Check out library Spring Break reduced hours, March 9-16

Most University of Cincinnati Libraries locations have reduced hours for Spring Break, March 9-16. Check the library website for a list of hours by location.

Have a safe and rejuvenating Spring Break, Bearcats!

spring break vine with lemons

Devhra BennettJones joins UC Libraries as Winkler Center Archivist/Curator

On February 19, 2024 Devhra BennettJones joined the University of Cincinnati Libraries as the archivist and curator of the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions.

Devhra is a certified archivist and holds a Master of Science in Organizational & Human Resources Development from Abilene Christian University and a Master of Arts in History from our own University of Cincinnati. Previously, Devhra worked in the Cincinnati area at both the Lloyd Library & Museum and the American Jewish Archives. Devhra is actively engaged with the Society of American Archivists and the Society of Ohio Archivists and brings a wealth of knowledge to UC Libraries.

“The main thing that I am looking forward to in the new position is the opportunity to contribute to the preservation of medical history and to provide access to the rich historical collections held by the Winkler Center,” said Devhra. “It is an honor to work here!”

About the Winkler Center

winkler center

The Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions is an archive and exhibit facility chronicling the history of the health sciences primarily in the Cincinnati area. The Winkler Center’s over 35,000 volumes of rare and classic works on health history however broaden that scope to include Europe and date back almost 500 years. In addition to its archival collections, books, and medical objects, the Winkler Center also presents public and educational programming, and workshops throughout the year.  

Poetry Stacked presents “Talkback Ekphrastic”

In November 2023, faculty and student artists from UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) joined the poets of Poetry Stacked to create three paintings spontaneously while immersed in the reading’s live audience.

To complete the creative loop of that dynamic collaboration, the Elliston Poetry Room and the University of Cincinnati Libraries are hosting Talkback Ekphrastic, a two-part discussion and workshop about art, poetry, inspiration and process on Thursday, March 21 at 6:30pm in the Elliston Poetry Room, 646 Walter C. Langsam Library.

The event kicks off with the official, public debut of the Poetry Stacked paintings. Kyle Angel, adjunct instructor in DAAP, will provide opening remarks about the collaboration, followed by a talkback/Q&A with Kyle and the other artists.

After that, the discussion will transition from the painted ekphrastic to the written, where Alecia Beymer, poet and assistant professor/educator in UC’s Department of English, will share an introduction to ekphrastic poetry (poems written about works of art). Alecia will then facilitate an ekphrastic writing exercise with the gathered audience, asking participants to draft poems inspired by the three art pieces created at Poetry Stacked.

The event concludes with a short open mic for anyone to share their work and where the artists (who are also writers!) might share some of their poetic work.

Refreshments will be provided. The event is expected to last 75 minutes and is free and open to all to attend, including students, staff faculty and the community. More information about Poetry Stacked is available on the Libraries website.

UC Libraries seeks books good enough to eat for the International Edible Books Festival

Know of a good book to eat?! Create an Edible Book for UC Libraries International Edible Books Festival!

It’s time once again for the fan-favorite International Edible Books Festival scheduled for Monday, April 1, 2024, 11 a.m. on the 4th floor of the Walter C. Langsam Library. UC Libraries is seeking people interested in creating an edible book for the enjoyment of all in attendance. There are few restrictions – namely that your creation be edible and have something to do with a book – so you may let your creativity run wild.

As in previous years, entries will be judged according to such categories as “Most Delicious,” “Most Creative,” “Most Checked Out” and “Most Literary.” Those awarded “Best Student Entry” and “Best Overall” will win UC merch.

If you are interested in creating an edible book, e-mail libraries@uc.edu by Monday, March 25 with your name and the title of your creation.

Looking for inspiration? View the Facebook album to see photos from the previous festivals.

edible books graphic

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

source graphic

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, writes about moving forging a path as we create our strategic plan. Readers can access the Strategic Plan to give a sense of what we accomplished in 2022/2023. Collections play a prominent theme in this issue, including in a new DAAP Library exhibit, Rediscovering Catherina van Hemmessen’s Flagellation of Christ: Women as Artists, Patrons and Rulers in Renaissance Europe, that features prints, books and manuscripts from the collections of UC Libraries and in the acquisitions of Blue Books in the Archives and Rare Books Library. Collaboration is another theme of this issue when we write about Poetry Stacked Beyond the Bookshelves and the efforts of several librarians and staff to present for school children participating in the College Mentors for Kids program. And don’t miss the article about the lost mural in the CEAS 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

Join us Wednesday, March 6 for an afternoon of poetry…and dance!

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, March 6 at 4:30pm, three poets will read their original work:

poet images
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New Library Exhibit Explores Decolonizing the Library Catalog

decolonizing the library catalog

A new exhibit on display on the fourth floor lobby of the Walter C. Langsam Library explores “Decolonizing the Library Catalog.” An important purpose of a library catalog is to ensure discoverability of materials. In addition to keywords that may or not be present in the book title or other parts of the record, subject headings are assigned to indicate the topics of library resources. Subject headings are created and maintained by a group of authorities, such as the Library of Congress, to help users find materials on a given topic. Headings are generally based on standard, contemporary American English-language usage and are intended to reflect current literature. (Adler). Subject headings can be problematic when they center whiteness, include outdated or offensive terminology and omit concepts related to people’s experiences. The display explores these issues, includes examples of problematic subject headings and lists ways in which people are working to update and improve the Library Catalog.

“Decolonizing the Library Catalog” was curated by Susan Banoun, team leader in eResources & Access, Mikaila Corday, eResources Department, and Olga Hart, coordinator of library instruction. It was designed by Francesca Voyten, communications design co-op student. The exhibit is sponsored by the Libraries RESPECT (Racial Equity Support Programming to Educate the Community Team) in honor of Black History Month.

To learn more, a print bibliography is available at the exhibit and posted below as an image.

Announcing the 2022-2023 UC Libraries Annual Report

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Beginning Anew

Announcing the 2022-2023 University of Cincinnati Libraries Annual Report. My tenure as dean and university librarian began in mid-August 2023, a time of great growth at the University of Cincinnati. I’ve spent these past six months learning as much as I can about the Libraries – how our mission to “empower discovery, stimulate learning and inspire the creation of knowledge by connecting students, faculty, researchers and scholars to dynamic data, information and resources” supports the university’s NEXT Lives Here Strategic Directions. Documents such as the Annual Report have been key to my education.

In this Annual Report, we look back at the top News & Events, applaud Staff Accomplishments & Milestones and look at the Libraries By the Numbers and Financially. Under the leadership of interim dean and university librarian Lori Harris, we welcomed a significant number of new librarians and staff members who will provide essential library services and research support and help move the Libraries forward. We acquired, processed, preserved and made available collections used for research. We held events to bring people into the Libraries to interact with our facilities and collections. We created welcoming places – both virtual and in-person – for people to study, research and collaborate. And, we provided our expertise to the students, faculty and researchers who rely on UC Libraries for their academic pursuits.

Looking Forward

While we celebrate the accomplishments of the past academic year, we also continue to move forward and plan for the future. This past fall we began the process of developing an updated strategic plan with goals and initiatives that will continue to advance the mission of the University of Cincinnati. This plan will build upon the successes of UC Libraries and respond to the rapidly changing landscape of higher education, as well as the increasingly diverse needs of our students, faculty and researchers. The strategic plan will be completed this summer and will guide our work for the next three years. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, enjoy reading the 2022-2023 University of Cincinnati Libraries Annual Progress Report.

Liz Kiscaden,
Dean and University Librarian

Join us January 31 for Poetry Stacked

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, January 31 at 4:30pm, three poets will read their original work:

poets
  • Lisa Ampleman is the author of three full-length books of poetry, including Mom in Space (2024) and Romances (2020), both with LSU Press, and Full Cry (NFSPS Press, 2013), as well as a chapbook, I’ve Been Collecting This to Tell You (Kent State UP, 2012). Her work has appeared recently in journals including 32 Poems, Colorado Review, Cortland Review, Ecotone, Georgia Review, The Rumpus, Shenandoah, and Southern Review, and she was the recipient of an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award in FY22. She lives in Cincinnati and is the managing editor of The Cincinnati Review and poetry series editor at Acre Books.
  • Pauletta Hansel’s poetry collections include Will There Also Be Singing? (Shadelandhouse Modern Press, 2024), Heartbreak Tree (Madville Publications, 2022), which won the Poetry Society of Virginia’s 2023 North American Book Award, and Palindrome (Dos Madres Press, 2023), winner of the 2017 Weatherford Award for Appalachian poetry. Pauletta’s writing is featured in Oxford American, Rattle, Appalachian Journal, Cincinnati Review, Cutleaf, Sequestrum, Verse Daily and Poetry Daily, among others. She was the 2022 Writer-in-Residence for The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Thomas More University’s first Writer in Residence (2012-2015), and WordPlay Cincy’s first Writer in Residence (2015-2016).  She is a core member of the Urban Appalachian Community Coalition, and past managing editor of Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, the literary journal of the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative.
  • Dani Charles is a queer, Hispanic poet from McAllen, Texas, and recent MFA graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop; where they received the 2021 John Logan Poetry Prize, appeared in Poetry Magazine and Denver Quarterly. They’re currently in their first year of the Creative Writing PhD program at University of Cincinnati.
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UC’s Lynn Warner selected to complete Open Education Network’s Certificate in Open Education Librarianship

Lynn Warner, research and health sciences librarian in the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library, is among nine librarians selected to complete Open Education Network’s Certificate in Open Education Librarianship.

Selection into the cohort was a competitive process based on the candidate’s “experience, passion and commitment to advancing the goals of the open education movement,” according to the program’s documentation. Administered by the Open Education Network (OEN), the Certificate in Open Education Librarianship is a professional development program that aims to create effective open education program leaders who want to be stewards and advocates for high-quality, public domain, open and adaptable educational resources (OER).

lynn warner

The cohort begins in January, 2024 and runs through September. After completing the eight-month OEN course, in addition to serving as OER advocates, the librarians will be prepared to support and advise faculty interested in transitioning from commercial to no-cost-to-student teaching materials.

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