University Library Newsletter Issue 22 Summer 2014

2119Issue 22 Summer 2014

From the University Librarian

On June 18th we honored six retirees at our annual retirement celebration. Lee Jaffe, Lettie Bennett, Cynthia Moriconi, 2105Suzanne Flanders, Kate McGirr, and Mathew Simpson are leaving with a combined total of an astounding 110 years of service! More detail about their contributions is included in this newsletter, but I want to take this opportunity to thank each of them for their great service. Over the course of their careers they have been a part of the dramatic transformation of academic libraries, in every aspect from the services offered to the new McHenry Library. They have each played a part in making the University Library at UC Santa Cruz the outstanding organization it is today.

My sincerest thanks to each and best wishes to all on their retirements.

 

Elizabeth Cowell
University Librarian

Farewell and Happy Retirement!
 
Lee Jaffe

Lee had a wide range of responsibilities over his nearly 27 years of service to the University Library. He was Head of Library Compu2106ting & Network Services, Assistant to the University Librarian, Planning & Assessment Librarian, and Librarian for Philosophy, Performing Arts, Jewish Studies, Mathematics, and Applied Mathematics & Statistics.

Lee has been a leader of the technological evolution of the library. He helped set up and managed the Library’s (and UCSC’s) first web server, and helped plan its first computing laboratory. He is an engaged author, writing on topics as diverse as audiovisual collections, library technology, and Jewish Studies.


Lee has been and remains very creative. We in the Library have enjoyed his nature photography and his particular skill at capturing the predators and raptors of the Great Meadow. Lee has been our valued colleague and he will be missed. Thanks for all your contributions, Lee!
 

Lettie Bennett

Working as the Associate Director of Library development at UCSC, where she began in 2009, has been the capstone of Lettie Bennett's varied career.

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Her professional life began with cataloging rare books, serving as a library administrator, teaching cataloging at San Jose State University, and managing software development and selling electronic resources to academic and major public libraries. So raising funds to support UCSC’s Grateful Dead Archive was just another adventure! Lettie's contributions to the University include raising money for that cause, as well as in support of the expansion and renovation of McHenry Library and the Science & Engineering Library.

Her time at the UCSC Library was enriched by her encounters with the many donors and colleagues who have shared bits of their lives with her. She has learned about crop modification, opera singing, fine art photography, wine-making, Chinese-American history, diabetes research, computer gaming, organic farming, book publishing, landscape architecture, venture capitalism, book selling, books as art, recycling, city planning, the business of rock music, the cultural impact of movies, early childhood education, bead making, and a LOT about the Grateful Dead!

In retirement Lettie looks forward to more time with her family and friends, especially her three grandchildren. And she's booked a trip to Europe! Thank you for all your contributions, Lettie, and have a happy and healthy retirement!
 

Cynthia Moriconi

Cynthia sta2093rted at UC Santa Cruz in 1996 as Head of the Government Publications and Maps unit, having previously worked with government publications at UC San Diego beginning in 1990. By a very rough estimate, Cynthia has taught over 70 classes through the years, in subjects ranging from environmental studies to feminist studies to education to environmental toxicology. While working on two different reference desks for her first five years at UCSC and then on the maps desk, she's answered literally thousands of reference questions for faculty, colleagues, students, and community researchers.

Cynthia has been active in an alphabet soup of professional organizations including CARL, GODORT, LAUC, and WAML. She has a real passion for maps and Santa Cruz history, and has been a vocal advocate for the needs of patrons and the collection. We will truly miss her knowledgeable help, attention to detail, and her delicious brownies. Thank you, Cynthia, for your dedication and hard work. We'll miss you and hope you enjoy yourself in retirement—quilting, gardening, and chasing your grandkids!
 

Suzanne Flanders

Holding one of the key positions in the Library, Suzanne Flanders will be sorely missed as of July 1, 2014!
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Suzanne has served as our Library Office Manager for close to eight years. Prior to joining the Library, Suzanne had provided fifteen years of administrative service at the executive level at Seagate Technology in Scotts Valley.

The Office Manager is the main greeter of guests in the Administration Suite. Suzanne possesses a wonderful ability to communicate and work well with people at all levels. Her prior experience with travel administration served her well in tackling the often complex rules of travel and entertainment. She supported all our employees in these endeavors and was also our main party organizer and facilitator for years. So many great Library functions flourished under her organization and contributions.

Suzanne is looking forward to enjoying summer, and this fall she and husband John are taking a trip to Oregon, visiting Bend and beautiful Crater Lake. As passionate hikers and campers, John and Suzanne will continue their adventures exploring the Sierra.

Thank you for all your contributions, Suzanne, and have a great retirement!
 

Kate McGirr

2099Twenty years ago University Librarian Lan Dyson had the good sense to hire Kate McGirr. Kate had held high-level human resources positions at Clarion University in New Jersey and in the fast-paced fashion industry in New York City before joining the staff of the UC Santa Cruz Library. She has had a variety of roles within the library over the years and is retiring as the Associate University Librarian for Administrative Services. She also played a crucial leadership role in the UC systemwide human resources group. We will miss her spot-on instincts, solid advice, leadership, and friendship as she moves on to this new phase. We wish her all the best that retirement has to offer!

Thank you, Kate, for everything.

 

 

Mathew Simpson

Mathew Simpson has worked at the Library since the late 1980s, originally in Preservation and then for ove2097r a decade in Archives Processing. His cheerful presence and gracious collegiality will be sorely missed, not only by library staff but also by faculty, students, researchers, and donors who have come to appreciate Mathew’s broad areas of expertise. Music? He’s a musician himself and he processed a big chunk of the Grateful Dead Archive. Photography? He’s a photographer and he processed the Erik Lauritzen Archive. Nature and wandering? He’s an inveterate traveler and he processed the Colin Fletcher Papers. Need information on early campus history? Talk to the person who has almost finished processing over 100 boxes of materials that comprise the Dean McHenry Archive. When pressed about which collection he most enjoyed working on, Mathew answered, “That would have to be Nobby’s.” We can thank Mathew not only for processing the Norman O. Brown collection but also for transcribing Brown’s 1981 lectures on “The Challenge of Islam.”

What else did Mathew find time to do for the Library? Here’s a small sample: He served on multiple committees, played piano for library fiestas, was active on the space-planning group for the McHenry retrofit and expansion, and co-curated an exhibit on UCSC campus history. How did he ever find any extra time to photograph, draw, play music, and renovate his house? Or travel? We thank Mathew for his dedication and good cheer and wish him many happy years to enjoy all that extra free time!
 

2014 Summer Issue #22

Contributors: Elizabeth Cowell, Kate McGirr, Greg Careaga, Susan Chesley Perry, Beth Remak-Honnef and Ethan Henderson          

Production: Linda Hunt

Copyediting and proofreading: Mark Engel

Photography: Angelika Frebert, Mary Vidnovic