Monthly Archives: June 2012

Cincinnati Ballet at 50

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In 2013, the Cincinnati Ballet will be celebrating its 50th anniversary.  This renowned local ballet company has long and enduring ties to the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Cincinnati holds records of the Cincinnati Ballet and David McLain, one of its earliest directors.  The Archives and Rare Books Library will be working with the Cincinnati Ballet over the next year as they celebrate this important milestone.

As part of the celebration, the ballet is looking to collect more material related to its history including items that might be held by former dancers, former staff, long-time ballet fans and sponsors, and any members of the public.  The ballet will be hosting an Ice Cream Social on Sunday July 29th from 2:00-4:00 at their location at 1555 Central Parkway as a way for individuals to share any treasures they hold related to the ballet and their memories of the ballet.  Click on the announcement to the right for more information on this event. Continue reading →

The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: Armed Forces Epidemiological Board

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1963 - Letter from Cyrus R. Vance, Secretary of the Army, to Dr. Albert Sabin, confirming his appointment to the AFEB

The past couple of days I have been looking at administrative documents from Dr. Sabin’s time as a member of the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board (AFEB) during the 1960’s, to make sure there are no classified documents in this part of the collection. I thought I would share some things that I have encountered.

In 1963, Dr. Sabin was appointed a member of the AFEB based on a joint nomination by the Surgeons General of the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force for a four year term (see letter to the right). As a member of the AFEB, Dr. Sabin was required to vote on contracts and commission appointments, as well as other issues applicable to military medicine. The memos and letters included in this part of the collection give insight into the issues addressed by the AFEB. They also provide researchers with information about Dr. Sabin’s opinions about these issues, through his own letters to other AFEB members and the notes he scribbled on the various memos he received. Topics included disease prevention and vaccination of troops. Here is just one example of Dr. Sabin’s involvement as a member of the AFEB.
Continue reading →

Dreams of Biblical Proportions

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By Lauren Fink, ARB Intern, 2011-2012

Bible

Bible in ARB

Though no longer a large part of our socio-political life, in years passed, dreams influenced both religion and government.  In fact, in their foundation, most major religions involve some sort of divine vision and/or dream experience revealed to man from a higher being.  Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all document dream and visionary experiences in their holy books.  For example, in the Old Testament of the Bible (in Chapter 41 of Genesis) the Pharaoh has a dream which Joseph, son of Jacob (dreamer of the ladder to heaven in Gen., ch. 28), is able to interpret.  Because of his interpretation, Joseph is made a secondary ruler of Egypt, is able to prepare Egypt for the seven years of famine to come, and is ultimately able to save his kin that all move to Egypt under the Pharaoh’s blessing.  If not for Joseph’s interpretation, the 12 tribes of Israel might not have existed – Joseph’s fathers and brothers most likely would have perished in Canaan. Continue reading →

SERVICE NOTE: Emergency UC Internet Maintenance Occurring Overnight

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The CERF optical ring, which provides Internet connectivity to the university, is experiencing a hardware-related issue affecting UC connectivity only. Therefore, emergency maintenance will occur overnight and is expected to last from midnight to 2 am. The university’s Internet access will be down while the maintenance is performed and the unit is rebooted. Continue reading →

Falling Asleep Reading in The Archives and Rare Books Library

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By:  Lauren Fink, ARB Intern, 2011-2012

Falling asleep reading is common problem that can result from a number of factors.  Firstly, reading typically involves the photoreception of dark text against a light background, or vice versa, which can tire out the muscles of the eye due to their repeated adjustment to contrast.  Secondly, reading may become habitual with falling asleep, i.e. if you always read before bed you will associate reading with time to fall asleep.  The following are some important considerations when trying to read and comprehend effectively:Eye Drawing

  • Make a habit of reading during a time of day when you are most awake.
  • Do not read in the sun
  • Avoid bare light bulbs
  • Avoid light windows
  • Avoid glare on your book page
  • Reduce screen glare
  • Reduce contrast in your room and on computer screen
  • Avoid hypnotism from highlighting
  • Improve sitting posture
  • Get up and move around.  In general, take breaks about every 45 minutes
  • Stay hydrated; take water breaks (dehydration makes you tired). Having to get up to go to the bathroom will also wake you up and get your blood flowing!
  • Snack – not on something that will induce a sugar crash though!  Try fruit or nuts.
  • Sit up while studying; change positions regularly; do not lay in bed or in a comfy chair

And if you’re looking for something to read, try these books about reading in the Archives and Rare Books Library: Continue reading →

Workplace Health and Safety Information Resource

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The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) provides multiple resources and tools that address workplace health and safety in Canada, the United States, and other countries around the world.  Resources included in this platform are:

  • MSDS: more than 310,000 Material Safety Data Sheets, obtained directly from 2,000 North American manufacturers and suppliers
  • CHEMINFO: comprehensive and up-to-date chemical health and safety information for more than 1,700 workplace chemicals
  • RTECS® (Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances): find critical toxicological information including 400,000+ chemical names and synonyms plus 130,000 unique CAS numbers plus citations on over 165,000 chemical substances from more than 2,500 sources
  • OSH References:  a collection of bibliographic databases that provide authoritative, international sources of OSH-related information.  Databases in the collection include: OSHLINE®, NIOSHTIC®, NIOSHTIC-2, HSELINE, CISILO, Canadiana, and PubMed.   Continue reading →