Copley Library 2023-2024 Annual Report

Message from the Dean

C opley’s 2023-2024 impact report showcases seven phenomenal faculty. These faculty have different specializations and work in various departments in the library. Through their bios, you will be introduced to them, their work, and their research interests. You will learn which librarian is from New Zealand, which one plays the guitar in a band, or which one is an avid runner or hiker. The library provided programming and space for a diverse range of events this past year. We hosted the 10th Anniversary of our Digital Initiatives Symposium, continued our partnership with the San Diego Public Library for Black History/Women’s History Months, held a Filipino American History Month talk, and maintained our relationship with the San Diego Diocese through our Pontem Path Program for eighth graders. We celebrated the university’s 75th anniversary with a display and worked with the Provost’s Office and Office of Sponsored Programs to sponsor the Research and Scholarship Recognition program. The American Library Association (ALA) came to town in June, and Copley Library hosted, along with the UCSD Geisel Library, the “Academic Library and Learning Spaces Tour.” Also, our Sister Library colleagues at the Universidad de Monterrey visited Copley during ALA. Out of 334 entries, a panel of 25 judges selected Copley Library to receive the 2024 PR Xchange Award for our 10th anniversary digital issue of Copley Connects . In addition, Copley joined our San Diego Circuit university colleagues in implementing Clarivate’s Ex Libris’ integrated library system (ILS). The catalog is more user-friendly, and ILL requests arrive faster. A big shout out to Laura Turner, Associate Dean for Collections, Access, and Discovery; Sarah Frieldsmith, Systems Librarian; and our partners in the Pardee Legal Research Center and ITS, who made the transition from the Innovative Interfaces to the Ex Libris system possible. Copley’s 2024 Undergraduate Research Award Winners were Aidan Jacobs Walker for the 400 Level Award ($1,000) for his paper “Late Summer Plankton Community Variation in Near Shore Environments” and the 300 Level Award Zoe Kobs ($800) for “The Manifestation of Women’s Identity and autonomy in Medieval Islam.” Regarding library resources, JSTOR, a multidisciplinary (humanities, social sciences, and sciences) database, had the highest number of users, and American Literature books were checked out the most. Please turn the page to learn more about our faculty and past year’s activities.

Dr. Theresa S. Byrd DEAN OF THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

2023–2024 ANNUAL REPORT | 3