California State University, Northridge alumnus Richard Nupoll has pledged $500,000 to the university for the creation of the very first endowed librarian position in the California State University system.

The Dr. Karin J. Duran and Richard Nupoll Education Librarian Endowment honors Nupoll’s late wife, Karin Duran, a Northridge alumna, who worked as a librarian at CSUN’s Delmar T. Oviatt Library for more than 35 years.

“The Dr. Karin J. Duran and Richard Nupoll Education Librarian Endowment is a milestone for the California State University system, CSUN and its iconic library as the first of its kind in the CSU,” said CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison. “The gift underscores the importance libraries have in our lives. Not just as places where we can check out a good book, but as critical centers for learning and cultural knowledge. CSUN’s library plays a vital role in the education that takes places at our university and throughout the region. The generous gift from Richard Nupoll helps ensure that it will continue to play that role.”

Mark Stover, dean of the University Library at CSUN, hailed the gift.

“I am thrilled Rick chose to make this donation and create this trailblazing endowment,” Stover said. “His gift demonstrates a deep understanding of and commitment to the crucial role libraries play in the life of college students.”

Karin J. Duran.

The Dr. Karin J. Duran and Richard Nupoll Education Librarian Endowment will support an endowed librarian position that will oversee collection development as the bibliographer for the Teacher Curriculum Center for multiple departments in the Michael D. Eisner College of Education and for related disciplines in other colleges at CSUN.

The endowed librarian also will deliver information literacy instruction, research consultation and outreach to students and faculty in the field of education and related disciplines that use the services of the Teacher Curriculum Center, which serves as a resource center for hands-on teaching materials for pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students.

Stover said the endowed librarian position was a fitting legacy for two people who had dedicated their lives to libraries and education.

“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,” Nupoll said. “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.”

CSUN alumnus Richard Nupoll’s gift has created first endowed librarian position in the California State University system. The Dr. Karin J. Duran and Richard Nupoll Education Librarian Endowment honors Nupoll’s late wife, Karin Duran, who worked as a librarian at CSUN’s Delmar T. Oviatt Library for more than 35 years.
The Dr. Karin J. Duran and Richard Nupoll Education Librarian Endowment honors Nupoll’s late wife, Karin Duran, who worked as a librarian at CSUN’s Delmar T. Oviatt Library for more than 35 years. Photo courtesy of the Delmar T. Oviatt Library.

Nupoll and Duran were married for nearly 39 years. They met while students at what was then known as San Fernando Valley State College in 1968, when Nupoll was a junior and Duran had just transferred from Pierce College. They both worked in the library as student assistants, but didn’t actually meet until they attended a volleyball game organized by the library staff. They began dating in the spring of 1969 and were married two years later, in 1971.

Nupoll earned a bachelor’s degree in history, with a minor in theater, from San Fernando Valley State College in 1970. The following year, he earned a teaching credential in history from the school. He obtained a K-12 library services credential in 1976 from Cal State L.A., and a master’s degree in education (with a special interest in libraries and media) in 1977 also from Cal State L.A. He worked as a school librarian at Vail High School in Montebello for 10 years before he received an administrative credential from CSUN in 1985 and then went to work for the Los Angeles County Office of Education. He was an instructional technology consultant with the Los Angeles County Office of Education for 27 years before retiring in 2012.

The Dr. Karin J. Duran and Richard Nupoll Education Librarian Endowment honors Nupoll’s late wife, Karin Duran, who worked as a librarian at CSUN’s Delmar T. Oviatt Library for more than 35 years. Photo courtesy of the Delmar T. Oviatt Library.

Duran graduated from San Fernando Valley State College in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish. Two years later, she received a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Southern California. In 1986, she earned a doctorate in library information management from USC.

Duran dedicated her life to CSUN library, and the university. In addition to her work at the library, Duran was an instructor in CSUN’s Department of Chicano/a Studies, where she developed a required course in library research. Duran also served on a variety of committees and initiatives including the Honors Convocation, University 100, the Teacher Education Council, the Education Doctorate Advisory Board and as an advisor to the Gamma Alpha Omega Sorority among many other activities. Duran was inducted into Phi Beta Delta Omega for international scholars, and was honored by the faculty senate for her exceptional service with the “Extraordinary Service Award” in 2006.

“CSUN continued to be an important place to Karin for her entire life,” Nupoll said.

CSUN’s Teacher Curriculum Center has a collection that includes such classroom materials as kits, educational games, manipulatives and picture sets, as well as materials in electronic and print format, including textbooks, supplemental teaching materials and other educational resources. While the center’s primary audience is CSUN students and faculty, it also provides resources for the broader education community in the greater Los Angeles area.