News from University Librarian Elizabeth Cowell
An Interview with a Banana Slug Family
Welcome Week – Library Open House
Library kiosks provide students with fast access to loaner laptops
Highlights from the Center for Archival Research and Training (CART)
In Memoriam: Stanley D. Stevens, librarian emeritus (1933-2022)
In Memoriam: Marion E. Taylor, Music Bibliographer (1935-2022)
News from University Librarian Elizabeth Cowell
Dear friends,
This newsletter gives me a chance to thank everyone involved in making our recent dedication of our renovated floors in the Science & Engineering Library a reality. In a number of ways, the pandemic was the perfect time to renovate our Science & Engineering Library. Students had left the campus and buildings were closed. Yet, to a certain degree, it was also the most challenging time to go through a renovation project. Supply chains were suffering and priorities were shifting — it was a confusing time in general. But somehow the amazing University Library staff as well as our campus’ Physical Planning staff persevered.
None of this would have happened without our supporters Claudia and Alec Webster. Their belief and trust in our vision has resulted in a transformed what we call “S&E”. From now on, our top floor will be named the Sandra M. Faber Floor and is astronomy-inspired. And the bottom floor is now officially the Kathryn D. Sullivan Floor and has an oceanography-inspired theme. To have a floor dedicated to each of them in our Science & Engineering Library is an absolute honor. Both Sandy and Kathy have helped UC Santa Cruz become a place where all students, irrespective of identity or background, can enter a space of learning, such as this library, and dream about what is possible; and then go out and do it.
The start of fall quarter was quickly filled with excitement. Students have been able to return to (somewhat) normalcy, and part of that is meeting their friends or study partners at the library. We are so thrilled that we could provide students with an updated Science & Engineering Library that meets their needs. Moveable furniture, increased outlets, collaboration spaces with whiteboards, and the Digital Scholarship Innovation Studio are just some of the improvements you find in our library now. Please come visit the library on any given day and you will hear it buzzing with the sounds of learning and exploration.
I hope everyone will be able to enjoy a healthy and productive end to the year, and I wish you all a wonderful start to 2023!
Elizabeth
Science & Engineering Library renovation honors leaders, aims to build community among students in STEM
With newly remodeled floors named in dedication to two trailblazing women in STEM, and a new makerspace, the Science & Engineering Library is positioned to build and support communityamong STEM students at UC Santa Cruz.
Following a dedication event on Friday, November 4, the library’s top floor is now named after astronomer and UC Santa Cruz Professor Emerita and UC University Professor Sandra Faber, and is inspired by her domain of study: space. The first floor is now named for alumna Kathryn Sullivan, an astronaut and earth scientist who has been called “the world’s most vertical person” for having been the first person to both walk in space and reach the earth’s deepest ocean point. This floor is inspired by the sea – both themes are reflected in the decoration of the spaces.
In naming the two floors after successful women scientists, the Science & Engineering Library is designed to inspire women and students from historically marginalized backgrounds who are pursuing STEM degrees and careers.
“Both Sandy and Kathy have helped UC Santa Cruz become a place where students, irrespective of identity or background, can enter a space of learning, such as this library, and dream about what is possible – and then go out and do it,” said Elizabeth Cowell, UCSC’s university librarian, at the dedication event.
The Faber third floor initially opened in January of 2020, but was then closed until July 2022 due to the pandemic. During this time, the first floor renovations were planned and executed, supported by the empty campus but stymied by supply chain difficulties.
Improvements to the library, which were guided by close collaboration with students, faculty, and staff, include moveable furniture, increased outlets, collaboration spaces with whiteboards, compact shelving to allow for more efficient use of space and growth of the collection, and the new makerspace called the Digital Scholarship Innovation Studio. A mix of quiet areas and collaborative spaces are available to suit students’ needs.
“Libraries might not be the first things that come to mind when contemplating student success, but they should be,” said UCSC Chancellor Cynthia Larive at the dedication event. “The great University libraries of today, like ours, are assembled with students in mind. This space functions almost as a student union – it’s a safe, functional, and flexible space for undergraduate and graduate students. Student success is all about removing barriers, and I am excited to say that this new library space, and the library staff inside it, do just that.”
The Digital Scholarship Innovation Studio (DSI), located on the first floor, is a makerspace available to all students, staff, and faculty. The space was designed to democratize access to technology, increase collaboration, and foster open experimentation and innovation.
The DSI offers a variety of equipment, including two types of 3D printers, four laser cutters, 3D modeling tools, and a Realfiction Dreamoc Diamond display for holographic visualizations, as well as the training to use the tools.
The Science & Engineering library now hosts one of two laptop kiosks on campus, which increases access to technology by offering students Dell laptops to be checked out for free on a first-come, first-served basis for up to four hours. The building also now has several gender-neutral restrooms and a lactation room.
“Students have been able to return to (somewhat) normalcy this year, and part of that is meeting your friends or study partners at the library,” Cowell said. “We are so thrilled that we could provide students with an updated Science & Engineering library that meets their needs."
The second floor has yet to be named. To learn more about naming opportunities, contact Joop Rubens, director of development, by phone at 831-459-5870 or by email at jrubens@ucsc.edu.
An Interview with a Banana Slug Family
By Liz White, Assistant Director of Development for the Library
I had the opportunity to speak with a family of Banana Slugs: Brent, Annalise, and Dominic Constantz. Alumnus Brent (Earth Sciences PhD ’86) is the parent of both alumna Annalise (Stevenson
‘18) and current student Dominic (Porter ‘24). We spoke about how UC Santa Cruz has changed–and stayed the same–over two generations.
Liz: So Dominic, you were a freshman in 2020. I’m hoping that your experience has been much better this year!
Dominic: Yes, I’ve absolutely seen the campus grow, and now it feels like things are back up and running. Back to that expectation that I had of college. But first-year online was quite interesting.
Liz: I’m curious if having a parent that attended UC Santa Cruz affected your choice in coming here.
Annalise: Well, my dad did give it rave reviews. I was a little unsure because it was very close to home. But it’s obviously such a different place (from Portola Valley) and once I visited, I thought, “Oh yeah, this is great.” Like my dad said.
Dominic: My experience of UCSC was more along the lines of watching Annalise and her experience there and my visits. I already have such a deep connection with UCSC as it is. Yes, it felt close to home but for a variety of reasons, because it was in the middle of the pandemic when I made the decision to go there . . . it didn’t feel like it was that close because my world at that point was actually quite condensed.
Liz: What made you choose UCSC, Brent?
Brent: Well it was actually a specialty. I double majored in aquatic biology and geologic science at UC Santa Barbara. And at that time I’d gotten excited about what my current specialty is, which is biomineralization. A lot of people don’t know it but UCSC has one of the top five geology programs in the world. So I applied to Scripps, Stanford, Davis and Santa Cruz. I was lucky enough to get into Santa Cruz. I don’t know why they picked me. I think they had over 200 applicants and they accepted about 8 people into the graduate program. My advisor, Leo Laporte, was world-renowned for developing this field and it was a real treat working for him.
Liz: Annalise, what sort of hobbies did you have when you were a student?
Annalise: I was really involved in the Theater Arts department, which was my minor. And I did all of their student-produced dance shows. And I ended up also doing some theater technician classwork as well, so I was really entrenched in that community as well as the local Santa Cruz dance community. And then I worked at McHenry Library at the Global Village Cafe!
Brent: It’s funny I can remember as a grad student having to go to that library and also the Science library and we would Xerox papers. Now all the papers are online. So you’d have thousands of pages of Xeroxes and there’d be lots of copy machines around the library.
Liz: I was going to ask if you went to the Science & Engineering Library because we just renovated it and apparently, as soon as it was built it was basically outdated because the Web browser Mosaic was invented and the library didn’t have many outlets. So now it has a lot of outlets to support today’s technology.
Annalise: How recently was it renovated?
Liz: Just this year! The third floor was renovated and named in honor of Sandra Faber, who is an astronomer. And the first floor has been renovated for Kathy Sullivan who has been to space and to the deepest part of the ocean. She’s an alumna.
Brent: Yeah, she was an Earth Sciences major. She took an Oceanography class from Gary Griggs and that’s what got her going. We just saw Gary at the Seymour Center at a brunch the other day and he was telling me, he has some people where he taught three generations. He’s been teaching at UCSC since 1968.
Liz: Yes, he’s had an impact on a lot of people’s lives!
Brent: Yeah, we have an aunt of these two (Annalise and Dominic) who got her Ph.D. in Geology at Stanford, but she did her undergrad at UCSC. And she was an art major and she took Gary’s oceanography class and that’s how she got hooked on Earth Sciences. The Seymour Center has this award called the Ocean Hero award. Kathy got one year and I got it one year too. So we always host a reception and Kathy came over to the house.
Liz: What would you say is the purpose of our libraries for current students?
Dominic: I guess you could say I'm old school. I still use the stacks a lot. Sometimes I’ll just walk around the stacks and pick up a random book and read for a little bit. There is a lot of knowledge to be obtained! A piece of advice that I give other people is to go log into a computer at one of the computer labs on campus. It’s not your own computer so you can’t get distracted. The library is absolutely a hub where I’m going to be meeting people.
Annalise: Besides the fact that I worked in the cafe at McHenry, the library was such a central place where I’d meet my sections or my TAs. And a place where I’d go when I really wanted to focus. That specific library is so beautiful, with those windows looking out into the redwoods. It felt very stimulating, but also grounding.
Dominic: I’ve definitely made stops at the yoga room. McHenry wouldn’t be McHenry without a yoga room.
Liz: Lastly, what are you most proud of accomplishing during your time at UCSC?
Brent: Utilizing all of the amazing resources I had available. I don’t think a lot of people realize them. For example, in my field there were some other really famous people at other universities. And recognizing that we were a smaller campus, the Chancellor set up this program where he would bring in famous people in your particular field for a month. A lot of people don’t realize, unless they've been there, what a hidden jewel Santa Cruz is. Grad students at other campuses wouldn't even remotely have had the same opportunities.
Annalise: Similar to my dad, I just feel so incredibly lucky to have gone to Santa Cruz. I think I did really utilize the resources. Especially my scene in the Theater Arts Department. I was working with Gerald Casel who was the Porter Provost. And using professional level lightning technical equipment to put on shows. And also study equanimity and arts.
Dominic: I’d say my accomplishments are more abstract vs. completing anything yet.
Liz: Well, you survived 2020!
Dominic: Yes, that’s certainly an accomplishment of sorts. The best example was my freshman year Porter core class and the sense that everyone really needed connection. It’s funny you do bring that up as an accomplishment because even in such an environment, everyone was still able to make some pretty strong connections. But going along the lines of what my dad and Annalise were saying. The recognition of the vast knowledge that is scattered throughout UC Santa Cruz. And not just at the university, but throughout the community because the place is just caked with knowledge. And I’ve been glad to recognize that through not just classroom learning, but experiential learning through meeting people and making connections. Santa Cruz is a sponge for really great minds to come and there are people always around the corner to be met who are just full of so much wisdom.
Liz: Well I appreciate you all taking the time to speak with me. It’s been lovely getting to know you all!
Welcome Week – Library Open House
On September 19th and 20th, the library held an open house, inviting new students to visit the library so that they might see it as an inclusive student space with exciting and relevant resources.
Open house activities centered on three library spaces: The David Kirk Digital Scholarship Commons (DSC), Digital Scholarship Innovation Studio (DSI), and Special Collections & Archives (SCA), where students enjoyed hands-on experiences with our unique collections and maker spaces.
We were very pleased to see strong attendance at each of our three open house spaces, welcoming and engaging with over 500 people.
Library staff participating in the event described it as a fun, energizing, and positive experience for all.
Library kiosks provide students with fast access to loaner laptops
With just a CruzID and Gold password, UC Santa Cruz students can now borrow a laptop at both the McHenry and
Science & Engineering libraries.
The laptop kiosks, a collaboration between Information Technology Services and the University Library, were installed earlier this year. The program was created following conversations last academic year with students who asked for easier ways to borrow a laptop.
“We strive to be a university that truly serves students and listening is part of that,” Chancellor Cynthia Larive said during an event last week to celebrate the project. “Free and quick access can mean the difference between success and a missed assignment.”
During October, the laptops were checked out over 400 times.
Each kiosk is equipped with 24 Dell laptops running Windows and 12 chargers. Each laptop can be checked out for free on a first-come, first-served basis for up to 4 hours. Student information and work is automatically erased when it’s returned. The laptops include the same applications and software available to students through their CruzID.
Students can also participate in a survey at the kiosks to provide feedback on ways to improve and enhance the program. Since launching, more than 300 surveys have been completed with a satisfaction rate of 90 percent.
Highlights from the Center for Archival Research and Training (CART)
On September 13, 2022, friends, donors, and program alums gathered at McHenry Library to celebrate the continuing impact of the Elisabeth Remak-Honnef Center for Archival Research and Training (CART). Guests enjoyed a luncheon in the courtyard followed by a behind-the-scenes view into the work of the Ingeborg Gerdes Photographs collection, which CART Fellow Yulia Gilich processed over the summer.
Read the 2022 CART Impact Report, which highlights the recent archival processing, exhibitions, and digital projects by the graduate Fellows in the Center for Archival Research and Training, and the program's continued impact since its founding in 2014.
On display now through December 4th, 2022 on the 3rd Floor of McHenry Library is our current exhibit curated by our
2022 CART Fellows. Stop by during open library hours to view it.
Fellows Sienna Ballou and Joseph Finkel curated the exhibit on the many works of California-based artists Miriam C. and Ray C. Rice. Miriam Rice was well known for her work in mushroom dyeing, and her husband, Ray Rice, was a mosaicist, painter, poet, and animator of short experimental films.
Fellows Jacob Stone and Anny Mogollón curated the exhibit about the Yamashitas, a Japanese-American family based in Oakland throughout the 20th century. The collection of family photographs, letters, diaries, and personal keepsakes from multiple generations of the Yamashita family was donated by Karen Tei Yamashita, author and Professor Emerita of Literature at UC Santa Cruz.
Interested in what our Fellows are working on now? Read more about the 2022/2023 CART projects, which will be on exhibit in Summer 2023:
- Ingeborg Gerdes Photographs and Papers
- Agriculture, Labor, and Community in Santa Cruz County:
- William H. Friedland Papers
- California Farm Reporter Records
- Florence Wyckoff Papers
- William Mackenzie Papers
In Memoriam:
Stanley D. Stevens, librarian emeritus (1933-2022) UCSC's map librarian from 1965 to 1993
An amazing historian, librarian, and true gentleman, retired UCSC map librarian Stanley D. Stevens died on October 25; he was 88.
Stan was among the first employees of the new University Library when UC Santa Cruz was founded. He took up his appointment in 1965, before the first students arrived. For nearly 30 years, he served as map librarian at McHenry Library. While serving as map librarian, he acquired many records from the F. A. Hihn company for the University collection. Stan eventually became an authority on the life and business dealings of Hihn, a 19th-century Santa Cruz capitalist who greatly influenced the county's early history.
You can read Stan’s obituary here.
An oral history with Stan can be found here:
Marion E. Taylor, Music Bibliographer (1935-2022)
Please join the University Library community in remembering retired librarian Marion Taylor, who passed away on November 7, 2022.
Marion Taylor was a UC Santa Cruz librarian from 1969 to 1993 and served the library, campus, and University of California system in multiple and increasingly responsible professional capacities. Marion served the library as Head of Collection Planning, Collection Development Officer, and bibliographer for history, politics, economics, and music.
Because of the breadth of her scholarly interests, her appreciation for both manuscript materials and the newest electronic information sources, and her fair-minded concern for all members of the UCSC community, Marion oversaw the creation of an outstanding library collection that successfully balances the competing needs of mature scholars and fresh undergraduates, of scientists, social scientists, humanists, and artists. A special contribution of Marion's—one reflecting not only administrative expertise but a scholar's love of the material—was her careful building of the UCSC music collection during its early formative years.
Many faculty members depended on her for guidance through the complex literatures of history, politics, economics, area studies, and music. Her influence on the research habits of the founding generation of UC Santa Cruz scholars was enormous. Marion was also elected President of the Librarians Association of the University of California, a signal responsibility and honor.
Music students and performers have an especially acute need for high-quality editions of scores and performance parts, as well as sound recordings. Marion Taylor wanted to make sure UCSC library users have what they need. So she’s created an endowment, and her legacy continues with the Marion Taylor Music Fund supporting all aspects of the UCSC library music collection, including books, scores, compact discs, and other audio and video recordings.
Credits:
Contributors: Elizabeth Cowell, Joop Rubens, Liz White, Linda Hunt, Alix Norton, Emily Cerf, and Katharin Peter
Production: Linda Hunt
Copyediting: Greg Careaga
Photography: Joop Rubens, Linda Hunt, Annalise C. Constantz, Carolyn Lagattuta, Ruth_Marion Baruch, Don Fukuda
Santa Cruz, CA
