique software settings and customization options, testing functionalities and working with the vendor to resolve identified issues. I also played a lead role in the evolution

of the product’s management software and customer interface for future expansion of BorrowBot services. I always find it very exciting to be part of bringing new services to the Library and our users!

What accomplishment are you most proud of during your time working at the Library? Well, looking back at my 35 years with the Library, two things come to mind: Patron Load and Systemwide Integrated Library System (SILS).

When I started at the Library, patron records were each typed by hand into the ILS. This occupied hours, if not days, every fall quarter. When I became the circulation module coordinator in 1997, improving this process became my primary goal. It took some time and a lot of collaboration with campus IT and Library staff, but eventually, we created Patron Load, which automates this process. More than 20 years later, the program, though enhanced over time, continues to run.

Decades later, I served as the implementation coordinator for our campus when the UC Libraries migrated to SILS. The new system went live in July 2021, and I am proud that we were able to execute this massive team effort remotely during the pandemic, not only across our Library but throughout the entire UC Libraries consortia. To add a lighthearted touch to project communications, I composed monthly updates for Library colleagues, each with a unique theme, such as Star Wars, Sesame Street, Disneyland and Bob Ross. I am proud of those too.

Contact Greg: gferguson@ucsd.edu

Sarah Buck Kachaluba (she/her)

Subject Specialist for Latin American Studies and Anthropology

Tell us about your role and what excites you most about your work. Among my responsibilities, I select library materials from countries all over the world in many languages — including indigenous — and in many formats, such as maps and atlases; datasets; zines and rare books; archaeological site surveys and drawings; and collections of artwork. I also organize events and build exhibits. My favorite work is meeting oneon-one with students to help them turn their general ideas into specific, researchable questions. Together we identify the kinds of sources they need to answer their questions and review how to draw on and cite the sources in their academic projects.

How do you partner with colleagues across departments? I constantly learn about new topics and research tools since the questions I get come from so many disciplines and fields, including humanities, social science and interdisciplinary topics in the programs for climate studies, digital and underwater archaeology, and global public health.

I also collaborate with my brilliant Library colleagues, who have expertise in areas and methods that intersect

with mine, such as data, international relations, economics and business, marine biology, medicine and health, media and visual arts, and geographic information systems (GIS).

Tell us about a collaboration you are proud to have worked on.

An important partnership I have helped build over several years is a collaboration with Subject Specialist Librarian for Medicine Karen Heskett to support researchers in medical and biological anthropology and global public health. We have co-taught and helped students by drawing on our complementary knowledge and research methods as medical and social science specialists. This collaboration requires significant communication and planning to provide an effective collaborative educational service. Our measure of success has been the overwhelmingly positive responses from the faculty and students we have worked with.

What engagement activities have you organized to connect with the campus community and beyond?

Since winter 2023, at the request of the Latin American Studies graduate program coordinators, I have designed and facilitated a series of quarterly

workshops to support and guide master of arts students through the process of developing their theses — transforming them from vague ideas to unique and significant scholarly products.

In June 2022, I collaborated with Department of Literature Associate Instructor Andrea Zelaya and Library Exhibits and Events Coordinator Scott Paulson to curate a display of Latin American-themed zines handmade by UC San Diego students and various Latin American artists and writers.

Additionally, in February 2020, I worked with the Department of Literature’s Associate Professor Gloria Chacon and Assistant Professor Kathryn (Katie) Walkiewicz to organize a two-day conference with indigenous writers and literary scholars titled Indigenous Writers and Their Critics, an event that yielded participants from all over the Americas. Programming included morning musical and poetic blessings that exposed and immersed the audience in the presenters’ cultural values and practices, as well as readings and discussions of a wide range of genres and topics. The conference was recorded and can be accessed via the Library’s digital collections at lib.ucsd.edu/dc

Contact Sarah: sbuckkachaluba@ucsd.edu

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THREE LIVES

September - December 2024

Exhibition Gallery at Geisel Library and Gallery QI, UC San Diego

An exhibition featuring oceanographers Easter Ellen Cupp, Anita Hall and June Pattullo, with work by artists Amy Adler, Johnnie Chatman, Kim Heard, Judit Hersko, Nicolas Miller, Lauryn Smith and Jeffrey Stuker.

Three Lives is part of the Fall 2024 Embodied Pacific platform of programming at UC San Diego organized by the Visual Arts Department and Birch Aquarium at Scripps for the Getty Foundation’s region-wide PST ART: Art and Science Collide initiative.

AMY ADLER

Anita Hall, 2022

From Three Lives, a series of three pastel drawings on paper 19 x 27 inches each