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Jesse Drian, Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholar
Q: What is your preferred name and what are your pronouns?
Jesse, he/him/his
Q: Please tell us about your new role.
I explore, research, and document UCLA Library’s Buddhist Studies collections(opens in a new tab) stewarded by the Richard C. Rudolph East Asian Library to make them more accessible for researchers, students, Buddhist congregations and the broader public. UCLA has an absolutely amazing collection which spans vast time periods, language and formats, and I want more people to know about it.
Q: What goals/hopes do you have for this year as our new Buddhism Public Scholar?
I am excited to work with colleagues across the Library and the Buddhist Studies Center to build opportunities and resources to introduce the collection to new audiences and help them discover new ways to engage it with its holdings. At the moment, I am working to meet people in the Library and the Center for Buddhist Studies, and to familiarize myself with the collections. I am looking forward to diving into collections like the archives on Buddhism in Los Angeles, but first, I want to first learn more about how the collections have been developed and used, and the different interests of people on campus. I want to build a foundation to help discover opportunities for collaborative projects, and to align my work with the broader needs of the community.
Mitchel Gundrum, Kress Assistant Conservator
Q: What is your preferred name and what are your pronouns?
My preferred name is Mitchel (though Mitch is fine!) and I use he/they interchangeably.
Q: What projects will you be tackling first?
To start, I’ll be taking a look at some backlog book repair projects and working to get these items back into the hands of researchers. I’m additionally preparing to contribute to a complex rebinding treatment of a Turkish incunable from the 1730s, which will require a deep dive into some materials and book structures which are not regularly encountered in European bookbindings and thus calls for an exceptionally informed, intentional and empathetic treatment.
Q: What goals/hopes do you have for this year as our new Kress Assistant Conservator?
I’m delighted and grateful to be joining the Preservation & Conservation(opens in a new tab) team at UCLA Library and really hope to make the most of the experience by conducting a wide variety of treatments, getting involved in the preservation, environmental monitoring, exhibition and outreach facets of our field, and making connections with folks from all of these specialisms to better appreciate the context in which we all work. Similarly, I hope to draw on UCLA’s vast pool of scientists and researchers to conduct material analysis on some of the collection materials that come through the lab to better appreciate the context in which those objects were made, used and valued over time.
Serena Tie, Visual Designer
Q: What is your preferred name and what are your pronouns?
Serena, she/hers
Q: Please tell us about your new role.
As a Visual Designer, I work alongside the UX Design Lead to design and improve websites administered by the Library. For each project, we begin by understanding the expectations of internal stakeholders (such as the project manager). Then, we conduct user research to examine the needs of our site visitors and translate them into visual and interactive solutions. After handing it over to the developers, we remain involved in the iterative and testing process to stay on top of problems that may arise.
Q: What goals/hopes do you have for this year as our new Visual Designer?
This year, I am focusing on redesigning the website for the UCLA Film & Television Archive (FTVA), a division of UCLA Library. Although current users are generally able to navigate the site without issues, it is still undeniably clunky and outdated. My goal is to modernize the experience while preserving its minimalist charm. Hopefully with this new redesign, there will be more buzz about the content and the programs FTVA offers. I’m sure there are a lot of locals who would love to attend our events but don’t know that they exist!
Kim Mc Nelly, East Asian Library Project Manager
Q: What is your preferred name and what are your pronouns?
Kim is great! My pronouns are they/them.
Q: What projects will you be tackling first?
My initial primary goal is to continue the digitization of the Tule Lake Japanese Language Library Collection(opens in a new tab). I will also engage with interested parties and stakeholders in how we move forward with further projects related to the collection. Building partnerships within the library will also help to set the stage for future collaborations.
Q: What goals/hopes do you have for this year as our new East Asian Library Project Manager?
My initial primary goal is to promote and help expand our accessible digital collections, particularly the Tule Lake Japanese Language Library Collection. I want to spread the word that foreign language skills aren’t a barrier to everything the East Asian Library offers; we have many digital projects and collections with interpretation or translation done by student workers for English language accessibility.