UC Davis Library

10/15/2026

Join us this Saturday, October 17, for the Sacramento Archives Crawl!

Archives and special collections libraries throughout the Sacramento region will open their doors to the public and showcase their rarely seen holdings during this annual event, in celebration of Archives Month.

Stop by our Archives and Special Collections table at the California State Library from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and meet our archivists. We’ll be displaying items from our new exhibit, Archives and Special Collections: Our Work, Our Collections, Our Impact.

Learn more about the Archives Crawl: https://www.sacramentoarchivescrawl.com/

Image description:
A collage of historical photographs features musicians in uniform, a dancer, a Black teenage boy holding a trophy, families, children, and groups of people in period clothing, layered over overlapping pastel-colored rectangles. The headline reads “Free Public Event, Sacramento Archives Crawl, Saturday October 17, 2026 10 a.m.-4 p.m.," with a QR code and the website sacramentoarchivescrawl.com at the bottom.

10/15/2026

Why do we ride? Join us on October 22 for a talk with author Peter Flax to find out!

Why We Ride: Author Talk with Peter Flax
Thursday, Oct. 22, 5:30-7 p.m.
Shields Library, Rm. 167
Register: https://buff.ly/GyX1YkM

In celebration of Archives Month, Peter Flax, former editor in chief of Bicycling magazine, is visiting Shields Library to discuss his book Live to Ride: Finding Joy and Meaning on a Bicycle. Whether you commute, cruise or race, Live to Ride posits that riders have more in common than they realize.

Flax will also explore the significance of Davis’ groundbreaking bike lanes, built decades ago, and share how photos and documents from our Archives and Special Collections Department helped him bring that history to life.

Free and open to all. Register now: https://buff.ly/GyX1YkM

We hope to see you there!

Image Description:
Author Peter Flax posing in front of a road bike on a paved path beside the beach.

10/13/2026

Great to see so many faculty and staff who are giving back to UC Davis | California's College Town at today’s Employee Giving Ice Cream Social! And thanks, Gunrock, for pitching in at the library table! 🍨📚💙💛

Image description:
Librarian and UC Davis “Gunrock” blue mustang mascot handing information to two people holding ice cream and standing in front of a table with blue tablecloth and UC Davis Library logo in white.

10/08/2026

Thank you to everyone who participated in the library’s dedication of our new mural last week! It was a joyous occasion celebrating a joyous and inspirational work of art by students, for students.

Drawing on the Chicanx tradition of muralism and collective strength through storytelling, the mural was created during spring quarter by undergraduates in the Mural Workshop (ART 171/CHI 171) taught by Jose Arenas, director of Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer (TANA), through the UCD Chicana/o Studies Department.

A special thank you to student artists Brandon Cortes Cardenas, Sharick Gomez and Samuel Cervantes, who shared their experiences working on the mural, and to Jose Arenas, who discussed the creative process behind the design. You have truly left your mark with this beautiful and uplifting artwork, which will be enjoyed by generations of Aggies for years to come.

Read The Davis Enterprise coverage here: https://www.davisenterprise.com/features/welcome-2026-new-mural-lights-up-in-study-room-at-shields-library/article_cb4d686f-a32d-407e-b9a6-ee42b94ddc8c.html

Image description:
UC Davis undergraduates Samuel Cervantes, Brandon Cortes Cardenas and Sharick Gomez stand in front of a colorful, floor-to-ceiling mural.

10/08/2026

Have you seen the Fleetfield Gallery Dog Art Display at Shields Library? It’s un-fur-gettable!

Located on the lower level of Shields (head down the main staircase and look to your right), the display features a rotating selection of dog-themed art and books donated by the Sheila Grant Fleetfield Dog Museum and Library.

Sheila Grant (1950-2017) was an animal behaviorist, professional dog handler, lifelong dog lover, and longtime volunteer with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

The current selection features a couple dozen pieces from the collection of more than 500 works of art, mostly greyhounds and Afghan hounds, Grant’s favorite breed. It also shows how dog art can be incorporated into functional objects, including a door knocker, candle holder, walking cane, and a 1958 Afghan hound TV lamp. Can you spot them all?

Check out the display and learn more about the collection: https://bit.ly/fleetfield-2026

Image Description:
1. Three ceramic dog figurines: a reclining Afghan hound, a dog in a floral dress holding a small white dog, and an Afghan hound in a red vest holding a pom-pom.
2. Silver souvenir spoon with a greyhound head on the handle, stamped with text reading “Greyhound Hall of Fame, Abilene, KS.”
3. Wooden walking cane with a brass band and a carved dog head handle.
4. Bronze-colored sculpture of a dog with its paws on a chair, looking at a black cat sitting on the seat. Small greyhound figurines and a ceramic Afghan hound surround it.
5. Green ceramic lamp base shaped like two greyhounds running over swirling waves, with a painted greyhound tile in front.

10/01/2026

It's time to apply for the 2026-27 UC Davis Library Graduate Student Prize!

Currently enrolled UC Davis graduate students, professional students and postdoctoral scholars can win up to $1,000 for their research using library resources.

Learn more and apply by December 4: https://buff.ly/uixJXxW

Image description:
Photo of two 2025-26 Library Graduate Prize winners holding award certificates on teal blue watercolor background with white text that reads Library Graduate Student Prize, Prizes up to $1,000!, Apply by December 4, bit.ly/GradPrize, with UC Davis Library logo.

10/01/2026

Happy World Postcard Day! Drop by Shields Library TODAY from 1-2:30 p.m. and write a postcard home! 🖋️

Video Description:
Short video of postage-stamp frame in the middle of the screen that cycles through vintage Davis postcard images with text above and below it reading “Write a Postcard Home” with still-shot videos from around the UC Davis campus. The video ends with text reading “Greetings from Davis: Write a Postcard Home, October 1, 1 to 2:30 p.m., Shields Library Lobby.”

10/01/2026

The Library Journal recently interviewed University Librarian and Vice Provost of Digital Scholarship William Garrity about UC Davis Library's role as a "third place" — where Aggies can learn and build community beyond their homes and classrooms.

"The library is helping set students on a successful academic trajectory, in a place where they can be really comfortable."
- William Garrity, UC Davis Library

Read the interview, "Student Belonging and the Library as Third Place": https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/academiclibraries/arl-unbound-student-belonging-and-the-library-as-third-place

📷️ : Gregory Urquiaga

Image description:
William Garrity stands in front of the Academic Assistance and Tutoring Center space at Shields Library, with his hand resting on a sign for tutoring sign ups. Behind him is a tutoring schedule on a whiteboard, students sitting at tables and a sign for chemistry drop-in tutoring.

09/29/2026

Dear Aggies,

You can always text your friends and family to let them know how you’re settling into fall quarter here. But imagine their delight if they received a UC Davis souvenir postcard handwritten by you! 📫️

Drop by Shields Library this Thursday, October 1 from 1-2:30 p.m. and write a postcard home.

You bring the mailing address and our Archives and Special Collections team will provide the rest: postcard, pen, and postage (U.S.)!

Fondly,

The UC Davis Library

P.S. Never written or addressed a postcard? We’ll show you how! 🖋️

🎵 : Postcard by Marc Torch



Video description:
Vintage postcard illustration that reads “Greetings from Davis California” that flips over to script writing for the Greetings From Davis: Write a Postcard Home event on October 1. On a light blue background with illustration of UC Davis icons including water tower and double-decker bus.

09/29/2026

Happy National Coffee Day! ☕

Exciting to see this new partnership between the UC Davis Coffee Center and the Specialty Coffee Association to support the next generation of coffee researchers here at UC Davis!

The library is proud to have the SCA Records, which preserves the history of the Specialty Coffee Association, as part of the library’s growing Coffee and Tea Collections.

Check out our online exhibit to learn more about the evolution of the coffee industry: https://buff.ly/Scak564

A $1 million investment in the future of coffee science will support the next generation of researchers at the UC Davis Coffee Center in the College of Engineering. ☕️

The Specialty Coffee Association has established the Specialty Coffee Association Endowed Fellowship in Coffee Science, providing ongoing support for graduate students conducting research across disciplines including engineering, chemistry, sensory science, brewing, roasting and postharvest processing.

The fellowship will also expand opportunities for international scholars, particularly students from coffee-producing regions, bringing new perspectives and experiences into coffee research at UC Davis.

Read more about the endowed fellowship: https://ow.ly/IRNF50ZPTNb



Image description: William Ristenpart, founding director of the UC Davis Coffee Center, and Yannis Apostolopoulos, CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association, sit together in the Coffee Center near roasters. They hold coffee cups up and sit with various coffee-related items.