From the University Librarian


Making a Difference in the Lives of Students

As I write this column, winter quarter finals are about to begin. The two library buildings are full of students studying, working together to finish group projects, and quizzing their classmates to help prepare for exams. The pressure is definitely on, and the tension is palpable. At these times, those of us who work in the libraries find ourselves talking about ideas we can try out to help Layna enjoys therapeutic belly rubs from studentsdecrease the stress levels of our students. We're pleased that for the first time this quarter we have campus approval to experiment with a pet therapy program. One of our librarians, Ann Hubble, has a certified therapy dog named Layna, so Ann is going to bring Layna in on several evenings to give our hard-working students the chance to interact with her. This is a new program for the UCSC Library, and we are happy to offer it. A number of other academic and public libraries offer pet therapy programs (sometimes with rabbits instead of dogs!), and they have been hugely successful, judging by the popularity of the programs and the comments they've received from the participants.

 

Although we're the library on campus and not student health services, we see students all the time and have a deep awareness of their moods and needs. For the many students who live off-campus, the library is their "home away from home" while they're here, and that's an aspect of our work that we take seriously. The libraries offer students places to work quietly, to hang with friends, and often even to sleep. In the past several months we've begun conversations with some of the student services offices to see what more we can do to help students cope. The pet therapy program is just a start for us, and we have more programs in the planning stages. We hope to collaborate with OPERS to offer stress reduction and relaxation classes later this year, and there are other ideas we have that are under consideration.



Students—they're a big part of the reason the library is here. We care about them and want them to succeed, and if we can help by offering a few innovative programs that will help them do better in their studies, then we will.



Sincerely,

Ginny Steel

University Librarian

 

Preserving Your Memories for the UCSC Archives


Saturday, April 27, 10am-2pm, McHenry Library

As we prepare for the campus's 50th anniversary, the library's digital collections unit is gathering photos, documents, and memorabilia to add to a web exhibit celebrating the people, places, and events that have shaped our campus over the last five decades.  

Bring your photos or other materials to McHenry Library on Saturday, April 27, from 10am to 2pm, and we'll scan them on our high-resolution scanners and return your originals plus a digital copy on a flash drive.

1967 Commencement Donald T. Clark Courtyard, McHenry Library, 2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Student's Thanks


Reading Room Named to Honor Ching-Yi Dougherty

by Lettie Bennett

Ching-Yi DoughertyHow many of us recall a professor or teacher who changed our lives? For Randy Rogers (Merrill College, 1977) it was Ching-Yi Dougherty, his professor of Chinese, a course he took as an elective in his senior year. Using his language skills in both Mandarin and Cantonese, Randy built a highly successful practice assisting new California business owners with their insurance needs and helping them to navigate government regulatory processes.

Randy Rogers

Mrs. Dougherty was a founding fellow of Merrill College and the first chair of the inter-disciplinary East Asian Studies committee. She took great pride in her many students who went on to prestigious fellowships and awards. A remarkable number went on to their own distinguished careers in Chinese language and literature or related fields.  



Across the years Randy kept in close touch with Mrs. Dougherty. As they grew older the two enjoyed extended visits together, sharing happy times over meals at their favorite restaurants. His beloved professor died in 2009 at the age of 96. As Randy, a long-time supporter of the University Library, reviewed his own estate plans he decided to make a substantial gift in memory of his dear friend and former professor.



In March 2012 Randal Rogers died leaving the University Library funds to begin the renovation of the Science & Ching-Yi Dougherty Reading Room Engineering Library by refreshing the former Periodicals Room to be re-named in memory of Ching-Yi Hsu Dougherty. The refreshed room will do double duty as both study space for 75 to 100 students and as occasional event space. It is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful indoor spaces on campus and a fitting tribute to a professor who made a profound difference in the life of a grateful student.

Renovation and re-purposing of spaces in the Science & Engineering Library is among the University Library's top priorities. Randy Rogers' tribute to Ching-Yi Dougherty provides a significant start on this $18 million 100% donor-funded project.

 

What will your legacy be?

Are you interested in remembering the University in your estate plans? Explore possibilities for estate gift vehicles—for example, a charitable remainder trust or a gift of insurance.

 
"It Became My Case Study":

Professor Michael Cowan's Four Decades at UC Santa Cruz

First in a New Series of Oral Histories Honoring UCSC's 50th Anniversary

by Irene Reti

Professor Cowan in 1978"UCSC became my primary case study," said Professor Michael Cowan in his 458-page oral history recently published by the Library's Regional History Project. Cowan's oral history is infused with his intense personal and scholarly interest in the institutional culture of higher education and the singular, and sometimes experimental, history of UC Santa Cruz. It is remarkable for its deep insight and historical detail. Cowan arrived at the University of California, Santa Cruz in the fall of 1969 as an associate professor of community studies and literature and a fellow of Merrill College. By his retirement in 2004, he had achieved a reputation as an outstanding campus leader who filled a variety of positions during his four decades at UCSC, including two years as provost of Merrill College; six years as dean of the Division of Humanities; and multiple terms as chair of the departments of literature and American studies.

Cowan's volume, which is already available on the Regional History's website and in print in the library's collection, inaugurates a new series of oral histories being conducted over the next few years in honor of the campus's 50th anniversary in 2015. While the Regional History Project has been documenting the history of both the UCSC campus and the surrounding community since 1963, this series of fifteen interviews with faculty, staff, and administrators who have been key in shaping the campus will further enrich the library's oral history archive. All of the interviews will be transcribed and available in full text on the library's website.

 
Alejandra Sanchez
Earning, Learning, Helping

by Laura McClanathan, Information Services Specialist, McHenry Library

Alejandra Sanchez is a vital part of friendly and enthusiastic crew of student workers in McHenry Library and the Science and Engineering Library. The University Library employs more than 100 student assistants who do everything from re-shelving books to helping their fellow students navigate the library and providing basic research assistance.



Alejandra is one of our Roving Information Program assistants. Rather than being stationed behind a desk, Alejandra, sporting a bright yellow vest, roams the building offering her assistance to fellow students. She carries an iPad so she can offer instant demonstrations of using the online catalog and searching databases.

  Alejandra Sanchez

Alejandra is now a fifth-year student majoring in Community Studies with a minor in Education. Her activism and enthusiasm for helping people have led her to volunteer in the community. She is an intern with Barrios Unidos, established to prevent and curtail violence among Santa Cruz County youth, and she also volunteers for Santa Cruz Juvenile Hall and "The Beat Within" program. Using her online searching skills to find articles and information on a range of topics, she supports the program's mission to bring resources to incarcerated youth.



When asked why she loves working in the library, Alejandra speaks of the confidence she has gained from the experience of being approachable and helping people. She remarks how much students appreciate her personal help. She also mentions that understanding how to use the library's website effectively has benefited her studies as well as her volunteer work. "I learned how to better manage the UCSC library in terms of doing research, and learning the meaning of different types of articles." Alejandra Sanchez is eager to continue to learn about the library and to communicate its value to fellow students and the community. She is a wonderful ambassador for the value of public service at the University Library.

 

"Songs of Our Own"
A New Grateful Dead Archive Exhibit


Opening May 2013

by Nicholas Meriwether, Grateful Dead Archivist

Over the past year, several thousand visitors to the Brittingham Family Foundation's Dead Central display space in McHenry Library have enjoyed "A Box of Rain: Archiving the Grateful Dead Phenomenon." This inaugural exhibition introduced the treasures of the Grateful Dead Archive and presented the story of the band, the archive, and the broader sociocultural phenomenon that the Dead inspired.

Brittingham Family Foundation’s Dead CentralIn a few short weeks, the next exhibition in Dead Central will open: "Songs of Our Own: The Art of the Grateful Dead" provides a closer look at the broad array of art that the band members, their fellow Haight-Ashbury artists, and their fans produced over the decades, from their post-Beat Bay Area bohemian origins to the mature work that celebrated the band's iconic journey through American culture.

From Jerry Garcia's student work at the California School of Fine Art (now the San Francisco Art Institute) to the work of famed poster artists Rick Griffin and Stanley Mouse to the explosion of fan-made art that attended the Dead's rise to prominence in the 1980s and '90s, "Songs of Our Own" documents the extraordinary visual art that accompanied the band's signature musical efforts.

One defining aspect of the Grateful Dead was their democratic, bohemian artistic sensibility, a central legacy from their sojourn in the Haight-Ashbury. The community-based ethos of that formative place and time infused the band's attitude toward art and music and rippled out into concert parking lots, where fans continued the Haight's tradition of folk art. In time, some of these efforts even approached fine art, with some Deadheads going on to produce band-sanctioned posters and establishing professional artistic careers.

Several band members are artists as well. Garcia's art has received the most attention, but since the band's retirement, drummers Billy Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart have also emerged as artists, and this exhibit will feature work by all three members. The connection between the band's music and the art that it inspired remains a vital and compelling subject for scholars, collectors, and fans alike, and "Songs of Our Own" will give visitors a window into this fascinating artistic nexus.



 

Hail and Farewell

Liliana Dimitrova, Purchasing Specialist

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Lily Dimitrova to our Library Purchasing operation. Lily holds a Master of Business Administration with a focus in International Economic Relations. She comes to the Library with five years of experience selecting vendors, negotiating contracts and sourcing items for the University’s Physical Plant Department.

She hit the road running in our Operations Department and already has earned the reputation of a fierce negotiator and great source finder for our often-unique purchasing needs.

We are fortunate to have her join our very talented and dedicated Administration team.

 

Farewell to Frank Dang



The Library said farewell to Frank Dang who was a key member of the Library's Information Technology Team. Frank began his work in 2003 at UCSC while still a student pursuing his degree in American Studies and History.



Frank's contributions are wide-ranging. He provided project management and led the work of the Public Computing Services Team ensuring the proper working of more than 300 computers. He was a critically important member of the team that created Grateful Dead Archive Online (GDAO). With his team he provided leadership in the procurement and installation of hardware and software necessary for the Storage Area Network (SAN) supporting GDAO. He was always a patient teacher to his sometimes technology-challenged fellow library staffers.



Frank is now the Technical Lead at Hospice of Santa Cruz County. We appreciate all the contributions Frank made to the University Library for the benefit of the UCSC community. We will miss Frank.

 

 

Editor: Lettie Bennett

Contributors: Ginny Steel, Nick Meriwether, Irene Reti, Laura McClanathan, Lettie Bennett, Ethan Henderson, Suzanne Flanders, Kate McGirr

Production: Linda Hunt, Kirsten Cattell

Copyediting and proofreading: Mark Engel

Photography:

Making a Difference - Robin Chandler

Preserving Your Memories - Photos courtesy of University Archives, Special Collections and Archives, UCSC Library.

A Student's Thanks - Randy Rogers: Rogers Family; Ching-Yi Dougherty: Brian Dougherty; East Asian Studies Reading Room: Lettie Bennett.

It Became My Case Study - Photo of Professor Michael Cowan courtesy of Special Collections and Archives, UCSC Library.

Alejandra Sanchez: Earning, Learning and Helping - Laura McClanathan

"Songs of Our Own: A New Grateful Dead Archive Exhibit" - Eric Arvizu