eNews Edition: Fall 2019
Contributed by Gina Flores
It’s a love story that began in the late 1960s when San Fernando Valley State College (now CSUN) library student assistants Richard and Karin met at a volleyball game organized by fellow coworkers. Richard was a junior, and Karin had transferred from Pierce College. During their college courtship, the couple remained driven to achieve their educational goals. Richard graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a minor in Theatre Arts in 1970. Karin also graduated that year with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. Two years later, she received a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Southern California, followed by Doctorate in Library Information Management.
Wedding bells rang for Richard and Karin in September of 1971. That same year, Richard obtained his teaching credential in History. Theirs was a beautiful bond that lasted nearly 39 years, until Karin’s unexpected passing in 2010. The legacy of love that Richard has created in Karin’s honor has made history. The Dr. Karin J. Duran and Richard Nupoll Education Librarian Endowment is a milestone for the California State University system, CSUN, and the Oviatt Library, since there are currently no Endowed Librarians at any of the California State University campuses. While Karin served as a reference librarian and bibliographer throughout her career at the Oviatt Library, it was the Teacher Curriculum Center (TCC) which most clearly reflects her dedication to the educational needs of all CSUN students. The TCC was the place where she thrived and touched the lives of so many. “While we chose not to have children, the TCC was definitely her baby. She took really good care of it. She loved working there, loved the student assistants and the staff. The library, the TCC, being a librarian, the campus -- they were all her passion,” said Richard at the establishment of the Dr. Karin J. Duran Teacher Curriculum Center Collection in 2016.
The Dr. Karin J. Duran and Richard Nupoll Education Librarian Endowment is an unprecedented bequest that will support an Endowed Librarian to oversee library collection development for the TCC, for multiple departments in the Michael D. Eisner College of Education, and for related disciplines in other colleges across the CSUN campus. The Endowed Librarian will deliver information literacy instruction, research consultation, and outreach to students and faculty in the field of education and related disciplines that use the resources of the TCC. The Dr. Karin J. Duran and Richard Nupoll Education Librarian will also be known as the TCC Librarian.
Dr. Karin J. Duran worked at the University from 1972 – 2010. She served as the Director of the TCC for 32 years. Through her dedication, TCC became the valuable resource that it is today. As a passionate advocate, Karin’s mission was to support the educational success of all students regardless of their backgrounds. She was especially supportive of students who were the first in their family to attend college. Karin was dedicated to providing students with lifelong research tools and critical thinking skills. Her professional commitment to information literacy and student success was expressed through the many contributions she made to the Oviatt Library. Upon her retirement, she was designated as Librarian Emerita. Her loss sent a ripple effect across the campus, as she was a valued and loved colleague, mentor, and friend.
In a CSUN Today interview, Nupoll shared, “This endowment is very important to me because I believe that the Oviatt Library’s Teacher Curriculum Center must be reinvigorated as an essential resource for all CSUN students, those training to be teachers and working teachers in the community. I am confident that the new endowed librarian selected for this position will have crucial leadership skills, strong communication skills and a willingness and interest in reaching out across campus and partnering with the diverse populations that make up our community.”
In another very special tribute, the Dr. Karin J. Duran Scholarship, sponsored by Richard Nupoll, is awarded annually to two student assistants in the Oviatt Library to support the cost of higher education.
We are proud of the enduring legacy created in the Oviatt Library that beautifully honors the unforgettable educator and person that Karin was. Thank you, Richard for sharing your love and joy with all of us at CSUN.