Here to Help: Staff Features

Here to Help

At the Library, we have subject librarians who specialize in topics ranging from aerospace engineering to visual arts. These subject matter experts help our patrons explore specific areas of study and drive research projects forward. Meet two librarians who consistently go above and beyond to ensure student success.

Marlayna Christensen

University Archivist, Special Collections & Archives

Describe your role at the Library. In my role, I help students and researchers navigate our collections and collect records about campus life; academic and administrative activity; faculty governance; research and teaching; student activities; sports; and community relations.

When did you begin working at the Library, and in library science in general? My library career began back east where I worked at the Folger Shakespeare Library, New York University and Yale. After a decade, I relocated to UC Santa Barbara and worked there for three years before coming to UC San Diego in 2002. I worked in a few positions before becoming the university archivist in 2016.

How do you help patrons achieve their academic goals? The most important work I do “behind the scenes” is collaborating with campus leaders to locate, transfer and arrange materials for future research. When records are no longer needed, staff can contact me by email or phone to discuss next steps for transferring materials to the archives. I also actively engage with our users to help them find the information that will be relevant to their needs.

What do you enjoy most about your job? I love meeting campus leaders and students and learning about their history, achievements and development. It’s fun to watch people’s faces as they discover their work is a part of the university’s history.

What is one of your favorite projects to date? I processed (arranged and described) the University of California Division of War Research papers, which is a collection of research reports produced by faculty and staff from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography between 1941–1953. Some of the research was used to plan the beach landing of the troops at Normandy and develop sonar technology to track submarines. My father fought in World War II and I’ve always been fascinated by it.

What do you see as being the future for libraries? Knowledge will always be important and libraries will continue to help aggregate information and provide a communal environment for exploration and discovery. We will take a more active role in identifying, preserving and providing access to content through the digital advances ahead.

What is a surprising fact about you? I am named after a woman from the Belgian underground who rescued my father when his plane was shot down. My name is spelled phonetically rather than in the traditional way because my mom had a name that people always mispronounced. She thought this would help people get it right.

Which milestone on our historical timeline do you think is the most important? Melvin Voigt, the first university librarian, stands out for me. He developed a model for a solid research collection that other UC campuses also employed. He led the expanding library through three different homes (Urey Hall, Galbraith Hall and Central University Library), all within the first 10 years of the campus.

mkchristensen@ucsd.edu

Timothy Chu

First Year Experience Librarian

Describe your role at the Library. In my role, I introduce students transitioning from high school or junior college to the Library’s vast resources and services—my main charge is to support student success. Incoming students need help adapting to the rigors of university-level research—that’s where I come in. I ensure they are familiar with our offerings.

When did you begin working at the Library, and in library science in general? After earning my bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington, I returned to my high school and worked as a library assistant—this was my introduction to library work and led me to pursue my Masters in Library and Information Science at UCLA. After graduating, I served as associate librarian at De La Salle High School for two years, then transitioned to UC San Diego, taking on my current role.

How do you help patrons achieve their academic goals? In my role, being relatable is key. For example, in our library instruction sessions, I make it a point to give examples that resonate with our students to ensure they connect with the materials. I also believe being empathetic to the students’ needs and concerns is paramount. Our systems are complex, and being compassionate and caring can go a long way.

What do you enjoy most about your job? I will always love working with students. Seeing what they are passionate about and what they are interested in will always be rewarding to me. Helping them realize the value of libraries and the knowledge they provide.

What is one of your favorite projects to date? My favorite project has been coordinating our annual Undergraduate Library Research Prize. Being able to recognize student achievements in research and reading the fantastic work our students create has been deeply satisfying. I enjoy seeing how many services are being utilized by our students and their process in realizing when to use them.

What do you see as being the future for libraries? I hope the future of the academic library focuses on the whole student. While our charge should always be helping students academically thrive, helping students maximize their college experience is something that the academic library could expand upon.

What is a surprising fact about you? I am very good at FreeCell. I once had a dream where I beat every FreeCell game, but got stuck around the ten-thousandth game.

Which milestone on our historical timeline do you think is the most important? I think the most important moment for Geisel Library was the underground expansion in the 1990s. Being able to add 200,000 square feet has provided much-needed space for our ever-growing collections and sufficient study space for our students. As we move forward and modernize our library spaces, the earlier addition gives us the footprint that we need to serve our students with new services and offerings.

tschu@ucsd.edu