Panel to discuss “This is Not a Slush Pile: Surfacing the Submissions Queue”

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On Thursday March 26th, in the Elliston Poetry Room, 646 Walter C. Langsam Library, the team behind UC’s Poetry Stacked reading series welcomes three writer/editors in various spaces of the literary publishing business to discuss the state of submissions and journals/presses in 2026.  

poetry stacked This is not a Slush Pile

  

The panelists include:  

  • Lisa Ampleman of Cincinnati Review 
  • Matt Hart of Solid State 
  • Sara Moore Wagner of Driftwood Press and Anthology 

The panel will be moderated by Ben Kline of UC Libraries, with students, faculty and staff granted time to ask questions after the panel discussion. 

The panelists will address such questions as: 

  • What are you seeing in your submissions and what would you like to see more or less of?
  • How much research is necessary when choosing where to submit? 
  • How does the volume of submission queues drive response and publishing schedules?
  • And other related topics. 

The workshop is free and open to all. Refreshments will be served.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: Lunch & Learn Tuesday, April 14 to discuss the nonsmokers’ rights movement

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Join the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions on Tuesday, April 14 at 12pm in Kresge Auditorium, 231 Albert Sabin Way for a panel discussion regarding the Ahron Leichtman Papers.

Ahron Leichtman was a national and regional leader in the quest to ban public smoking in the United States. He graduated in 1964 from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, and earned a creative writing certificate from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1971.

“Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” will discuss the nonsmokers’ rights movement and the impact on public health. The panel, led by local historian and journalist Dan Hurley, will include journalists Peter Bronson and Fred Anderson, former mayor David Mann and UC physician Peter Lenz who will provide their insights and expertise on the nonsmoking movement in Cincinnati.

smoke gets in your eyes graphic
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The Collection: at the Classics Library

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I don’t know about you, but every time I walk into our Classics Library, I feel a little like Indiana Jones. As I admire the priceless treasures housed there, I can’t shake the sneaking suspicion that at any moment, a huge boulder is going to appear and start chasing me, threatening to run me over. After all, being surrounded by the collected wisdom of the ancient world creates an atmosphere like none other, teeming with whispers of long-ago adventures and still-uncovered secrets.  

The University of Cincinnati’s (UC) John Miller Burnam Classics Library is undoubtedly one of a kind. From its inception to its current practices, the library holds a special place in the heart of our Classics Department, libraries, and wider scholarly community, serving distinguished international faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and many visiting scholars. It is the definition of a destination library, serving over 75,000 patrons from around the world per year, who flock to Cincinnati to browse and study its unparalleled resources.

Classics alumna, Lindsay Taylor, agrees the Classics Library is a very special place. “It probably saved me thousands of dollars as a student to have all these materials at my disposal while doing high-level research. Classics was truly the most magical and scholarly place possible to get an undergraduate degree, and the older I get, the more I realize how valuable the education I received there is. The program is just steeped in evidence and primary source evaluation and scholarly communication surrounding this evaluation, the library is at the core of that effort.” 

classics library display
Display in the Classics Library
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UC Libraries seeks books good enough to eat for the International Edible Books Festival April 1st

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

Dragons Love Tacos. Edible book by Lexi Davis, 2025 Best Overall

It’s time once again for the fan-favorite International Edible Books Festival scheduled for Wednesday, April 1, 2025, 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 swag.

Looking for inspiration? View images from last year’s Edible Books on the Libraries Facebook page.

Interested in creating an Edible Book? Complete the entry form by Wednesday, March 25.

Join your research peers at the 2026 Undergraduate Research Summer Learning Community 

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box of donuts

Do you have summer plans yet?  We would love for you to join us in the library for research fun and skills.  The 2026 Undergraduate Research Summer Learning Community is a great way to learn about research, acquire research skills and meet other undergraduates either interested in or currently doing research.  This year the community will run from June 3 to July 22 and meet every Wednesday morning from 9:30 am to 11 am.  The first session will include a celebratory meal and networking to kick off the 8 weeks of skills, friends and fun.  Each session will be facilitated by a mentor engaged in undergraduate research support and will be offered as both in-person and virtually via zoom.  In-person sessions will also have donuts and coffee. The final session will be in-person and feature an Opportunities Fair and more networking time. Attendees of at least 5 sessions will get a digital certificate of attendance which will look great on your LinkedIN profile. You can register and learn more information about the program and weekly topics by visiting the URSLC webpage.  Email askdata@uc.edu for more information and if you have any questions.   

Classroom of students. They sit in groups at tables that each have a computer monitor at the wall near them

The URSLC is sponsored by UC Libraries and is offered in collaboration with the TRIO McNair Scholars, University Honors Discover program, and the CEAS Office of Professional Development & Community Impact.  The program is free and open to any undergraduate (UC and beyond) interested in research. 

UC Libraries celebrates Open Education Week March 2-6 with launch of the Zero Textbook Cost Grant Program

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open education week graphic

In response to the growing cost of course materials, the University of Cincinnati Libraries is launching the Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Grant Program. Available to UC faculty to apply, the aim of the program is to incentivize and support the adoption of either open educational resources (OERs) or library resources into general education and high-enrollment courses at UC. The program will provide material support in the form of grants for adopting, adapting, creating or maintaining zero-cost course materials and will build resources and infrastructure for success within UC Libraries and the UC community at large. 

The ZTC Grant Program supports the integration of OERs and existing library resources into course curricula with the goal of replacing paid textbooks and course materials with the zero-cost model and maximizing student savings. To ensure this, the program is committed to providing financial, structural and instructional support to address common barriers to engagement.

Grants will be awarded in four categories: Adoption, Adaptation, Creation and Maintenance. They will have a staggered launch with Adoption, Adaptation and Maintenance grants launching in March 2026 (with awards administered in FY 2026–2027) and Creation grants tentatively scheduled for launch in October 2026.

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Significant Changes to the NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan requirements starting in May

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Starting May 25, 2026 the NIH will require researchers to submit a data management and sharing plan based on updated elements. See for more details – NOT-OD-26-046. 

The background for the changes as listed in the guide is “to clarify common areas of confusion in the research community while streamlining and simplifying DMS Plans. Since the DMS Policy went into effect in 2023, NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices have evaluated over 1,100 DMS Plans and found that while the majority were acceptable either initially or after minor revisions, many included extraneous details and exceeded the recommended DMS Plan length. NIH is revising DMS Plan elements and requiring the use of the corresponding format page to aid compliance monitoring.”

If you have questions about the new format or general data management questions, email askdata@uc.edu.

Here is a comparison of the current and the updated version questions.

2020 versionAfter May 25, 2026 version
Data Type: briefly describe the scientific data to be managed, preserved, and shared[100 words max] Asks for the key types of scientific data anticipated to be generated during the project to be included in a table, along with information on the repository (or an example repository) where the scientific data may be managed and shared.  
Related Tools, Software and/or Code: specify if needed 
Standards: indicate what standards will be applied to the scientific data and associated metadata  
Data Preservation, Access, and Associated Timelines:  describe what repository will be used, persistent identifiers to use, and when the data will be available.Element 1. Answer Yes or No: Will there be maximum appropriate sharing of scientific data underlying peer-reviewed publications and other findings resulting from the work supported by this award (including preprints, refereed papers reported at conferences, and other findings)?  
Access, Distribution, or Reuse Considerations: describe any applicable factors affecting subsequent access, distribution, or reuse of scientific dataElement 2. Answer Yes or No: Will the scientific data underlying peer-reviewed publications be shared by the time of publication or, for other findings, by the end of the period of performance, which includes no-cost extensions?   Element 3. Answer Yes or No: Will shared scientific data be made available for at least as long as required by applicable data repository policies and/or journal policies?
New Element for 2026 – Element 4: [300 words maximum] If you answered “NO” to elements 1, 2, or 3, or if you anticipate that sharing will be limited in some other way, please describe these limitations and the ethical, legal, or technical factors for them (see for example FAQ B.5 and other relevant FAQs). Your response should specify a particular reason(s) for limiting sharing.
Oversight of Data Management and Sharing: indicate how compliance with the Plan will be monitored and managed, frequency of oversight, and by whom (e.g., titles, roles).Answer Yes or No: If scientific data derived from human research participants will be shared, will privacy, rights, and confidentiality of participants be protected as outlined in NOT-OD-22-213, including whether any scientific data will be shared using access controls? 
New Element for 2026 – For studies subject to the NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy (GDS) (e.g., using NIH funds to generate large-scale human genomic data): Answer Yes, No, or Not Applicable: Will you share all large-scale human genomic and associated data in a NIH-designated repository according to the accelerated timelines expected in the GDS Policy?. If “no,” address in element 4. If “no,” address in element 4. Answer Yes, No, or Not Applicable: Do you anticipate that when sharing large-scale human genomic data that you will be able to meet the expectations of the Institutional Certification in the GDS Policy (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-14-124.html; IV.C.5)? If “no,” address in element 4.

Join us March 11 for Poetry Stacked + music

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The University of Cincinnati Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room announce the poets and composers for the next Poetry Stacked, a semi-regular poetry reading series. This session is a musical collaboration, and will be held in the Albino Gorno Memorial (CCM) Library, 600 Blegen Library.

At the next event, scheduled for Wednesday, March 11 at 4pm, three poets will read their original work:

poets Taylor Byas, Jim Palmarini and Luca Campagnoli
  • Dr. Taylor Byas, Ph.D. is a Black Chicago native currently living in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her debut full-length, I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times from Soft Skull Press, won the 2023 Maya Angelou Book Award, the 2023 Chicago Review of Books Award in Poetry and the 2024 Ohioana Book Award in Poetry. Her second full-length, Resting Bitch Face (2025), was a September pick for Roxane Gay’s Audacious Book Club. She is represented by Noah Grey Rosenzweig at Triangle House Literary.
  • Jim Palmarini has been facilitating and participating in public poetry readings for more than 40 years. He currently hosts the Word of Mouth Cincinnati series, now in its 12th year, at Over the Rhine’s MOTR Pub. His work has appeared in numerous journals, online and in print, including Shellys, ClayDrum, Jawbone and For a Better World. His narrative poem, “Welcome to the Reading”, was included in the Fall, 2023 edition of The Cincinnati Review.  
  • Luca Campagnoli is a fourth-year fiction writer and poet majoring in creative writing at the University of Cincinnati. His work is forthcoming or has appeared in Solid State, Mr. Bull and Short Vine Journal. He serves as president of the university’s Writer’s Circle and Poetry Collective. He also works at Household Books, an independent bookstore in Cincinnati. 
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UCBA Library’s Research Lightning Talks 

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This year’s Research Lightning Talks will take place in Walters Hall, Room 100 on:

Tuesday March 3, 2026  
2:30-3:30 pm 

These 7-minute presentations showcase current research of UC Blue Ash faculty, spark conversation, encourage collaboration, and inspire action within the UC Blue Ash community. 

Presentations:

  • Incorporation of Alternative Milks in Biochemistry Lab Experiment – Daniel Landfried, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
  • AI Art: Is it Art? – Adity Mutsuddi, Associate Professor of Computer Science
  • Making Physics Labs More Accessible – Dean Stocker, Associate Professor of Physics
  • Girl in Disorder: Painting, Memory, and Visual Identity – Nicole Trimble, Associate Professor of Media Communication & Techology

To register, visit: Faculty & Staff and Students 

Research Lightning Talks flyer
Event information

CECH Library’s study room was designed for you!

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As part of the 4th floor renovation, CECH Library reimagined the study room located in 400B to be a space where learners of all kinds can be successful. The room includes a shelf of study and focus tools, part of the Study & Focus Tools Collection (STFC), for your use while in the space.

In addition to the enhancements below, wall art was added to space to make it more inviting and colorful.

Choose your own lighting

The room’s overhead lights are on a dimmer switch so you can adjust the brightness to your preferences. Not a fan of fluorescent lighting? There is also a floor lamp. The lamp has three LED lamp heads that operate independently. Each lamp head can be adjusted for both brightness and color temperature.

Supporting your focus

Our study room has its own set of SFTC items, available to anyone using the space. This includes a variety of fidgets, a weighted lap pad, blue light glasses, a small timer, and more! These items are designated to live in the study room. If you are interested in borrowing an item from the library, check out the shelf of SFTC items on CECH Library’s 3rd floor, by the board games and stairs.

Volume controls

Enjoy our private study room with the right amount of noise for you. The SFTC shelf has sound-blocking headphones and a white noise machine. The white noise machine has 30 sounds and a sleep timer.

Get comfortable

Study is hard work so you should at least be comfortable. Our space has a comfortable armchair in addition to a round table with four chairs on wheels. Feeling antsy? Try standing on the wobble board! It might even help you think.

The study room is available by reservation only. Make a reservation on 25Live and check in at the CECH Library front desk at the time of your reservation. Hope to see you soon!

Madeleine Gaiser, CECH Library.