Newly Published J.M. McCaleb Papers Highlights Missionaries’ Service to the Church in Japan
John Moody McCaleb, a young preacher from the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement, and his wife Della, sailed for Japan in 1892. Newly wed and newly inspired for the Christian mission that awaited them there, they could hardly have imagined the ways in which their lives would be shaped and formed by nearly 50 years of service to the church in Japan. Their story is documented in the newly published digital collection, J.M. McCaleb Papers at Pepperdine Libraries.
Pepperdine Libraries Acquires New System to Ensure Digital File Preservation
You may have walked past Pepperdine Libraries’ cold storage in Payson Library, specially designed to protect our delicate rare and archival materials. What is less visible, but equally vital, is Pepperdine Libraries’ new digital preservation storage environment, Preservica. Preservica is a system designed to address the unique preservation challenges of digital files.
Pepperdine Libraries Partners with Faculty to Preserve Rare Materials
Pepperdine Libraries has engaged in exciting conservation work to stabilize a selection of books from its Boone Special Collections. The Libraries engaged Pepperdine faculty from the Humanities and Teacher Education Division to sort through the collection in collaboration with Special Collections librarians and identify those books of enduring value that the faculty might like to use in the classroom or their research. Then the Libraries identified a professional book conservator to carefully mend the damage so that students, faculty, and staff can now safely interact with the centuries-old books.
Pepperdine Libraries Appoints Gabrielle Riter as Head of the West Los Angeles Graduate Campus Library
Pepperdine Libraries is pleased to announce the appointment of Gabrielle Riter as West Los Angeles campus librarian. Riter earned a master's in library and information studies from UCLA and a bachelor’s in art history from Loyola Marymount University. In her role, Riter will oversee the West Los Angeles Graduate Campus Library, which supports the research, learning, and teaching needs of the Graziadio Business School and the Graduate School of Education and Psychology—both headquartered in West Los Angeles.
Pepperdine Libraries Awards $20K to Faculty in Support of Open Access Publishing
Several years ago, as part of our commitment to supporting open scholarly inquiry, Pepperdine Libraries began awarding open access publishing stipends to faculty. To date, the program has been tremendously successful, awarding more than $20,000 to nearly a dozen faculty members. And, we just recently increased the amount available faculty can apply for. The stipends are used to pay publishers for their article processing charges to prepare articles for open access publication.
Libraries Impacting Learning
Pepperdine Libraries is committed to making a meaningful impact on student learning, and we do it in a variety of ways. We make it seamless for students to access physical and online materials and to connect with librarians. Our staff of experts partners with faculty to make course reserves, including scans of book chapters, articles, and other materials, available 24/7 to students via their Courses/Sakai page. Our Genesis Lab and Special Collections librarians help students utilize new technologies and integrate archival collections into their coursework.
New Archivist Christopher Miehl Excited to Help Preserve Pepperdine’s History
Pepperdine Libraries is pleased to announce the appointment of Christopher Miehl to the position of university archivist. Miehl, who holds a master's in library and information studies from UCLA, will oversee the acquisition, description, and preservation of the library’s growing archival assets.
Pepperdine Libraries Invites Recently Tenured Faculty to Comment on Inspirational Books
Recently tenured faculty members have been invited to select a book title that is personally or professionally significant to them. Pepperdine Libraries honored their achievement with a decorative bookplate placed on the inside cover of their chosen book. The books are on display at Payson Library.
Kristin Hronek Acquires the Resources You Need for Teaching, Learning, and Research
Meet this month’s featured staff member, library acquisitions supervisor Kristin Hronek. Kristin joined the Pepperdine Libraries team at the end of the 2022 spring term, coming from her alma mater CSU Channel Islands where she worked in the Registrar's Office for more than a decade as an academic records evaluation specialist. At CSUCI, she helped students navigate graduation requirements, evaluated transfer coursework, and advised military-connected students on their federal education benefits. Kristin also holds an MLIS degree from San Jose State University, and when we chatted for this interview, she explained she chose Pepperdine to both continue her work in higher education but also pivot to a career in librarianship.
Preserving History for Future Generations
If you've spent any time in Payson Library, you're probably at least somewhat familiar with our Boone Special Collections and University Archives. You may have walked by the Reading Room and witnessed a researcher going through an archival box full of documents and photographs. Perhaps you strolled by the Seminar Room and saw a librarian teaching a class in the presence of centuries-old manuscripts. Or, you glanced into the Processing Room and saw student employees sorting through letters and typing information into a computer. But what is going on behind the scenes? Learn about what Pepperdine Libraries is doing to ensure the preservation of history for generations to come.
