At the UCI Libraries, resources are not only available to students, faculty and researchers. Community members find new forms of understanding and engagement through Libraries’ programs and events.
Through support to Libraries’ annual giving programs – Gateway Society and Honor with Books – alumni, faculty and community members ensure continual acquisition of resources to foster discovery and learning across campus and within the community.
Al Encinias, UCI BA ’72 and Teaching Credential ’73, recalls participating in walkouts protesting the poor quality of education as a student at Lincoln High School in East Los Angeles. Back then, he never expected to attend a four-year college. During the fall of 1968, Mr. Encinias began attending UCI as part of the first group of minority students admitted through Affirmative Action and reflects that he was not academically prepared for college. He attributes his eventual success to UCI’s faith in him and many hours of tutoring in the UCI Libraries. These days Mr. Encinias enjoys attending Libraries’ programs and events, which is how he learned about Honor with Books.
Honor with Books provides a way to commemorate an occasion, celebrate a milestone or honor a great achievement while supporting the mission of the UCI Libraries. Gifts to Honor with Books helps advance UCI’s mission of excellence in teaching and research by providing critical support for the acquisition of new print and electronic books.
Mr. Encinias chose to support Honor with Books in memory of his parents who did not have the same educational opportunities he did. “My mother attended school through the 5th grade and my father never had any schooling. He could not read, and only later in life was able to sign his name. It is to them I chose to Honor with Books.”
Professor of English, Julia Lupton, frequently partners with the Libraries on public programs and recognizes the importance of the Libraries to all faculty on campus. “Without libraries we would have no books to teach and no place to share our scholarship,” shares Professor Lupton who recently joined the UCI Libraries’ Gateway Society. Annual membership gifts to the Gateway Society support the Libraries’ exhibits, author events, lectures and other programming, which allow the UCI community to learn about a wide array of exciting topics.
Professor Lupton further explains, “In addition to valuing everything the UCI Libraries does to preserve literature and promote scholarship, I also love programming like “First Folio Fridays” featuring UCI Libraries’ copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio, author events with Colson Whitehead and Viet Thanh Nguyen, and “Chop Suey USA” celebrating the Asian experience in the United States.”
Lynne Ramsey, a nonprofit consultant and community member, was excited to learn about UCI Libraries Gateway Society, which values the Libraries’ role in inspiring members of UCI and the community to discover and create new knowledge. She shared this was one of the reasons why she decided to join the Gateway Society three years ago. “As a member of the Gateway Society, I've enjoyed and learned from their special programs. The Libraries give so much to our community and to have their services right in our backyard is a treasure. We need to support valuable resources like these within our community.”
Gifts to the UCI Libraries serve as an investment in the educational and research goals of the entire community. To learn more about Gateway Society and Honor with Books, please contact Associate Director of Development Angelica Simmons at acsimmo1@uci.ed or at 949-824-3080.