Health Sciences Library Newsletter – October 2023

Explore the news and recent happenings at the HSL with our latest newsletter…

Data, data, data! Data is everywhere and constantly growing – and we are here to help. Join us for the Future directions of Data with UC Data Day, get help with your data with RDS’s student assistant, and learn new skills to work with data with this month’s workshops. Need additional assistance? Let us know!

UC Libraries New Dean

On August 14, 2023 UC Libraries welcomed Elizabeth Kiscaden, MLIS, AHIP, as dean and university librarian. Prior to UC, Kiscaden served as university librarian and assistant vice provost of library services at Creighton University. Read more…

Need help with data?

Saurabh Verma is the new Data Literacy Research Consultant and Graduate Assistant for Research & Data Services. Saurabh will be housed in the Health Sciences Library Informatics Lab and provide research and data services across both the main and medical campuses. Saurabh has a bachelor’s degree in statistics and a master’s degree in economics, both earned from the University of Pune, India. Saurabh Verma is presently enrolled in the MS in Business Analytics program at Lindner College of Business, University of Cincinnati, and he brings to RDS more than seven years of extensive experience in the field of data science and analytics. Throughout his career as a data scientist, he has contributed his expertise to various sectors, including public relations, telecommunications, as well as sales and marketing. Email Saurabh to schedule an appointment.

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On display for Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15th to October 15th to honor the contributions and influences of Hispanic and Latinx cultures of America. A new exhibit on display on the 4th floor lobby of the Walter C. Langsam Library presents information about this month and features books from the collections of UC Libraries.

Origins:

In 1968, President Johnson introduced National Hispanic Heritage Week in the United States. In 1988, President Regan expanded the celebration to last a month in the U.S.

Why is it Important?:

The celebration is designed to recognize the positive impact that Hispanic Americans have left on the country. As of 2020, the Hispanic population in the U.S. is 65.3 million—the largest minority group in the country—and is projected to reach 111 million by 2060, according to the U.S. Census.

The exhibit was curated by Madison Hershiser, resource sharing assistant in the Collection Development Services and Engagement Department. It was designed by Jakob Elliott, communication design co-op student. A bibliography of the books on display is available at the exhibit.

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Join us September 27 for the return of 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, Sept. 27 at 4:30pm, three poets will read original works.

  • Elijah Guerra is a poet and collage artist whose poetry is forthcoming in DREGINALD and Permafrost and whose collages appear in The Spectacle. They received their PhD in English from University of Missouri, Columbia. They teach rhetoric and composition at University of Cincinnati.
  • Rebecca Griswold’s debut collection of poems, “The Attic Bedroom,” is out now with Milk & Cake Press (2022). Her poems have appeared in Cimarron Review, Superstition Review, Blood Orange Review, Revolute, Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, among others. She is an MFA candidate at Warren Wilson, and she was a finalist for the River Styx International Poetry Contest. She’d describe herself as equal parts Valentine’s Day and Halloween. She owns and operates White Whale Tattoo alongside her husband in Cincinnati.
  • Asher Marron is a PhD student in poetry at the University of Cincinnati. They hold an MFA from San Francisco State, where they were a William S. Dickey Fellow. Asher’s chapbook, “We were alone together. I forget the rest.”, was the winner of the 2020 San Francisco Pandemic Chapbook Contest. Their book,  “Unbind(ing),” was published in 2018 through Conviction 2 Change Press. Their poems appear in journals including 14 Hills and Transfer Magazine, and the Enfleshed anthology, Held: Blessings for the Depths.

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 engages audiences via exposure to contemporary poetry and increases 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. Following each reading, guests are invited to tour the Elliston Poetry Room.

The intent of the series is to enrich and engage the UC campus and Cincinnati communities in accordance with the Libraries’ Strategic Framework and the Next Lives Here Strategic Directions in support of Academic Excellence and Community Engagement. It aligns with the Libraries’ vision as the globally engaged, intellectual commons of the university – positioning ourselves as the hub of collaboration, digital innovation, and scholarly endeavor on campus and beyond.

Can’t make it to Poetry Stacks in person? It will be live streamed via the Elliston Poetry Room’s Instagram. And look for information soon about the November 1st Poetry Stacked.

poetry stacked image

Janell Huyck joins UC Libraries as software applications developer

janell huyck

On August 28, Janell Huyck began work at the University of Cincinnati Libraries as a software applications developer in the Application Development Unit. 

Janell will work with the rest of the Application Development Unit to develop and enhance custom applications and to support other library hosted applications and sites. This additional developer position provides more resources to keep up with increased cybersecurity requirements and to explore more innovative solutions.

Bringing over two-and-a-half years of software development experience to the role, Janell is eager to contribute to the team’s initiatives. A Cincinnati native, Janell attended Sycamore High School before heading to the University of Wyoming for her college education. She returned to Cincinnati in 2018 to be closer to her family. Outside of work, Janell enjoys the company of her two cats and immerses herself in the worlds of sci-fi and fantasy literature. Excited about her new role, she is looking forward to meeting new people and making meaningful contributions to the UC community.

Welcome, Janell!

UC Libraries Closed Labor Day

All University of Cincinnati Libraries locations are closed Monday, Sept. 4 for Labor Day. The Libraries will reopen as scheduled Tuesday, Sept. 5. Have a safe and relaxing holiday.

Marcia Johnson joins UC Libraries as Library Services Supervisor in the Geology-Mathematics-Physics Library

On August 7, Marcia Johnson began work for the University of Cincinnati Libraries in the role of library services supervisor for the Geology-Mathematics-Physics (GMP) Library.

marcia johnson

Marcia will be responsible for overseeing core library operations for the GMP Library. This work includes managing the service desk, responding to user questions and requests for library materials and overseeing the routine maintenance of library collection and spaces. She will supervise student assistants at the GMP Library and assist with the overall supervision of students at the other Science & Engineering Library locations.

Ms. Johnson graduated from Northern Kentucky University (NKU) with a degree in communications and minored in biology and sociology. Prior to accepting this position, she served the past seven years as the library specialist III/ FDLP & ASERL coordinator – government documents/intellectual property & copyright (USPTRC – United States Patent & Trade Resource Center) at the W. Frank Steely Library at NKU. For 16 years, she was also the coordinating manager of the Steely Library Media Collections and SWON Media Specialist, managing the daily operations, access and circulation of Steely’s media library and SWON’s media collection. Marcia brings extensive experience in library operations and student supervision, as well as several library related certifications.

Welcome, Marcia, to the Science & Engineering Library, UC Libraries and all of UC!

Open show-and-tell sessions: What’s in your VR closet?

There is growing interest and development in Virtual Reality (VR) for use in immersive education and training, collaboration and communication, as well as for enhancing teaching and learning. Within the University of Cincinnati there are VR activities found throughout campus, including in the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP), the College of Medicine and in Game Design, as well as in UC’s Digital Futures facility.

woman experimenting with virtual reality

To showcase some of these VR activities, UC Libraries is holding a series of open sessions with distinguished speakers from UC’s Digital Futures who will share their work, research and innovations in VR. There are three sessions open to all.

Tuesday, September 19, 3pm

Chris Collins, Director, Center for Simulations & Virtual Environments Research

Thursday, October 12, 3pm

Professor Ming Tang, Director, XR-Lab

Thursday, November 16, 3pm

Professor Alejandro Lozano Robledo, Future Mobility Design (FMD) Lab

Venue: All three sessions will be held in the Walter C. Langsam Library, Room 475

All are welcome and light snacks will be provided.

Data & Poetry / Poetry & Data Workshop: Attributes of the Code & the Line

Sept. 12, 3-5pm, Elliston Poetry Room

3-4:30pm program with 30mins Q&A following

poetry and data workshop graphic

Hosted by the University of Cincinnati Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room, the Data & Poetry | Poetry & Data Workshop: Attributes of the Code & the Line will explore how data and poetry inform and influence each other, the impact of emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs on poetry and literature, as well as the implications this presents for copyright. 

Join us Tuesday, Sept. 12, 3-5pm in the Elliston Poetry Room (6th floor of the Walter C. Langsam Library) for a panel discussion and Q&A led by poets, data professionals, AI researchers and a legal expert. While you may not leave with answers, you will leave with thoughts, resources and more questions.

The panelists are:

  • Ben Kline is the assistant department head for research, teaching and services at UC Libraries. A poet in his non-library life, Ben believes poets should be empowered to harness data, data tools and our collective knowledge to create work that invigorates and challenges ideas about art and technology.
  • Amy Koshoffer – as the assistant director of research and data services, Amy promotes data literacy skills particularly data sharing and data management.
  • Kay Bancroft – a poet, editor, educator and artist, Kay merges creative writing with pre-existing structures, data and more. 
  • Mark Chalmers – science and engineering librarian. Among his other areas of expertise, Mark manages the CEAS Library’s coding workshops and is an AI enthusiast.  
  • Tim Armstrong – a lawyer and technologist, Professor Armstrong studies the intersection of advanced communications technologies and intellectual property law.

 
The workshop is part of Poetry Stacked programming and the Data and Computational Series. It is sponsored by a Universal Provider Award from the Provost Office. 

Welcome Elizabeth Kiscaden, Dean and University Librarian

Today we officially welcome our new dean and university librarian Elizabeth Kiscaden on her first day at the University of Cincinnati Libraries.

Dean Kiscaden comes to UC from Creighton University where she was university librarian and assistant vice provost of library services. While at Creighton, she worked to modernize legacy library systems and infrastructure to support an anytime, anywhere, any device philosophy and oversaw the development of a single library enterprise, bringing together campus and health sciences libraries. She has extensive experience administering large grants and library services to support academic programs, faculty teaching and student learning. Her research largely focuses on consumer health information.

Be inspired, entertained and informed by Graphic Novels – an exhibit on display in Langsam Library

On display on the 4th floor lobby of the Walter C. Langsam Library, the Graphic Novels exhibit celebrates and promotes the variety of graphic novels available in the library. From traditional novel adaptations, biographies and autobiographies to Manga and comic books, graphic novels take on different forms and subjects and are enjoyed by people of all ages.

graphic novels exhibit image

The books on display in the exhibit include:

  • Byrne, Eugene, and Simon Gurr. Darwin: A Graphic Biography. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Books, 2013.
  • Garcia, Kami, et al. Teen Titans: Raven. Burbank, CA: DC Ink, 2019.
  • Hamilton, Tim. and Ray Bradbury. Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation. First edition. New York: Hill and Wang, 2009.
  • Isayama, Hajime and Sheldon Drzka. Attack On Titan. New York, N.Y., Kodansha Comics, 2012.
  • Kishimoto, Masashi, et al. Naruto #1. Viz, 2003.
  • Macellari, Elisa. Kusama: The Graphic Novel. Laurence King Publishing Ltd, 2020.
  • Moore, Alan. Watchmen. New York: DC Comics, 2005.
  • Stevenson, ND, and N. D. Stevenson. Nimona. HarperCollins Publishers, 2015.
graphic novels display

A table-top display is located on the 4th floor of the library with graphic novels that can be taken to the Desk@Langsam for check out:

  • Carré, Lilli. Heads or Tails. Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics Books, 2015.
  • Doran, Fionnuala. The Trial of Roger Casement. SelfMadeHero, 2016.
  • Duffy, Damian, et al. Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation. New York, Abrams Comicarts, 2017.
  • Gravett, Paul. Graphic Novels: Stories to Change Your Life. Aurum, 2005.
  • Hickman, Jonathan, et al. The Manhattan Projects. Berkeley, CA: Image Comics, Inc., 2016.
  • Jesse Reklaw. LOVF: An Illustrated Diary of a Man Literally Losing His Mind. Fantagraphics Books, 2016.
  • Moore, Alan, et al. V for Vendetta. New York, DC Comics, 1990.
  • Moore, Alan. Watchmen. New York: DC Comics, 2005.
  • Moore, Leah, et al. Ghost Stories of an Antiquary. SelfMadeHero, 2016.
  • Otomo, Katsuhiro, et al. Akira. Dark Horse Manga, 2000.
  • Radtke, Kristen. Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness. First edition. New York, Pantheon Books, 2021.
  • Samura, Hiroaki, et al. Blade of the Immortal. Dark Horse Manga, 2017.

The Graphic Novels exhibit was designed and produced by Norah Jenkins, library communications co-op student.