Beginning October 3, University of Cincinnati Libraries users will have access to a new resource for borrowing materials via SearchOhio. SearchOhio is a consortium of Ohio public libraries sharing materials amongst their patrons, similar to how OhioLINK facilitates the sharing of resources between many of Ohio’s colleges and universities. UC students, staff and faculty will be able to utilize SearchOhio to access books and more that they cannot first obtain through the University of Cincinnati Libraries or OhioLINK. Users will find a link to SearchOhio in their search results when they use the OhioLINK catalog.
Author Archives: Melissa Cox Norris
The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis
The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (now known as the March of Dimes) played an important role in the research and development of Dr. Sabin’s oral polio vaccine. According to the March of Dimes, Dr. Sabin received around $1.5 million to support his research on polio from 1952 to 1961. Our collection has a couple of boxes labeled “NFIP,” as well as letters scattered throughout the collection from notables such as Basil O’Connor, Donald W. Gudakunst, and Thomas Rivers. I thought I’d share a little about the NFIP and some material we have.
Photograph of President Franklin Roosevelt and Mr. Basil O’Connor, 1944. Courtesy of the March of Dimes.
Founded in 1938 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis’s mission was to “‘lead, direct, and unify’ the fight against polio, a paralyzing viral disease.” The leader of this organization was Basil O’Connor, who was president for over 30 years. (Both of these men can be seen in the photo to the right.) The NFIP was created to raise funds for poliomyelitis research for every stage of the disease, unlike the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation (also founded by Roosevelt), which worked to improve the quality of life of those who had already been affected by polio. One of the major NFIP fundraisers was the “March of Dimes,” which urged all people to send at least a dime to support President Roosevelt in the fight against polio. Researchers such as Dr. Sabin and Dr. Jonas Salk benefited from fundraising efforts such as this because of the grant money they received from the NFIP. Over the years since the NFIP was founded, its name has changed to the March of Dimes, and its mission has evolved to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. (See the History of the March of Dimes for more information.) Continue reading
Are You A UCGuest and Want to Use the Internet?
The University of Cincinnati provides a wireless network that allows visitors who are not associated with UC and do not have credentials allowing access to our wireless network to connect to a “UCGuest” network. The “UCGuest” access allows visitors to view the Libraries website and search the Library Catalog.
When guests search for internet access, they should select the “UCGuest” option. No log on information is needed, but they must review and accept UCIT’s terms of use before a connection will be allowed.
More information is available on UCit’s website.
A new exhibit in the DAAP Library Exhibit on the Terrace Plaza Hotel September 12-October 31
By Elizabeth Meyer
The Terrace Plaza Hotel by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill is a Modernist masterpiece in Downtown Cincinnati. The exhibit features over 40 photographs of the hotel from its heyday in the 40s and 50s.
In addition to photos, architectural plans, letters, newspaper articles, and quotes from those involved in the project, one can also view Rookwood ashtrays, a bottle of Terrace Plaza Kentucky Bourbon, Gourmet Room and Skyline Room menus, other restaurant objects such as spoons, forks, knives, ladles, aperitif glasses, cocktail shakers all adorned with either TPs or rooster logos. Also on view is what is believed to be the only surviving piece of furniture from 1948 –a restored barstool from the cocktail lounge.
The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: Spaghetti and Cherry Soup
Early on in the digitization project, I found a couple of folders that referred to interviews with Dr. Sabin that resulted in book chapters about him. These folders that contained correspondence between Dr. Sabin and the authors provided some insight. Today, I wanted to share a little about this in the blog.
Recipe for Spaghetti and Corned Beef a la Sabin, 1966
The first that I came across was a book by Theodore Berland called The Scientific Life (1962). Dr. Sabin is featured in Chapter 5, called “It Is Never Either-Or.” The second chapter I found was in a book called The Virus that Ate Cannibals (1981) by Carol Eron. Her chapter on Dr. Sabin was called “The Sculptor.” Both of these authors wrote to Dr. Sabin saying they wanted to write a book for the general reader was similar to the book Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif, which Dr. Sabin had said was an influential book on his life and career. Continue reading
The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: Trip to Brazil, 1980
Dr. Sabin's Statement to the press regarding his trip to Brazil, April 1980
Recently, I have been reading Polio, which is a collection of essays edited by Thomas M. Daniel and Frederick C. Robbins. Among the many interesting essays in the book is one by João Baptista Risi, Jr. He describes the different mass vaccination campaigns in Brazil, and in doing so, he discusses Dr. Sabin’s trip to the country in 1980 and its result.
The essay stated that Dr. Sabin offered his assistance to the Brazilian Minister of Health to implement the national vaccination days plan, using the oral polio vaccine. Dr. Sabin was a well-known figure in Brazil and had helped other countries implement vaccination campaigns. According to Risi, “[Sabin] was welcomed with great enthusiasm, as we looked forward to receiving technical advice on particular issues, and his support was necessary to insure public acceptance. Very surprisingly, however, he paid less attention to the proposed vaccination plan and focused special interest on defining more precisely the magnitude of the problem of poliomyelitis in Brazil” (p. 172). Apparently, Dr. Sabin “did not accept objections to his proposal” and left Brazil on an unpleasant note (p. 172). Continue reading
Please Note: Electrical Shutdown Scheduled
An emergency electrical shutdown has been scheduled fo Langsam Library and Woodside/Library Garage for Saturday, Sept. 10th beginning at 6:30am and lasting 12 hours or longer. The work is necessary to replace a failed transformer and failed high voltage connections.
Library Services, including the Library Catalog, interlibrary loan, and the website, will be unavailable while Library IT and UCit bring the networking closet that provides access to our services onto the emergency power generator during the initial part of the shutdown. If all is working properly Library Services should be available by 10:00 am.
Important Internet Service Notice
UCit is performing additional maintenance on the university’s Internet environment this Saturday, Sept 10. The maintenance window will be between the hours of 12:01 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. During this time, Internet access is expected to be intermittent and the university’s private network that links to Veteran’s, Children’s and UC Health will be unavailable.
The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: John R. Paul and North Africa
When I was reading David M. Oshinsky’s Polio: An American Story awhile back, I noted a book that he briefly mentioned called A History of Poliomyelitis by John R. Paul, MD. I finally got around to looking at this book a little closer, and I thought that I would give you a glimpse into the relationship between Dr. Paul and Dr. Sabin.
Memorandum from Dr. Francis Blake, President for the Board for the Investigation and Control of Influenza and other Epidemic Diseases in the Army, 1943
According to the Yale University Archives and Manuscripts website, Dr. Paul was at the Yale School of Medicine for over 30 years, where he studied many diseases, including polio. Through his research on this disease, as well as his involvement as director of the Neurotropic Virus Disease Commission of the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board and the Virus Commission during the 1940’s, he and Dr. Sabin corresponded a lot! Our collection has several different folders dedicated to correspondence between Dr. Paul and Dr. Sabin, as well as other letters scattered throughout our Military Service, Oral Poliomyelitis Vaccine, and Poliomyelitis series. Continue reading
Holiday Hours
Please Note that most UC Libraries will be closed Monday, September 5 for Labor Day, except for the Health Sciences Library which will be open from 9am-5pm.