Author Archives: Suzanne Reller

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 →

No Food or Drink in the Library! An Exploration of Coffee and Tea in ARB

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By Lauren Fink, ARB Intern, 2011-2012

Choice Songs Title PageBoy RowingWith three Starbucks Cafés, Rohs St. Café, Taza Coffee House, and Sitwell’s Coffee House all within walking distance of campus, readers should have no problem staying awake while reading these fascinating coffee and tea-related titles in the Archives & Rare Books Library (but be sure to finish your beverage before entering!):

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Dreaming of Books in the Archives and Rare Books Library

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By Lauren Fink, ARB Intern, 2011-2012

Stack of Dream BooksThough sayings like, “you can sleep when you’re dead,” abound in American, and especially college, culture, sleep is a crucial activity for maintaining health, conserving energy, and learning.  During sleep, the body decreases its temperature by about 1-2 degrees Celsius, rests its muscles, rebuilds proteins, and reorganizing synapses.  Increased brain activity occurs in the same areas of the brain that were activated by the learning of a new task during the day and correlates with improved performance on the same task the following day.

Humans spend 1/3 of their lives asleep, with about 1/5 of that time in Rapid-Eye-Movement (REM) sleep.  A typical nightly sleep cycle occurs in about 90 minutes with a pattern of stages 1-2-3-4-3-2-REM. Though the exact function of REM sleep remains a mystery, it is known that REM deprivation results in increased time spent in REM when no longer REM-deprived.  Dreams, which also remain elusive in terms of function, if not meaning, occur mainly during REM sleep but can also occur during other stages. Continue reading →

Ireland Trip Launches an International Research Network With Key Ties to UC

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Photos By: Provided by the Archives & Rare Books Library

 

A UC Libraries collection – and efforts to make it available to scholars around the world – will be presented this month at an international conference.

 

Irish theatre critic William John Lawrence (1862-1940) was considered a major figure in documenting the history of Irish theatre.

William J. Lawrence
William J. Lawrence

Yet, dozens of his notebooks on Irish theatre history from the 17th-to-20th centuries were never published. Efforts and outreach to make collections stored at the University of Cincinnati and at other institutions accessible worldwide will be presented at the 4th International Conference on Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries. The conference takes place May 22-25 in Limerick, Ireland, and brings together librarians from around the world as they explore best practices on making their resources available for research.

Kevin Grace, head of the UC Archives and Rare Books Library, will present at the conference. Grace says 99 of Lawrence’s unpublished notebooks are stored in UC’s Archives & Rare Books Library. They were purchased from the estate of William Smith Clark II, a former UC English professor and theatre historian, who acquired the notebooks in the 1940s. The notebooks have been housed in the Archives & Rare Books Library since the late 1960s. Continue reading →

URC Funds Granted for Study of ARB's Van Meter Ames Collection

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By Lauren Fink, ARB Intern, 2011-2012

When I began working at the Archives and Rare Books Library last June, I never could have imagined all that I would learn in the following year.  As my one year anniversary at ARB is quickly approaching, I find myself reflecting on all of the great collections I have had the opportunity to process and research, all of the priceless books I have gotten to Betty and Van Meter AmesJohn Cagebrowse every day, and all of the help and support I have been given from my wonderful co-workers.

By sheer chance, the very first collection I was given to process, during my initial weeks of working here, was directly related to my percussion performance major and my academic interests.  Continue reading →

UC Commencement - A Time-Honored Tradition

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By: Dawn Fuller 

(Re-posted from UC News:  http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.aspx?id=15686)

Look through historic photos of UC Commencement Ceremonies and discover some of the university’s traditions that continue to thread through Commencement today.

Who remembers Commencement at Nippert Stadium?

As depicted in the video that features Commencement photos stored in UC Archives, Nippert Stadium – for decades – was the venue for June Commencement.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBPts6IHTrw?rel=0&w=350&h=267 align=”right”]

 

UC last held Commencement in Nippert Stadium in 1984. UC President Henry Winkler delivered the Commencement address at the 1984 cerermony in Nippert Stadium. In 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988, June Commencement was held downtown, when the spring ceremony took place in Riverfront Coliseum, now called U.S. Bank Arena. Continue reading →

Taking Part in Something New: Participatory Archives and the Midwest Archives Conference

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Cincinnatian 1958

It looks like these students are moving into new territory. From the 1958 Cincinnatian Yearbook

Often when I tell family or friends that I’m going to be going to an archives conference, they say “How Boring!”  I find it exciting though.  It is my chance to see what other archivists are doing, if there is anything new we can try here at UC, and it allows me to meet other archivists who might be able to answer one of my questions or one of your future questions.  I recently attended the Midwest Archives Conference Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and learned about some new projects using “participatory archives,” and how these collections can be used in research, teaching, learning, and just for fun.  (To learn a little more about the conference, read Stephanie Bricking’s blog post about her poster presentation on the Sabin papers.) Continue reading →

New Addition to ARB's Strobridge Lithography Company Calendar Card Holdings

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By Lauren Fink, ARB Intern, 2011-2012

March 1902 Calendar CardAn exciting collection of Strobridge Calendar cards has just been processed in the Archives & Rare Books Library.  The new Gaylord Oscar Shepherd Collection of Strobridge Lithography Company Calendar Cards contains 53 cards and is a wonderful complement to the 114 cards already held in The Lawrence F. Albers and George J. Albers Collection.  All of the cards in the new collection have been scanned and are available for online viewing in this web exhibit.

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Spring 2012 Records Quarterly Now Available

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Records Quarterly Cover Spring 2012The Spring 2010 edition of Records Quarterly, the newsletter of University of Cincinnati Records Management, is now available on the records management website at http://www.libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/records_management/recordsquarterly.html. Articles in this issue include:

  • Managing Email Messages as University Records – Learn how to identify record material in your inbox and how to organize and maintain those records.
  • Case Study: DAAP Student Records – See how DAAP was able to streamline student recordkeeping by centralizing responsibility.
  • Records in the Cloud – Discover the world of cloud computing and learn about the special things you need to consider when creating and storing University records there.

You will also find announcements for the spring Information to Records Management workshops and the spring shredding event.

Records Quarterly is distributed electronically via the Records Management website. Subscribers to the Records Management Listserv will receive notification of new issues automatically. You can sign up for the listserv by going to the subscription page, or by sending an email to Janice.Schulz@uc.edu. Please include your name and email address and use “listserv sign-up” in the subject line.

"Mr. UC": The Life and Service of Daniel Laurence

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Daniel Laurence as UC Vice President of Business Administration

By Janice Schulz

When Daniel Laurence was at the height of his career at the University of Cincinnati, he was honorably dubbed “Mr. UC.” This is not a title that was given out lightly, but a testament to Laurence’s career and his devotion to the University. He spent 62 years of his life at the University of Cincinnati from 1890 to 1961. Of those decades, four years were spent as an undergraduate student, football star, and student leader, 40 as clerk of the Board of Directors, Secretary and Business Manager, and Vice President, and 18 as Emeritus Vice President. Laurence was there as the University grew from a small city school to a strong institution. He saw 12 presidents come and go. He watched as 43 buildings and Nippert Stadium rose from the ground and oversaw many of those building projects as Vice President. During his time, enrollment grew from 133 to 17,538 students and the one Academic Department of 1890 became six separate colleges.  And largely under his supervision, the annual budget grew from $76,860.57 to over $18 million. If anyone deserves the title of “Mr. UC,” it is surely he. Continue reading →