Student Success

Culminates multiyear effort to unite Library collections and services in central, state-of-the-art space

This article was originally published in UCSB’s The Current. 

The new Sara Miller McCune Arts Library will open to the public on Monday, December 2. 

The creation of this thoughtfully designed and vibrant new space with state-of-the-art technology on the main Library’s 1st floor Mountain Side was made possible by the generosity of philanthropist, arts lover, and longtime UCSB donor Sara Miller McCune. The gift was made in collaboration with McCune’s social science publishing company, Sage Publishing. 

UCSB Library has announced the recipients of the sixth annual Library Award for Undergraduate Research (LAUR).

UC Santa Barbara Library is pleased to announce the much-anticipated opening of the new UCSB Makerspace on January 8. Located on the first floor, Ocean Side, of the Library, the Makerspace is open to all UCSB students, faculty, and staff for academic, research, or personal exploration.

B Arriaga was hired as the Library’s first Makerspace Student Assistant in spring of 2022 and transitioned to a limited-term Makerspace Assistant position after graduating in fall of 2022. As a queer and neurodivergent person, B was looking for a role that suited their talents and provided a welcoming and creative learning experience, both of which the position offered. 

On June 1, 2023, seven UCSB undergraduate students were recognized at the fifth annual Library Award for Undergraduate Research (LAUR) ceremony. The awardees demonstrated deep engagement with the Library’s collections, resources, and services while producing a scholarly or creative work. First-place winners received an award of $750 and second-place winners received $500. 

On June 2, 2022, six students were recognized at the fourth annual Library Award for Undergraduate Research (LAUR) ceremony. The awardees demonstrated deep engagement with the Library’s collections, resources, and services while producing a scholarly or creative work. To be eligible for the award, students have to submit not only a final research or creative project, but also a bibliography and a reflective essay describing their research process. 

UCSB Health & Wellness has partnered with UCSB Library to fund and grow the Well-being Resources Collection, which has become increasingly important as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect mental health. 

Nearly 80 new titles are now accessible at UCSB Library, of which about half are e-books and half are print books. 

​Meet Stewart Engart

Since the UCSB Library launched a project in 2002 to record and digitize its Cylinder Audio Archive, the archive has grown to become the largest online collection of downloadable historic sound recordings.