Instructional and Research Facilities

UC IRVINE LIBRARIES

Gerald J. Munoff, University Librarian
World Wide Web: http://www.lib.uci.edu/

Established in 1963 as one of the founding academic units on campus, the UCI Libraries facilitate the creation of new knowledge in all disciplines across campus. The Libraries support the information needs of students, faculty, staff, and community members through the Libraries' Web site and at four library facilities: the Main Library, the Science Library, the Gateway Study Center on the UCI campus, and the Forest J. Grunigen Medical Center Library in Orange.

The UCI Libraries have more than 2.2 million volumes, nearly 20,000 journal subscriptions in print, and access to more than 9,000 online scholarly resources. The Libraries also maintain a collection of 2.5 million microforms as well as more than 77,000 cartographic and graphic materials, computer files, audio recordings, and films and videos. Most books and periodicals are on open shelves and easily accessible to users. The print and electronic collections are carefully selected and developed in conjunction with the campus academic plan.

ANTPAC (the Anteaters Public Access Catalog) provides information about books, periodicals, and other library materials at UCI, including whether an item is checked out. The Libraries provide access to a growing number of licensed Web-based bibliographic, abstracting, and full-text resources, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, electronic journals and books, and other useful subject resources. In addition, the MELVYL^® Catalog and the California Digital Library, available via the UCI Libraries' Web site, connect users at UCI with the vast resources of the 10-campus University of California library system. Expedited loans are made between the UC libraries.

UCI faculty, students, and staff may easily request library materials not owned by or unavailable at the UCI Libraries through interlibrary loan (ILL). Requests may be submitted in person at any of the UCI Libraries or conveniently online via the Libraries' Web site.

The UCI Libraries also offer Document Delivery Service (DDS), a popular on-campus delivery service of materials to UCI faculty, graduate students, and administrative staff. Eligibility is dependent on departmental participation. Eligible DDS users may request delivery and pickup of UCI Libraries and ILL books at no charge, and photocopy services with the use of a recharge account.

The UCI Libraries conduct an active instruction program to help researchers become familiar with rapidly changing information resources and technologies. More than 12,000 people attended training sessions last year. The program includes a formal course in library research techniques (Humanities 75, Library Research Methods), instruction on the expert use of scholarly resources related to courses and academic disciplines, instruction in the use of various software and computerized systems, e-mail and Internet access training, and general orientations to the Libraries.

More than 300 desktop computers are available for general and scheduled use throughout the four library buildings. The Main Library features a state-of-the-art Multimedia Resources Center with a computer laboratory and a video/laserdisk playback area, a Technology Enhanced Classroom for hands-on library instruction, and a Student Communications Room for easy access to e-mail. The Science Library features the Interactive Learning Center (a computer laboratory and library instruction center) and a student e-mail area. The Medical Center Library provides two computer technology facilities featuring an instructional laboratory and an Information Technology Center.

The Gateway Study Center, adjacent to the Main Library, and the Science Library Study Center provide comfortable study space 24 hours a day during prefinals and finals weeks, and 20 hours a day during the quarter.

Reserve Services offers limited circulation of required or collateral reading materials that have been selected by the faculty. Many reserve items, including most journal articles, are available in full-text electronic form and can be easily viewed and printed at both the Main and Science Libraries, as well as online via ANTPAC (World Wide Web: http://antpac.lib.uci.edu/). Reserve services for print materials are available in the Gateway Study Center building and at the Science Library Loan Desk.

The Main Library supports teaching and research in arts, humanities, social sciences, education, and business and management.

The Reference and Government Information Desk on the first floor provides reference assistance and information on a variety of topics to campus and community users. The department publishes a series of reference guides in paper and electronic format to aid in researching both general and specialized topics. Assistance is provided in using the government information collection which contains more than 400,000 publications issued by the U.S. government, the State of California, international organizations, and Canada, as well as the Orange County Public Affairs Collection, a resource of information on local topics issued by governmental and nongovernmental agencies.

Current Periodicals/Newspapers houses current issues of humanities and social science journals and other periodicals, foreign and domestic newspapers, a wide variety of popular magazines for recreational reading, and back issues of newspapers and journals on microform.

The Department of Special Collections and Archives holds the Libraries' non-circulating collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, maps, pamphlets, and other materials notable for their age, value, fragility, provenance, or uniqueness. Contemporary materials are collected in selected subject areas in order to build and preserve specialized research collections. Important collections include: the Regional History and Literature Collection, emphasizing Orange County; the Critical Theory Archive, containing the papers of Jacques Derrida and other distinguished theorists; the Dance and Performing Arts Collections, highlighting the history of dance in Southern California; the personal papers of eminent UCI faculty members, including Nobel Laureate Frederick Reines; the René Wellek Collection of the History of Criticism; and the literary papers of notable authors such as Kenneth Millar (pseudonym Ross Macdonald), Kathleen Raine, and Donald Heiney (pseudonym MacDonald Harris). Other collections emphasize Thomas Mann, orchids and horticulture, British naval history, fine printing, and the book arts. Significant collections of small press poetry and political pamphlets are also held.

The University Archives is the official repository for records having permanent value in documenting the history of UCI, including publications, manuscripts, photographs, and other records of administrative and academic units, student organizations, and campus support groups.

The Southeast Asian Archive documents the experiences of post-1975 Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, and Vietnamese refugees and immigrants. The archive includes materials relating to the exodus from the homeland, resettlement in the United States, community development, and history and culture of Southeast Asians in the U.S., with a special focus on Orange County and California. The archive contains materials in both Vietnamese and English, including books, dissertations and theses, refugee orientation materials, reports from government and private agencies, periodicals, newspaper clippings, audiovisual materials, and manuscripts.

Other Main Library services include a Disability Resource/Technology Room containing study aids for blind and partially sighted students, and the Library Copy Center, which provides conveniently located copiers for patron use in all libraries (Main, Science, and Medical Center). Patrons may also leave materials to be copied. A card system is used for photocopies, computer print requests, and various other printing jobs. Card dispensers/regenerators are available in all libraries.

The Science Library houses the science, medicine, and technology collections including material in the fields of astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth systems science, engineering, mathematics, medicine, and physics. The Science Library provides more than 2,000 individual study spaces, faculty and graduate reading rooms, more than 50 group study rooms, and an extended-hours study center. In the Reference Room on the second floor, expert staff are available for research assistance and consultation, and computer workstations provide access to a vast array of electronic journals, research databases, and other Internet resources. Adjacent to the Reference Room is the Current Periodicals Reading Room.

Located at the UCI Medical Center in Orange, the Forest J. Grunigen Medical Center Library serves the information and research needs of the Medical Center and supports the teaching activities of the College of Medicine. Its collection includes approximately 50,000 volumes and 800 clinical serials subscriptions.

NETWORK & ACADEMIC COMPUTING SERVICES

Network & Academic Computing Services (NACS) provides telephone, network, and computing services in support of research and education at UCI. NACS provides central computing services, computer laboratories, departmental and research-group support services, and campuswide technical coordination. The campus network infrastructure maintained by NACS provides connectivity on campus and to the world-wide Internet. Wireless and mobile wired network access is available in select areas of the campus as part of the UCInet Mobile Access project.

NACS provides coordination and infrastructure for UCI's Electronic Educational Environment (EEE), a cooperative campuswide venture to enhance the educational experience using computer-mediated communications and electronic resources. As a part of EEE, NACS provides electronic access services to all UCI students, including Educational Access (EA) e-mail accounts and access to the Internet and class information resources. For more information see the EEE Web site at http://eee.uci.edu/.

Approximately 90 MS-Windows and Macintosh computers are available 24 hours a day in computer laboratories on the first floor of the Engineering Gateway building. All common Macintosh and MS-Windows applications are available including Web browsers, word processing, spreadsheet, statistics, and presentation software. Computer peripherals including flat-bed image and text scanners and laser printers are also available. While school is in session, NACS student consultants are on duty in Room E1140 to provide assistance to those using the facilities.

An additional 96 Pentium III computers are located in the Multipurpose Science and Technology Building (MST) and are available for drop-in use when not scheduled for classes. NACS also operates "NACS@HIB," a drop-in instructional laboratory in the Humanities Instructional Building. This laboratory has 30 Pentium II computers and is open to students of any major.

NACS offers a variety of additional services. For more information see the NACS Web site at http://www.nacs.uci.edu/. Offices are located in the Engineering Gateway Building, Room E2130. The NACS Help Desk may be reached by sending electronic mail to nacs@uci.edu or by calling (949) 824-6116.

UCI ECOLOGICAL PRESERVE

The 60-acre UCI Ecological Preserve consists of several small hills and surrounding flatlands bearing remnants of coastal sage scrub flora and associated fauna. The Preserve is located on the campus and is set aside for teaching, research, and use by the campus community. Additional information is available from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; telephone (949) 824-6006.

NATURAL RESERVES SYSTEM

The University of California manages and maintains a system of 33 land and water reserves that are representative of the State's habitat and geographic diversity. These serve as outdoor laboratories for students, faculty, and staff, and are intended primarily for purposes of education and research. The reserves are administered by local campus management committees who control their uses. UCI is responsible for two reserves: the San Joaquin Marsh Reserve and the Burns Piñon Ridge Reserve. Additional information is available from the manager; telephone (949) 824-6031.

San Joaquin Marsh Reserve

The San Joaquin Marsh Reserve, one of the last remaining marshes in Southern California, is a 202-acre reserve adjacent to the UCI campus. The Marsh consists of a series of freshwater ponds and their attendant aquatic flora and fauna, and is especially known for its rich bird life, both resident and migratory. Researchers and observers have recorded 226 species of birds in the Reserve, a major stopping point on the Pacific Flyway. Periodic tours are conducted.

Burns Piñon Ridge Reserve

The Burns Piñon Ridge Reserve is located near the town of Yucca Valley in San Bernardino County. It is a 265-acre parcel of high-desert habitat representing an ecotone between montane and desert biota, with mixtures of Joshua tree, piñon pine, and juniper woodland. The Reserve has a dormitory and research station, as well as primitive camping facilities, and is used primarily for overnight field trips and research by faculty and students from the School of Biological Sciences.

UCI ARBORETUM

The UCI Arboretum is a botanical garden developed and managed by the School of Biological Sciences. It contains areas planted with floras adapted to climates similar to those of Southern California. The Arboretum maintains a large collection of African monocots as well as plants native to Southern California and Baja California. The Arboretum provides materials and space for research and teaching needs and its collections are also used as an educational resource for the community at large. Volunteers and other interested parties are encouraged to participate in Arboretum activities. Additional information is available from the Arboretum Office; telephone (949) 824-5833.

LASER MICROBEAM AND MEDICAL PROGRAM

The Laser Microbeam and Medical Program (LAMMP) was established at UCI in 1979 as a national user facility providing a unique set of laser microbeam biotechnologies to individual researchers. LAMMP functions as a research, training, and service facility, and provides interaction between the laser industry and the academic biomedical optics community. LAMMP provides laser microbeam technologies for optical manipulation and functional imaging of living cells, and for developing noninvasive systems for monitoring and imaging physiology in living tissue. The program is conducted in the Beckman Laser Institute and is funded through the Biotechnology Resources Program of the National Institutes of Health. Additional information is available from the LAMMP coordinator at (949) 824-3664 and on the World Wide Web at http://www.bli.uci.edu/lammp/lammp.html.

UCI MEDICAL CENTER

UCI Medical Center, the only university hospital in Orange County, offers a full scope of acute- and general-care services including cancer, organ transplantation, pediatrics, neurosurgery, and trauma. Located in the City of Orange, 13 miles from the UCI campus, UCI Medical Center has more than 400 specialty and primary care physicians.

Perinatologists are available for the expert management of high-risk pregnancies, and UCI Medical Center has the most sophisticated neonatal unit in the county to care for critically ill newborns. The Medical Center houses a 24-hour emergency department and is designated as Orange County's only Level I Trauma Center--the most comprehensive for the treatment of life-threatening injuries.

Many of UCI Medical Center's facilities are the only of their kind in the county, including a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center and a comprehensive epilepsy program. The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center offers a full range of cancer therapies and research programs, including laser and radiation therapy, endoscopic ultrasound, and immunotherapy. The UCI Comprehensive Epilepsy Program uses the latest in sophisticated procedures and therapies to diagnose and treat both children and adults with epilepsy, particularly those whose seizures have continued despite standard treatments. As part of its focus on family and preventive health, UCI Medical Center has five neighborhood health centers located throughout Orange County, including Anaheim, Irvine (on the UCI campus), Orange, Santa Ana, and Westminster.

UCI Medical Center also serves as the principal clinical facility for the College of Medicine's teaching and research programs. For additional information or to schedule an appointment, call toll free (877) UCI-DOCS or visit http://www.ucihealth.com on the World Wide Web.

UCI CENTER FOR OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

In 1980 the University established occupational health centers in Northern and Southern California. The purposes of these Centers are (1) to train occupational health professionals, (2) to conduct research on occupational health issues, and (3) to provide clinical evaluation of the worker/patient for work-related disease. The Centers have strong ties to the University's Schools of Medicine and Public Health.

The Irvine Center is comprised of health professionals from UCI. Faculty research is concerned with identification of causal association between disease and occupational exposure as a basis for prevention of occupational disease and injury. The Center's primary areas are occupational medicine, toxicology, and epidemiology, and it also is concerned with the prevention of disease due to environmental exposures.

The Center houses a referral clinic, faculty and staff offices, and facilities for research and teaching in industrial hygiene and toxicology, a classroom, a library, and study space for residents in occupational medicine and other graduate students. Additional information is available from (949) 824-8641.

ADDITIONAL FACILITIES

Information about many other UCI research and instructional facilities and programs is available in the academic unit sections and the Research and Graduate Studies section of this Catalogue.