Having served as UCI’s university librarian since 2012, Lorelei Tanji oversees the strategic vision, mission, and goals of the UCI Libraries. Among her responsibilities, Tanji also represents the UCI Libraries at the campus, system-wide, national, and international levels.

In her personal life, Lorelei enjoys a wide array of music and martial art activities. In addition to playing second violin in a chamber music group, Lorelei also enjoys playing the piano, harpsichord, viola da gamba, and theremin.

“The chamber music group that I’m in mainly plays classical music: Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Prokofiev, Piazzolla, and the Beatles,” said Lorelei. “While I enjoy playing by myself and exploring the solo repertoire, there’s something special about playing chamber music with other people – listening to each other, the interplay, and creating something beautiful together.”

For fun, Lorelei does tai chi and particularly likes the martial arts weapons like sword, knife, and double sticks. She is currently learning kung fu fan. An avid reader as well, a few of her favorite books include King of the Yees by Lauren Yee, Kindred by Octavia Butler, and The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair.

“I usually have a number of books that I’m reading at the same time,” Lorelei shared.

Lorelei’s Undergraduate Library Experience

Throughout her undergraduate studies, Lorelei saw libraries as “a treasure trove.” Online research through libraries, for instance, gave her an opportunity to follow her curiosity.

“I loved exploring libraries,” Lorelei said. “I would go to the stacks to find materials for a particular class assignment and then serendipitously stumble across materials that peaked my interest in other areas.”

Although she knew there were people who could help answer reference questions, she didn't know that libraries employ people with such a wide range of subject expertise and specialization.

“I wish I’d known that there are many knowledgeable and gifted people who work in libraries that can help you,” said Lorelei. “They can help with research strategies in almost any field you might care to study, and they can advise on how to manage your research data.”

Lorelei’s Professional Library Background

Working part time throughout her undergraduate and graduate studies as a means of financial support, Lorelei held multiple library jobs as a student worker, including as a student assistant to the editor of publications for the UCLA Clark Library and in the Interlibrary Loan and Current Periodicals departments. These student positions helped lead her to librarianship.

“I enjoyed the environment and people, and the librarian jobs seemed interesting,” said Lorelei. “My mother worked in a public library, so she was also very inspirational. She and my father helped create a family environment that supported curiosity and creativity, where we were always surrounded by books.”

Beginning as a general reference librarian at the University of California, Riverside, Lorelei eventually progressed into a fine arts librarian position at UCI Libraries. She then assumed leadership positions at UCI Libraries as department head of Collection Development, associate university librarian for Collections Division, and second interim university librarian before her current position as university librarian.

About UCI Libraries

At the heart of the University of California, Irvine's academic community, UCI Libraries play a vital role in enabling UCI students, faculty, and researchers to create new knowledge, develop lifelong learning skills, and make meaningful contributions to society. UCI Libraries recently received the 2024 LEAD Award for Library Excellence in Access and Diversity for its commitment to fostering an environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The UCI Libraries’ circulating collection includes more than 4.5 million volumes, 500,000 journals and serial titles, and an ever-expanding collection of ebooks, databases, audio-visual materials, and other digital resources. Special Collections and Archives also houses numerous rare books, ephemera, photographs, media, and university archives. For research assistance, contact the Libraries’ Reference Services or book an appointment with a subject matter research librarian.