UC Merced Library

In An Understanding of the African Diaspora Through Art, published in The Undergraduate Historical and Critical Race & Ethnic Studies Journal at UC Merced (Volume 9, Special Issue: Afro-Mexico, Spring 2023), Kimberly Casillas explores Muerte de Las Culturas, a mural that reflects themes such as immigration, motherhood, assimilation, and cultural remembrance, and highlights the historical challenges and enduring strength of Afromexican people. Created by artists Baltazar Castellano Melo, Olga Manzano Ranacuija, and José Luis Hernández Guzmán, Muerte de Las Culturas is on display at Colegio de San Ildefonso in Mexico City. Community members, including local residents and passing migrants, contributed creatively and even left personal belongings embedded in the mural, creating a living testament to the resilience and cultural contributions of Afromexican communities. Read Barillas' essay in the full issue of HCRES on eScholarship: https://lnkd.in/gHJ5VaMU

Join us for a captivating reading and discussion featuring Deborah Jackson Taffa (Kwatsaán/Laguna Pueblo), author of Whiskey Tender (HarperCollins). Event Time: Noon-1:30pm? Event Date: Tuesday, February 18, 2025 Event Location: Kolligian Library Building, KL 232 Registration is encouraged as seating is limited. Light refreshments will be provided. Register at https://ucm.edu/taffa-2025.

UC Merced Arts 115 students performing George C. Wolfe’s The Colored Museum, Exhibit –Git on Board, July 2, 2015, Opening Night at the Merced Multicultural Center. In McMillon, K. C. (2019). The Women of the Black Arts Movement and the Rise of the Ancestors. UC Merced. Dissertation available at https://lnkd.in/gvqVqJbn Examining the writings of Cherise A. Pollard, Toni Morrison, Toni Cade Bambara, bell hooks, Lorraine Hansberry, and through filmed interviews, questionnaires, and open discussions with Amina Baraka and Doris Derby, McMillon explores the history of African American women and the identity of Black womanhood in America.

ICYMI, check out our Alumni Spotlight in Library’s latest annual report. Jasmine Ng '15, B.S. in Cognitive Science, is now a Clinical Research Operations Manager at UC Berkeley's School of Optometry & Vision Science. As a student assistant at the UC Merced Library, Jasmine digitized invaluable historical materials and honed skills she still uses today—like resourcefulness, independent problem-solving, and effective information searching. She’s now leading the transition to electronic data capture, collaborating with leading ophthalmic researchers and designing tools with all users in mind. Her advice for Bobcats? “Be curious, utilize resources, and embrace opportunities. Start with the Library!” You support opportunities for other Bobcats to grow lifelong skills outside of the classroom when you #GTUCM Library: ucm.edu/give-library

Students in a first-year Spark seminar on The Central Valley Environment received an introduction to archives and the analysis of primary source materials at the Library. Bobcats donned nitrile gloves as they gingerly handled century-old photos and penciled their notes on sheets of paper. Their up-close reading of reports from the UCCE Merced County records provided a historical understanding of place and changing social conditions. This month, help us meet a #GiveToUCMerced $2500 match for the Archives & Special Collections Expansion Fund. Support our work to expand access to collections and improve our spaces for teaching about archival research. ucm.edu/give-archives

Darián Andrade-Diaz '24 received the Abrescy-Kranich Library Award for Student Research Excellence for his essay, “Assimilating an Indigenous Perspective in Sequoia Kings Canyon National Parks.” He analyzed archival materials on the development of the Parks’ interpretive and educational programs as a student in Prof. David Rouff’s History 117 course. “The essay reflects on [Darián’s] own skills,” said Rouff, “But the fact that he could write it shows, I think, how important the collection is to producing innovative and original scholarship for the students, and for nerdy faculty members like me who get excited about getting to touch paper in the library.” We have less than 20 days to meet a #GiveToUCMerced $2500 match for the Archives & Special Collections Expansion Fund. Support our work to expand access to collections and improve our spaces for teaching about archival research. Your gift will further opportunities for students like Darián to touch original documents and get up close with history. https://lnkd.in/gpNYTRcJ

Ashley Ratcliff-Winn and Darián Andrade-Diaz were the 2024 winners of the Abrescy-Kranich Student Award for Library Research Excellence, highlighted in our recent annual report. The award recognizes effective use of the Library’s information resources, an understanding of the research process, and growth in research practices. You can read their work, and that of past award winners, on eScholarship: https://lnkd.in/gUwaGbbE Undergrads, apply now for this year’s award cycle! Submissions are due January 31, 2025. For more info, see:?https://lnkd.in/gWmka_Xm #UCMercedLibrary #research #eScholarship

Are those stars on a Hollywood moo-vie set? Maybe not quite--it’s a photo taken during the filming of the popular “Happy Cows Come From California” commercial, found in the UCANR archive. Read about our work to preserve the history of CA Agriculture and Natural Resources in UC Merced Library’s recently released Annual Report 2023-2024: https://lnkd.in/gsxP_8xi Support our ongoing efforts to save and make available archives and special collections: ucm.edu/give-library #UCMercedLibrary #ucanr #GiveToUCMerced

This past year, the University Archives completed processing records that document UC Merced’s history, from a 1987 letter about a plot of land near Lake Yosemite, into the first years of the campus’s existence. Please support our continued efforts to preserve campus history. #GiveToUCMerced #UCMercedLibrary at https://lnkd.in/gT_YQN-T

“As a doctoral student, my research relies heavily on archival sources,” says May Kao Xiong. Support students' access to unique and vital collections. This December, #GiveToUCMerced and help us meet our $ per $ match to support and expand Archives & Special Collections. #UCMercedLibrary Donate: https://lnkd.in/gT_YQN-T Read more: https://lnkd.in/gsxP_8xi