The LMCC: A first timer’s perspective

As I’m writing this, it is my one-year anniversary as UC Libraries’ digital content specialist. Or, as I like to say, “social media girl.” It has been a year full of learning, collaboration and new experiences. One of those experiences being a trip to the great city of St. Louis, Missouri, to attend the 2025 Library Marketing and Communications Conference with my Comm Team partner, Melissa Cox Norris. This was not only my first conference as a UC Libraries staff member, but also my first conference as a working professional.

Throughout the two-day conference, we attended sessions covering topics such as how to build an engaging library program, maximizing the features of Canva, creating accessible graphic design materials and even finding the most efficient ways to measure the success and reach of social media content. Some of my favorite takeaways were:

  • A storyboarding template for creating engaging and organized reels and short videos
  • A point system for auditing and calculating the success of social media posts
  • Key functions and shortcuts for creating specific effects in Canva
  • Shared experiences from other library marketers on how they create captivating events for patrons that highlight the purpose of the libraries while still simply being fun

We also had the chance to hear from some amazing keynote speakers. Scott Bonner, Director of Ferguson Municipal Public Library District, spoke about the library’s service to the people of Ferguson following the killing of Mike Brown in August 2014. He went into detail about how the library was able to provide safe spaces, as well as places for teachers to have class time while school was out of session due to riots. It was an incredibly real and insightful perspective on how libraries, and really any kind of public service, can make a difference during a crisis.

On a non-conference related note, I had the chance to enjoy some St. Louis staples, including a Blues game (they beat Calgary 3-2), Imo’s pizza and toasted ravioli and Charlie Gitto’s Restaurant on the Hill.  And of course, I can’t forget about The Gateway Arch. Thanks to Melissa for all the fun suggestions!  It was a great first conference experience, and I am so excited to visit St. Louis again in the future.

Join us Nov. 19 for an afternoon of poetry at the next Poetry Stacked event

The University of Cincinnati Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room announce the next roster of poets for Poetry Stacked, a semi-regular poetry reading series held in the 6th floor east stacks of the Walter C. Langsam Library.

At the next event, scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 4:30pm, three poets will read their original work:



Kim Jacobs-Beck is the author of Luminaries and a chapbook, Torch. Her poems can be seen in Museum of Americana, Great Lakes Review, West Trestle Review, Nixes Mate, Gyroscope, SWWIM, and Apple Valley Review, among other journals. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Milk & Cake Press. Kim is professor of English at UC Clermont College.

Matt Hart is the author of 12 books of poetry, including most recently FALLING FINE: Selected & New Poems. His poems, reviews and essays have appeared or are forthcoming in numerous print and online journals, including American Poetry Review, Big Bell, The Kenyon Review and Poetry, among others. From 1993-2019, he was a co-founder and the editor-in-chief of Forklift, Ohio: A Journal of Poetry, Cooking, & Light Industrial Safety. Currently, he lives in Cincinnati where he plays in the post-punk/indie rock band NEVERNEW and edits, solders, and publishes the poetry journal SOLID STATE.

Bella Gordo is a creative writing student at UC, where she is an intern for Short Vine Literary Journal and the vice president of Cincinnati Poetry Collective. She edits the zine Cincinnati Girlfriend with her roommate in hopes to spread awareness of the revolutionary potential of bug life in the Queen City. 

In addition to reading their poetry, each poet will speak briefly on their experience as an editor.

Continue reading

Check out two new exhibits on display in Langsam Library

Two new exhibits have been installed in the Walter C. Langsam Library.

On display on the 4th floor lobby, Bronson v. Board of Education: Cincinnati Desegregation Efforts in the 1960s and 1970s chronicles the work of project archivist Julianna Witt as she completed the archival processing of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s, Bronson v. Board of Education of the City of Cincinnati records. This collection contains material related to the class-action lawsuit Bronson v. Board from 1974-1984 and consists of legal documents created for court submission and records that originated from the Cincinnati Board of Education. The collection itself, housed in the Archives and Rare Books (ARB) Library, provides a detailed history of race relations in Cincinnati. A finding aid is available for more information.

Last November, the University of Cincinnati Libraries announced the award of an Archives Grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to ARB.

bronson v board of education: Cincinnati desegration efforts in the 1960s and 1970s

On display on the 5th floor lobby is an exhibit promoting The Libraries of UC. The exhibit includes images and descriptions of each of the nine University of Cincinnati Libraries, along with the fan-favorite Triceracopter. A map of the libraries is available for take away at the exhibit.

the libraries of UC. come learn about all nine of our amazing libraries and their spaces

Both exhibits were designed by UC Libraries design co-op student Ashleigh Stout.

Poetry Stacked presents the workshop: Masques & Personas, Thursday, Oct. 30

Join Poetry Stacked for the fall workshop: Masques & Personas, led by Kristyn Garza, Poetry Stacked alumna and PhD student in poetry at the University of Cincinnati. 

Thursday, Oct. 30, 6:30pm ~ Elliston Poetry Room, 646 Langsam Library

Learn about persona poetry over spooky snacks. Come in a costume and compete to win fun prizes!

poetry stacked workshop flyer

A semi-regular poetry reading series held in the 6th floor east stacks of the Walter C. Langsam Library, the mission of Poetry Stacked is to celebrate poetry and raise awareness of the collections of both UC Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room.

Announcing the Esports Zone @ Langsam

Available now on the 4th floor of the Walter C. Langsam Library, the Esports Zone @ Langsam includes five computer stations with pre-installed, free-to-play video games. Stations are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Log in with UC credentials to access the full game collection.

esports zone @ langsam

Join us for the Indie VR Games Showcase

Monday, October 27, 2025 ~ 12:30-4pm ~ Esports Zone @ Langsam and Langsam 410

Presented by the UC Game Lab, in collaboration with UC Libraries, and in honor of the new Esports Zone @ Langsam and activities of the Immersive Learning and Emerging Technologies group, the UC Game Lab will showcase some recent and classic indie VR games, with an eye for innovative titles that spark the imagination. Come play or watch others play, and learn more about these new technologies.

Announcement of Archives Career Panel, October 6th

Are you the family historian? Do you like to look at old photographs? Like solving puzzles and bringing a little order to unorganized things? Then a career in archives may be just what you are looking for!

The Archives and Rare Books Library would like to cordially invite all UC students to attend our Archives Career Panel in celebration of American Archives Month this October.

This moderated, hour-long talk will feature conversation between archivists from UC Libraries, as well as local Cincinnati archivists, as they discuss their career paths, reflect on the current and future state of the profession, and answer audience questions in a Q&A.  

The event will be held on Monday, October 6th from 1:30-2:30pm in Room 471 of Langsam Library. 

Please direct any questions about the event to Catherine Cubera at cuberace@ucmail.uc.edu or Christopher Harter at hartercr@ucmail.uc.edu.

We hope to see you there!

UC Libraries launches a Youtube channel

We are happy to share that UC Libraries now has a Youtube channel. The platform is the home for more long-form content, including Library Get-to-Knows, Poetry Stacked videos and segments surrounding special exhibits and collections.

The newest project we are excited to share is a video on the Daniel S. Young Civil War Medical Illustrations. Devhra BennettJones, Dr. Kris Ramprasad, Sean Crowe and Sidney Gao have kindly shared their perspectives on what it was like to process and digitize the collection. In addition, they shared about the impact the illustrations have had both in the medical and academic communities.

Check out the video at the link: https://youtu.be/clBtdAjzoBA?si=-1Z-8CSEnINPYKog

Bone fragment illustration

Read Source, the online newsletter, to learn about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries.

source

Read Source, the online newsletter, to learn about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries.

In this issue of Source, Liz Kiscaden, dean and university librarian, welcomes Bearcats to campus and we highlight what we did over the summer. We announce a new digital collection, The Daniel S. Young Archives of Medical Illustrations, as well as a collaboration to digitize rare manuscripts. We invite readers to the upcoming Cecil Striker Annual Lecture, “Pharmacy Education in the Queen City,” and to learn more about other Library Events. Chris Platts, assistant professor of art history and frequent collaborator with the Libraries, talks about some of his projects and research interests. And Katie Foran-Mulcahy writes about efforts to re-make the MakerLab in the CECH Library.

Read these articles, as well as past issues, on the website. To receive Source via e-mail, contact melissa.norris@uc.edu to be added to the mailing list.

Langsam exhibit celebrates the past, present and future of the Arlitt Center

picture from the arlitt exhibit

For 100 years, the Arlitt Center has been a cornerstone of early childhood education, founded as one of the nation’s first laboratory preschools and continuously championing the rights and potential of young children. The center was founded by Ada Hart Arlitt, PhD, University of Cincinnati faculty member and a prominent figure in early childhood psychology and the child study movement.

An exhibit on display on the fourth floor of the Walter C. Langsam Library celebrates the past, present and future of the Arlitt Center. Included in the exhibit are images from the Archives and Rare Books Library and a bibliography of published works by Ada Hart Arlitt.

picture from the arlitt exhibit

The Archives and Rare Books Library holds the Ada Hart Arlitt Papers, containing correspondence related to her professional activities as a faculty member in the Department of Child Care and Training at UC, as well as her involvement with the National Congress of Parents and Teachers. A finding aid about the collection is available.

The exhibit was a collaboration between with Arlitt Center and UC Libraries. Reece Guthier, communication design co-op student, designed the exhibit.