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What we did over the summer…to prepare for the academic year
Vacations, beach time and cookouts – while most students were away from campus enjoying summer, we were busy working on projects to prepare library spaces, services and collections for the start of the academic year. Highlights of our work this summer: New Spaces CECH 4th floor renovation – Renovation began to the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH) Library’s 4th floor reading room to support students and the academic community by creating a more dynamic, flexible and welcoming environment. Scheduled to reopen in Spring 2026, the renovated 4th floor will offer: In the meantime, the 3rd floor of the CECH Library remains open. Introducing the Science Library…
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Collaboration brings increased digital access to rare manuscripts
By Sidney Gao, Interim Head of Digital Initiatives, and Chris Harter, University Archivist and Head of the Archives and Rare Books Library In the late 15th or early 16th century a nun sat at a desk in the Neukloster bei Buxtehude convent in Lower Saxony carefully adding the final decorative touches to a handwritten prayer book complete with rubicated initials and figural illustrations. One of those illustrations portrays a nun gazing at Mary and the infant Jesus in what may be a bit of self-portraiture by the nun. The book, known today as Meditationes et Orationes with the shelfmark Ms. 2, is comprised of 341 leaves written in a clear…
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Pharmacy Education in the Queen City: Cecil Striker Annual Lecture
The Henry R. Winkler Center for the Health Professions and the Cecil Striker Society present the Annual Cecil Striker Lecture. The lecture, “Pharmacy Education in the Queen City: 1850-2025” presented by Dennis B. Worthen, PhD, is in celebration of the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy’s 175th anniversary. Tuesday, Oct. 14, 5-7pmKowalewski Hall Auditorium, room 140 The event is open to all. RSVP by Sept. 30 After the event, visit the University of Cincinnati Pharmacy Education exhibit in the Stanley J. Lucas, MD, Board Room in the UC Medical Sciences Building. The exhibit will feature images and artifacts held by the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the…
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Expand Our Impact: An interview with frequent library collaborator Christopher Platts
Christopher Platts, assistant professor of art history, is a frequent collaborator with the Libraries. His work with the DAAP Library, Archives and Rare Books Library and the Preservation Lab, is a perfect example of how we’re achieving our Expand Our Impact Strategic Direction through enhanced UC and external partnerships and collaborations. Following is an interview with Christopher about some of his projects and research focus. How long have you been at the university and what is your research/teaching focus? I have been at the University of Cincinnati since autumn 2021, when I moved from the east coast (Connecticut). I teach in the art history and museum studies programs in the…
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Archives and Rare Books Library received national grant to process historic Cincinnati schools desegregation case records
By Christopher Harter, Julianna Witt and Melissa Cox Norris Last September, The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) awarded the University of Cincinnati’s Archives and Rare Books Library a $109,349 grant to support a project to complete archival processing of the records of the Cincinnati Branch of the NAACP related to the 1974 Bronson v. Cincinnati Board of Education, the city’s most significant legal case in the fight for school desegregation. Filed in 1974, the Bronson case was not the first litigation to address segregation and discrimination in the Cincinnati Public Schools, but it was the first to create some accountability for the Cincinnati School Board. Housed in the…
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Introducing the Carl Solway Gallery Archive
For over six decades, the Carl Solway Gallery stood as a cornerstone of Cincinnati’s modern and contemporary art scene. Throughout its history, the gallery promoted and maintained relationships with groundbreaking artists such as John Cage, Buckminster Fuller, Yoko Ono, Harry Bertoia, Helen Frankenthaler, Sam Gilliam, Ann Hamilton, Richard Hamilton, Charlotte Moorman, Claes Oldenburg, Nam June Paik, George Rickey, Mark Rothko, Saul Steinberg and Andy Warhol. Now, the gallery’s legacy is preserved in the Robert A. Deshon and Karl J. Schlachter Library for Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) Library and will soon be available for viewing and research. The archive includes artists’ letters, handwritten exhibition plans and checklists, gallery announcements…
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Exploring Historical Bindings: A Hands-On Workshop at UC’s Archives and Rare Books Library
By Catarina Figueirinhas In December 2024, the Preservation Lab, in collaboration with the Archives and Rare Books (ARB) Library, hosted Identifying and Describing Historical Binding Structures: A Stacks Appraisal Workshop. This two-day workshop, led by renowned bookbinding scholar and book conservator Julia Miller, provided participants with the opportunity to closely examine historical book structures, refine their descriptive vocabulary, and engage in discussions about historical book structures and cataloging practices. Hands-On Learning in Special Collections The workshop was designed to encourage deeper engagement with ARB’s special collections (manuscripts and incunabula) by fostering a hands-on approach to learning about historical bindings. Participants, including preservation lab staff, special collections librarians, and catalogers—worked directly…
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Re-introducing The Preservation Lab
Formed in 2012, the Preservation Lab is a book and paper conservation lab that began as a collaboration between the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library to provide preservation services to the two partner institutions. Beginning in 2025, the Preservation Lab expanded its mission to provide expertise and services to the larger cultural heritage community, moving to a regional lab model. Under this new model, the Preservation Lab is now entirely managed, staffed and equipped by the University of Cincinnati. “The Preservation Lab is a point of pride for UC Libraries,” said Liz Kiscaden, dean and university librarian. “We are fortunate to have a lab of…
