UC Merced Library

We are excited to welcome alum Isabel Ramos to the Access Services team as a Night/Weekend Services Coordinator. Read our interview with her to learn more about her love of libraries. You’ll even get a movie recommendation. 🙂 https://ucm.edu/ramos #UCMercedLibrary #UCMercedAlumni

The Library is hiring a GSR to compile a reading list for a proposed UC Merced Community and Labor Center reading room during the summer term. This position is up to 50% and can be remote or in-person. More details can be found at the position description https://lnkd.in/gvgSRFZu Apply soon!

Proposals are currently being accepted from faculty who wish to eliminate or minimize course costs for students in summer or fall 2024 courses. Mini-grant informational sessions are offered March 7th and 18th for interested faculty. Applications are due Monday, April 8, 2024. Details available at our Low & No-Cost Educational Resources guide. https://lnkd.in/d3W3XSq7

We’re pleased to share “Measuring the Impact of an Open Education and Library e-Resource Adoption Program Using the COUP Framework” in The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning. This article summarizes assessment findings from the Zero-Cost Course Materials (ZCCM) program. https://lnkd.in/gzV4k7gy Faculty participation in this program (2019-2021) saved students a minimum of $220,000.00 and students in ZCCM courses demonstrated higher rates of course completion than students enrolled in previous sections.    Many thanks to faculty participants, the Center for Engaged Teaching and Learning (CETL), and authors Sara Davidson Squibb, Elizabeth Salmon, and Yueqi Yan.    #OER #studentsuccess

ICPSR’s scholarship application portal is now open for its 2024 Summer Program. These scholarships -totaling more than $150,000 -- waive fees for ICPSR’s statistical methods trainings which are offered in-person or online. The deadline is Monday, February 26. View scholarship options and eligibility requirements. Target audiences include undergraduates, graduate students, and early career scholars. https://lnkd.in/g3NvS9YB #scholarships2024 #statisticaldataanalysis #statisticalanalysis #researchmethods

Fabiola's Processing Diary: Well, I finally finished! When I first started, I didn’t think it would take this long to be finished. But the interesting part is, that while I finished rehousing the photographs, I’m not finished with the overall processing of this archive. We started with 108 folders that were packed tightly into 2 banker boxes. After I rehoused the objects, the total is 147 folders in 6 banker boxes. I think a major lesson I’ve learned out of this is that we can’t judge or assume what we are getting into until we are in the thick of it ( which is why we survey collections!). Although a time consuming process, I was able to see so many fun, cool, and interesting photographs. I can comfortably explain what exactly is in this collection, which will be especially important when I begin to help write the finding aid. I will also organize the folders in alphabetical order and rename folders with appropriate labeling and titles. I’m going to need a lot of pencils and erasers get that done! There is still so much to do with this collection before we finally finish processing. I know that it just means more opportunities to learn about processing and fine tuning my skills. Thank you everyone who has followed me on my first archival diary series. This is my last post on UCANR photographs, but I will definitely be back! My next Archival Diary series will feature some UCANR film reels, a freezer, and lots of bags and tapes! Stay tuned!!

Fabiola's Processing Diary: Just a quick update for you all, supplies are in and the work continues! As mentioned before, as I was waiting for the supplies I continued to move the items into acid-free folders. I was able to finish moving the items to new folder, and when I counted all the old folders (pictured) the grand total of folders were 108! Each folder was ranging from 1-50 items each! There were 108 folders, that were squeezed into 2 banker boxes, which as I worked on, ended up turning into 5! That just shows you the condition we usually receive items and how we never really know how much work a collection at the item level will take with processing archives. It look's like my work here is almost done!... Just kidding! At least with the photographs at item level it might be almost done, but there's still a little bit more of work to do with the overall UCCE UCANR collection before we stamp it finished! I'll keep you all posted! - Fabiola

Last week, University Librarian Haipeng Li and Emily Lin, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Archives & Special Collections met with a delegation from China to talk about how UC Merced Library has partnered with the National Parks to preserve and provide access to archival collections. The two-day learning tour at Yosemite National Park for the Giant Panda National Park Leadership and Science Team was a collaborative effort between The Nature Conservancy, NatureBridge, National Park Service, Yosemite National Park, the National Parks Institute at University of California, Merced (https://lnkd.in/evqd3vt4 ), and the UC Merced Library. Photos courtesy of Steve Shackleton (UC Merced), Xinying Zeng (TNC). #UCMercedLibrary #archives #giantpanda

Fabiola's Processing Diary: Hello! It's been a while since my last video. I'm still waiting on the extra material to arrive, but as you know, I'm currently transferring items to acid-free folders. Here are some cool visuals that demonstrate how certain materials can deteriorate over time and the importance of using acid-free archival supplies when preserving photographs. These three photographs were stapled to this glassine paper. When I began to carefully remove the staples, I noticed that each photograph created prevented discoloration on the paper. So, while the paper was browning and deteriorating in storage, the part covered by the photographs remained intact. I also removed a couple of staples and more glassine envelopes. From the context clues, these photos seem to have been taken in 1976!

Fabiola's Processing Diary: As you remember...my goal with processing these photographs was to add them in protective mylar sheets and re-foldering them into acid-free folders. Well, I was doing exactly that, only there a pretty big problem now. I've ran out of mylar sheets and I'm only 20 folders in. Though it looks like I've only scratched the surface. Here's where we roll with the punches. Since there’s still a lot of work to do and many many folders to go, I’ll continue re-foldering the collection and adding in any photographs that fit into paper envelopes. All the other remaining photographs that need mylar sheets will have to wait until more are ordered. In the meantime, I’ll jot down notes in my survey and highlight those folders that need mylar sheets that way when I receive the material I know exactly where to go in and add those in there! It's difficult to assume how much mylar I should order because most of these folder have been ranging from 1-50 items in each folder. From what I've learned so far is that archives are very unpredictable and visually, a bunch of folders in a box, can also be very misleading. I’ll have to do a brief run through of some folders to see how much more material there is left and see what I can continue to fit into mylar sheets and what will fit in envelopes. Doing a quick headcount, there are about 60 folders left to go through! I knew when I picked up the box and it was pretty heavy, that there were a lot of items, but I did not anticipate so many (trust me that you can’t tell visually either!) Now that I know how many more folders there are, I'll get started on ordering more material and keep you all updated!