‘Indigenous Dispossession.’ UC Libraries exhibit highlights laws, treaties and policies that resulted in mass Indian Removal

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, the University of Cincinnati Libraries’ RESPECT (Racial Equity Support Programming to Educate the Community Team), presents the exhibit “Indigenous Dispossession: U.S. laws & policies promoting European settlement and Western Expansion resulting in Indian Removal from tribal, ancestral lands.”

illustration of native american woman

Rant Che Wai Me. From the McKenney and Hall digital collection.

On display on the 4th floor lobby of the Walter C. Langsam Library, the exhibit begins by listing the justification for European Settlement on Native American lands through the Doctrine of Discovery and Manifest Destiny, the ideas that the United States is destined to expand its dominion and to spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent. The exhibit then goes on to list laws and acts such as the Northwest Ordinance, Indian Removal Act and the General Allotment Act that all contributed to the removal of Native American peoples from their tribal homes. It also includes information on the Indian Civilization Act, which aimed to “civilize” and “Christianize” Native children. What resulted was a loss of their culture and identity and a system of abuse.

native american man

Ne Sou A Quoit – A Fox Chief. From McKenney and Hall digital collection.

The second part of the exhibit, on display on the 5th floor lobby, outlines steps to rectify the early treatment of Native Americans by granting citizenship and ending allotment of tribal lands with such policies as the Indian Citizenship Act, the Indian Reorganization Act and the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. It is noted, however, that while legislation around self-determination and self-governance offers a certain degree of independence and protection under the law, the legacy of displacement, oppression and neglect in American public policy affects Native communities and families to this day.

The exhibit highlights the collections of UC Libraries by featuring prominently illustrations from George Catlin who traveled the North American continent from 1830-1838 to chronicle the people, customs and traditions of Native American tribes and from Thomas Loraine McKenney and James Hall’s “History of the Indian Tribes of North America.”

native american village

From George Catlin’s “The Printed Works.”

To learn more, a bibliography of works from the collections of UC Libraries is available in print at the exhibit and online as a PDF.

The exhibit helps the RESPECT group in their mission to draw awareness of Systemic Racism, defined as “policies and practices that exist throughout a whole society or organization, and that result in and support a continued, unfair advantage to some people and unfair or harmful treatment of others based on race.”

Announcing the poets for the Nov. 30 Poetry Stacked

The University of Cincinnati Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room announce the next set 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. 30 at 4:30pm, three poets will read original works.

photos of poets

  • Rebecca Lindenberg is the author of Love, an Index (McSweeney’s) and The Logan Notebooks (Mountain West Poetry Series), winner of the 2015 Utah Book Award. She’s the recipient of an Amy Lowell Traveling Poetry Fellowship, an NEA Literature Grant, and a seven-month fellowship from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, among other awards and honors. Her work appears in Poetry, American Poetry Review, Tin House, The Believer, McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, The Missouri Review, Best American Poetry 2019 and elsewhere. She’s a member of the poetry faculty at the University of Cincinnati, where she also serves as poetry editor of the Cincinnati Review.
  • Manuel Iris. Poet Laureate Emeritus of the City of Cincinnati, Ohio (2018-2020). He received the “Merida” National award of poetry (Mexico, 2009) for his book Notebook of Dreams, and the Rodulfo Figueroa Regional award of poetry for his book The Disguises of Fire (Mexico, 2014). In 2016 two different anthologies of his poetic work were published: The Naked Light, in Venezuela; and Before the Mystery, in El Salvador. His first bilingual anthology of poems, Traducir el silencio/Translating Silence, was published in New York in 2018. This book won two different awards in the International Latino Book Awards in Los Angeles, California, in that same year. In 2021, he became a member of the prestigious System of Art Creators of Mexico (Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte). His latest book The Parting Present/Lo que se ira received the Reader’s choice award from the Ohioana Library Association, and was also recognized at the 2022 International Latino Book Awards.
  • Rome Hernández Morgan is a second-year doctoral student in English, Creative Writing at the University of Cincinnati where she is a Provost Fellow. She received her MFA from the University of Arkansas. She translates from Spanish and Portuguese and her poetry has appeared in BlackbirdThe Journal and New Ohio Review.

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Read Source for the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries

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

In this issue of Source, we document the record number of students visiting and studying in the Walter C. Langsam Library this fall and feature the services and resources available in the Albino Gorno Memorial (CCM) Library. We spotlight Hannah Harper, a student worker in the Science and Engineering Libraries and the generous support of retired University of Cincinnati professors Laura and Richard Kretschmer.

Fall semester is a busy time for events in the Libraries. The Robert A. Deshon and Karl J. Schlachter Library for Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) are displaying selections from the library’s collection about hair. Our upcoming Poetry Stacked series, scheduled for Oct. 19, will raise awareness of the collections of both UC Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room by engaging students and others in attendance with UC and community poets, including a student poet. On Thursday, Oct. 20 the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH) Library is hosting a talk by Dr. Debbie Reese, noted children’s literature scholar, former classroom teacher, and founder/co-editor of the American Indians in Children’s Literature blog.

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.

UC Libraries & The Elliston Poetry room present Poetry Stacked

poetry stacked flierThe University of Cincinnati Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room announce Poetry Stacked, a semi-regular poetry reading series held in the 6th floor East stacks of the Walter C. Langsam Library.

Scheduled for Wednesdays, Oct. 19 and Nov. 30 at 4:30pm, each event will feature three poets reading their original poetry. Each session will include a UC faculty or staff member, a student and a local or national community member. Following each reading, attendees will be invited to tour the Elliston Poetry Room.

The mission of Poetry Stacked is to celebrate poetry and raise awareness of the collections of both UC Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room. Each reading will engage audiences via exposure to contemporary poetry and increase appreciation for both the talents of UC and community poets, as well as for poetry itself. Poetry Stacked is free and open to all to attend.

Announcement of the Oct. 19 poets is coming soon. Stay tuned…

Updates to Libraries website for fall semester

screen shot of updated libraries websiteNext week, UC Libraries will make updates to the website in order to improve usability and discoverability, as well as to simplify navigation. These changes are reflective of results from user testing, analytics and edit requests received throughout the year. Where possible, redirects will be included, but please note new URLs listed below and update any bookmarks as necessary.

Updates include:

Please note, other library resources, including Summon, the Library Catalog and Library Guides integration into Canvas, have had or will also have updates. If you use these resources in your courses or research, we also recommend checking that your links, bookmarks and information are still up to date.

As always, contact us with questions.

Lori Harris named interim dean and university librarian

lori harris

Lori Harris

Lori E. Harris has been named interim dean and university librarian of the University of Cincinnati Libraries effective July 1, 2022. Harris initially joined the Libraries in 2015 as an associate fellow from the National Institutes of Health/National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM). She permanently joined the University of Cincinnati Libraries in 2016.

Harris previously served as assistant dean and director of the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library and the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions. More recently, she co-led the development of the Libraries’ strategic framework NEXT Directions, which outlines the Libraries’ Guiding Principles and Pathways to operational excellence with special emphasis on initiatives relating to research, diversity, equity and inclusion and aligns with the University’s Next Lives Here framework. She has helped to support the College of Medicine’s LCME process by serving as a member of the reaccreditation committee and she currently sits on the College of Medicine’s Education Committee representing the Health Sciences Library.

Harris has worked tirelessly to build external relationships for the University of Cincinnati Libraries. Recently, she worked with Dr. Phil Diller, College of Medicine and the Henry R. Winkler Center Board, to bring to the university campus the six-part lecture series and exhibits that examined the work of Andreas Vesalius. Building upon her continued relationship and collaborations with colleagues from NIH/NLM, Harris helped bring to the Health Sciences Library the Native Voices traveling exhibition and lecture series, which honored the native tradition of oral history.

“I look forward to working with my University of Cincinnati Libraries colleagues in this new capacity,” said Harris. “Our recently completed Strategic Framework will provide the guiding principles and pathways for us to continue to advance our mission and realize our vision.”

Harris obtained her M.A. MSLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her B.A. in American studies, museum studies and archives from Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts.

In her new role, Harris will provide leadership and coordination for the daily operations of the University of Cincinnati Libraries, working collaboratively with the library leadership of UC Blue Ash, UC Clermont and Law Libraries. Harris will continue to work directly with UC Libraries’ senior leadership, faculty and staff to ensure that continuity, growth and development of the University of Cincinnati Libraries is maintained throughout her tenure as interim dean and university librarian.

UC Libraries resources in celebration of Juneteenth

juneteenthJuneteenth, a combination of June and nineteenth, commemorates June 19, 1865 when federal troops, led by General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas, and read General Order Number 3, freeing the quarter million enslaved people in Texas. This was two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation; however his edict could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. This day came to be celebrated as Juneteenth.

Juneteenth is the oldest celebration of the ending of slavery in the University States. African American people have been commemorating it since 1865 with picnics, BBQs, church services and with some people traveling to Galveston to mark the day. In June 2021, President Biden proclaimed Juneteenth a federal holiday called Juneteenth Day of Observance. The University of Cincinnati, and UC Libraries, observes this holiday, and will be closed on Monday, June 20, 2022 in its honor. 

To learn more about Juneteenth, check out these sources: 

UC Libraries Resources 

The following is a short list of items located in UC Libraries about Juneteenth. There are many more books, articles, videos, etc. that can be searched through the Articles tab on the Libraries’ homepage. 

  • “On Juneteenth” by Annette Gordon-Reed. Located in the Walter C. Langsam Library, call number:  E185.93.T4 G67 2021
  • “Juneteenth : the story behind the celebration” by Edward T. Cotham, Jr. Located in the Walter C. Langsam Library Cohen Collection (on the white shelves in the front of the library), call number:  E185.93.T4 C684 2021
  • Juneteenth!: celebrating freedom in Texas by Anna Pearl Barrett.
  • Juneteenth:  fact sheet by Molly Higgins. Congressional Research Service – 

 General Resources: 

Life of the Mind celebrates the creative and scholarly works of UC’s Artists, Authors, Editors & Composers

The annual Life of the Mind, interdisciplinary conversations with University of Cincinnati faculty, was held Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. Jennifer Wright-Berryman, associate professor of social work in the College of Allied Health Sciences, presented “BEING A CAMPUS COMMUNITY THAT CARES: Emotional Wellbeing, Mental Health and Suicide Prevention at the University of Cincinnati.” 

Following Professor Wright-Berryman’s remarks, a panel of three responded to the lecture.

  • Calisha Brooks, mental health activist, Soul Care, LLC
  • Kelly Cohen, Brian H. Rowe Endowed Chair in aerospace engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Xander Wells, UC student and president of Men4Mental Health
A recording of the lecture is available for viewing on the Libraries YouTube Channel.
bibliography coverThe Life of the Mind lecture series has merged with the former Authors, Editors & Composers to create one event that celebrates the achievements of UC’s Artists, Authors, Editors & Composers.

A bibliography of the submitted creative and scholarly works is available online.

The bibliography includes the works of 114 UC faculty and staff representing 14 colleges and units. The 166 submitted works include research journal articles, chapters, books, and editing. The creative and performing arts are well represented with poetry, artwork, public performances, videos, music and fashion. There are solo works, as well as multiple works representing collaborations with fellow scholars both at UC and around the world.

A selection of the submitted works is on display now on the 4th and 5th floors of the Walter C. Langsam Library. More information about Life of the Mind is available on the Libraries website.

Man Qi joins RDS team as a student research consultant

Man QiMan Qi is joining UC Libraries’ Research and Data Services (RDS) team as a student research consultant where she will provide consultations in the Data & GIS Collab in the Geology-Mathematics-Physics Library.

Her expertise is GIS software, hydrological modeling, SWMM modeling, geographic data processing, spatial analysis, map design, Python and R.

Man Qi is a PhD candidate in Geography & GIS from UC’s College of Arts and Sciences. She is passionate about helping others with data visualization and spatial data analysis. Her main job is to provide support to our UC community in spatial data processing and analysis (e.g., location analysis, spatial interpolation), map design and making using GIS techniques and hydrological modeling using SWMM. In addition, she also works with UC RDS team to develop workshops according to the UC community’s needs in learning GIS techniques, such as ArcGIS StoryMaps workshop.

Welcome, Man!

Accessibility in Opera — Opera NextGen

Generation NOW: Accessibility in Opera
Sunday, January 23 at 4pm EST

How can our community work towards a more equitable and accessible environment? Join Opera NexGen for Generation NOW: Accessibility in Opera. This roundtable discussion will address the existing ableism in opera and offer insight into how the disabled community of both opera professionals and audiences can be actively included in the industry. Admission is free, but registration is required.

Panel members:
Ju Hyeon Han, soprano
Stephanie Ko, General Manager, Opera Mariposa
Hailey McAvoy, mezzo-soprano
Jaime Sharp, General Director, Opera NexGen