This semester the CECH Library wanted to know your thoughts. You helped us name fidget slugs, determine the best book-to-screen adaptation, and even answered burning questions like ‘is water wet?’ Check out all the ways CECH Voted this Spring Semester:
March Madness
Popular books battled it out throughout the month of March to determine: what is the best book-to-screen adaptation? With surprising early round eliminations of fan favorites like Holes and Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games claimed the prize, narrowly beating out Harry Potter. Disagree? Check back next March for the next round of CECH Library March Madness!
Last November, the University of Cincinnati Libraries announced the award of an Archives Grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to the Libraries’ Archives and Rare Books Library (ARB). This grant supports the archival processing of records related to the lawsuit Bronson v. Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Cincinnati maintained by the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and donated to the University of Cincinnati in the 1980s.
Before and during Bronson v. Board, there were several local organizations working towards education desegregation. These groups included committees, religious groups and nonprofits. The Cincinnati NAACP’s records related to the lawsuit include many examples of the different ways in which these organizations worked towards desegregation as seen in Community Notices, Exhibits, Research Materials and Attorney’s Work Files series housed within the Bronson v. Board records. Listed below are some of the different organizations and their impact.
As work progresses on the Library Services Platform (LSP) Upgrade, please note important updates and timeline. Because this migration involves several library systems, including the catalog, acquisitions and circulation, a pause in certain services is necessary.
May 23 – OhioLINK and SearchOhio borrowing and renewals unavailable. Physical books from other Ohio universities, as well as materials from public libraries, cannot be requested nor can previously borrowed materials be renewed. While OhioLINK and SearchOhio services are unavailable, work with UC librarians to find alternatives that fulfill teaching and research needs. OhioLINK requesting will return with the LSP go live this summer. The supplemental SearchOhio lending will return in the fall. Interlibrary Loan (ILL) remains available.
Early June – look for a preview of the draft LSP discovery interface.
Interested in poetry in UC Libraries? Check out the new exhibit on display in the Walter C. Langsam Library’s 6th floor east installed in celebration of National Poetry Month.
The display features the poets and events hosted by the Elliston Poetry Room. Located in 646 Langsam Library, the Elliston Poetry room houses the University of Cincinnati’s vast repository of twentieth-century and contemporary poetry. Among the tens of thousands of volumes are rare and signed first editions, historic broadsides, printed ephemera and archival recordings of visiting writers dating back to Robert Frost’s first visit in 1951. The Elliston Poetry Room hosts poetry events throughout the year. Highlighted in the display are event planning documents and promotional materials, as well as images and information about visiting poets.
In 2022, the Elliston Poetry Room partnered with UC Libraries to create Poetry Stacked, a semi-regular poetry reading series held in the 6th floor east stacks. The display includes information and images from previous readings along with the Poetry Anthology.
Poetry in the Library was curated by Michael Peterson, assistant research professor and curator of the George Elliston Poetry Collection, and Melissa Cox Norris, director of library communications. It was designed and produced by Lexi Davis, UC Libraries communication design co-op student.
Are you or do you know an undergraduate who is interested in doing research in the future or is currently active in research?
The Undergraduate Research Summer Learning Community is sponsored by UC Libraries in collaboration with McNair Scholars, University Honors Discover program, and CCPS Undergraduate Research Program and will run from June 4 to July 23, Wednesday mornings 9:30-11 am via zoom and in-person.
The sessions will focus on professional skills such as data management, research ethics, ownership of work, and research presentations that help students thrive in a research environment. It is free and open to all undergraduates regardless of university affiliation.
The University of Cincinnati Libraries seeks a dynamic, strategic-thinking and collaborative leader to fill the position of head of the John Miller Burnam Classics Library, a 12-month tenure track position.
The library head directs the work of the Classics Library and staff, and provides research services to the Classics Department, which includes 18 full-time faculty members, four research associates, two visiting scholars and 35 graduate students. Research materials cover history, archaeology, language and literature, art, numismatics, science and technology, papyrology, epigraphy and patristics. Please see the full job announcement to learn more and apply
In March 2025, journal publishers received a notice from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) which stated:
The Department of Education is working with the Department of Government Efficiency to “reduce overall Federal spending” and “reallocate spending to promote efficiency” (EO 14222). As a result, the number of records added to the ERIC collection will be significantly reduced going forward. The number of actively cataloged sources will be reduced by approximately 45% starting April 24, 2025. Subject matter was not considered during the process to identify which sources would be made inactive. Please note that all records currently in ERIC will remain available.
ERIC is a core resource for education, social sciences, and engineering research, and UC Libraries is working hard to learn more about these announced changes. While this is currently an evolving situation, we do know the following:
On March 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order that includes closing the Department of Education. ERIC is funded by the Department of Education under Institution of Education Sciences (IES).
Journal availability in ERIC will be reduced from approximately 1,200 to 700 by April 25, 2025.
Journals cut from ERIC will not have content added to ERIC going forward. Records currently in ERIC will remain searchable but there will no longer be full-text access.
For example, if a journal is removed from ERIC, articles in ERIC prior to April 2025 will appear in your search results but there will no longer be full-text access, nor will new article records from that journal be added.
Other resources such as National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) will also be affected by changes to the Department of Education.
Some things are still unclear, such as:
Which journals will be removed from ERIC
If additional journal cuts will occur in the future
If other source types will be removed from ERIC in the future
As soon as we have more information, we will provide updates via the Education Complete LibGuide’s ERIC Updates page. In the meantime, UC Libraries provides access to several education databases and we would be happy to work with you on your education research. As always, reach out to a librarian for support with your literature searching.
Join us for the Annual Preservation Lab Open House, Thursday, May 1, 2-4pm, 3rd floor Langsam Library. “More than Conservation” will include tours of the lab, demonstrations of projects and treatments, cookies, bookmarks, and stickers!
Want a sneak peek of the work of the Preservation Lab? Stop by Langsam Library’s 4th floor to learn about artist’s books and book arts, Tuesday, April 15, 2-3:30pm; and Thursday, April 17, 10:30am-noon to learn about the anatomy of a book.
Formed in 2012, the Preservation Lab is a book and paper conservation lab. The Preservation Lab provides the full suite of preservation services to the University of Cincinnati Libraries and, for a fee, to other cultural heritage institutions. The Preservation Lab’s expertise is in book and paper conservation, with services available in general circulating materials repair, single-item conservation treatment, housing, exhibition prep, and preservation consulting.
The Archives & Rare Books Library is pleased to serve the University of Cincinnati with instruction in records management. With a student population of 53,000 and 12,000 employees, lots of records are created, received, managed, and destroyed or transferred at UC every day. The instruction gives employees the skills and knowledge to confidently manage records under their oversight. But what can they expect from instruction?
It starts with defining what a record is: any document, device, or item – physical or digital – that’s created by or received by UC to perform an action. That’s a broad definition but necessary with the many kinds of records on campus. At the same time, it’s just as important to know what is not a record: rough notes or drafts of official documents.
With these definitions, employees can better understand their responsibilities, starting with the four reasons for records management at UC: 1. Minimizing legal risk; 2. Reducing physical and digital storage costs; 3. Increasing administrative efficiency; 4. Preserving UC history. These help employees learn to create or receive records only as necessary to do their jobs and help others. But what about keeping or discarding records?
That involves the records retention schedules. They are a huge part of records management, determining how long records are kept. Most records at UC fall under the General Records Schedule. The GRS governs common business, administrative, and education records. Most areas of UC use the GRS. Yet some units have highly specialized records and therefore use unique retention schedules. Training helps employees understand and navigate both.
With staff understanding what records are, their responsibilities, and the retention schedules, they are ready to learn about destruction and transfer of records. Some records lose their usefulness with time and require destruction. But any destruction is documented on a form. Other records retain their usefulness and are transferred to University Archives.
To learn more about records management at UC, please contact the Records Manager to schedule a training for your unit (kirkwojp@ucmail.uc.edu or 513-556-1958. Training typically lasts one hour with a presentation and Q&A after. Specialized topics require more notice and preparation.
Lindsay Taylor joined the University of Cincinnati Libraries Operations and User Services Team on March 17 as the new assessment and evaluation specialist. Lindsay brings a wealth of experience in library assessment, financial administration and instructional services to the university.
Lindsay previously served as an adjunct reference and instruction librarian at Cincinnati State and as a financial administrator at the University of Cincinnati’s Department of History. Additionally, she was a graduate assistant in library assessment while completing her MS in Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Lindsay is a proud alumna of the University of Cincinnati, with a B.A. in Classics and classical civilization. Her knowledge of UC and libraries will be invaluable as we strive to strengthen our organization by building a culture of assessment and data-informed decision making.
This is one of the new strategic staffing positions outlined in the UC Libraries Strategic Plan and we look forward to Lindsay working with the entire organization on assessment and evaluation.
