Author Archives: Melissa Cox Norris

Mark Konecny Selected as an OhioLINK Open Textbook Network System Leader

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UC Libraries’ Mark Konecny, scholarly communications library publishing coordinator, was selected by OhioLINK as one of seven member librarians, faculty, and staff to become the OhioLINK Open Textbook Network (OTN) System Leaders. As system leaders, Mark and his peers will coordinate OhioLINK OTN awareness and advocacy initiatives regarding open educational resources and open textbooks as part of OhioLINK/Ohio Department of Higher Education affordable learning initiatives for higher education.

OhioLINK recently joined the Open Textbook Network, a high-profile and growing collaboration of schools, universities, and institutions that promotes access, affordability, and student success via open textbooks. Continue reading →

Welcome, Kathi Miniard, Executive Staff Assistant

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Kathi MiniardWe are pleased to announce that Kathleen (Kathi) Miniard joined the UC Libraries’ Administration Office on June 5 as the new executive staff assistant.

Kathi comes to the university from Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, and has over 20 years of executive administrative experience, which includes positions within Fifth/Third Bank,  Great American Insurance, The Christ Hospital, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.  

As the executive staff assistant, Kathi will provide administrative support to the associate deans, the library chief technology officer, and to the University of Cincinnati Press director. Kathi sits at the front desk of the Library Administration Office where she keeps a candy jar to welcome all visitors.

Protocol Builder: Develop Clinical Research Protocols More Quickly and Easily

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Protocol Builder is cloud-based protocol writing technology that
makes it faster and easier to develop investigator-initiated clinical
research protocols that meet IRB and regulatory standards.

The library is unable to subscribe at this time but would like to share the information about this protocol development tool.

If you would like to set up a webinar or learn more about Protocol Builder visit www.statref.com or call 800-901-5494.

Protocol Builder Fact Sheet

Key Benefits:

  • Save significant time and effort developing protocols
  • Improve adherence to IRB and regulatory standards
  • Enable collaboration among contributors
  • Advance the ability to publish research
  • Strengthen research programs and increase
    study pipelines

Key Features:

  • Automatic set up – enter basic information & appropriate protocol sections are set up based on protocol type
  • Protocol duplication – copy and re-purpose as needed
  • Advanced editing tools – insert references, tables, etc.
  • Easy to navigate contents menu – navigate to any section
  • Expert guidance – relevant instructions and expert tips
  • Resource center – sample protocols, educational and regulatory information
  • Share and review – invite others to review and add comments
  • Compare revisions – compare, then accept or disregard
  • Summary of changes – enter rationale for recent changes
  • Reference management software integration – pull in references from Endnote, RefWorks, Mendeley, and PubMed

Interested in more information or a webinar?  Visit www.statref.com or call 800-901-5494.

UC Libraries Closed Memorial Day, May 29

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memorial dayAll UC Libraries locations will be closed Monday, May 29 in observance of Memorial Day, except for the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library, which will remain open 9am-5pm. This closing includes the Langsam Library 4th floor space, which will close Sunday, May 28 at 5pm and re-open Tuesday, May 30 at 8am.

Regular library hours for all locations will resume Tuesday, May 30.

Mozart in the Library: Act III

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Ever wonder what people are playing while they are practicing the keyboards in Langsam and CCM Libraries? Jay Sinnard, manager of the Student Technology Resources Center, did so he asked one student if he could listen in.

Shayan Assani

Shayan Assani, 3rd year Bio-Medics Engineering

I think we can all agree he is very talented. Another selection…

 

A collaboration between UC Libraries and the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), the keyboards are open to anyone wanting to play on a first come-first served basis, but bring your own headphone as they are required.

UC Libraries Names Ratio Architects, Inc. for Creation of Facilities Master Plan

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The University of Cincinnati Libraries have contracted with the outside firm RATIO Architects, Inc., on the creation of the Libraries Master Plan. An international architectural firm, Ratio has extensive experience designing for academic libraries including the University of Illinois-Urbana, Purdue University, and Saint Louis University among others. For more on Ratio, visit their website at http://www.ratiodesign.com/.

In creating a long-term vision for library spaces, Ratio Architects will conduct a comprehensive look and needs assessment for library facilities as expressed by employees, users, and other invested parties. The Master Planning process takes 12-18 months, and the final suggestions will span the next 5-15 years. Continue reading →

Ancient Greek Pottery from Southern Italy and Sicily on Display in the Classics Library

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vases

“From Greece to Magna Graecia” narrates in pottery the colonization by Greeks of parts of Southern Italy and Sicily beginning with the Euboeans founding the colony of Pithekoussai on the island of Ischia in the 8th c. BCE and the Corinthians Syracuse on Sicily in 733 BCE.

The exhibition, on display in the Classics Library Reading Room, features Corinthian miniature vessels, Attic black and red-figure vases as trading commodities, and Campanian red-figure. There is also an accompanying book exhibition highlighting literary sources on Magna Graecia as well as Greek temples, theaters, tomb paintings, etc., from Southern Italy and Sicily from the 8th to the 3rd centuries BCE.

In addition, there is a display featuring models of Linear B tablets discovered by UC professor Carl Blegen at “the Palace of Nestor” in Pylos. UC alumnus Emmett L. Bennett, together with Alice Kober, published the first definitive list of Linear B signs that formed the basis for Michael Ventris’ identification of the script as an early form of Greek.

Rebecka Lindau, Head, John Miller Burnam Classics Library

pottery exhibit

Two Librarians Recognized for Excellence

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Each year, The Office of the Provost and the Office of Research collaborate to present the Dean’s Award for Faculty Excellence, which recognizes faculty members who represent excellence in all its forms. Each Dean nominates faculty from their respective units whom they deem worthy of this honor. This year, Dean Xuemao Wang recognized the work of Elna Saxton, head of Content Services in the Walter C. Langsam Library, and Tiffany Grant, interim assistant director for research and informatics at the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library. Below is more about their awards. Congratulations, Elna and Tiffany!

elna saxton

(l to r) Dr. Patrick A. Limbach, VP for Research; Elna Saxton; and Peter E. Landgren, Interim Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Excellence Award for Faculty-to-Faculty Research Mentoring 2016-2017 – Elna Saxton

Elna has a long history of mentoring faculty members who work as part of her team.  She encourages them to develop their positions and skill sets and provides encouragement and other support to them.  Elna’s support of faculty in her unit is unconditional, even if that means they need to leave her team to move on to other career objectives within University of Cincinnati Libraries or elsewhere.

“Receiving this award is an honor and reflects on the many successful colleagues that I’ve had the good fortune to work with.  It is very rewarding to work with new faculty and engage with their professional and career development,” said Elna.

Tiffany Grant

(l to r) Dr. Patrick A. Limbach, VP for Research; Tiffany Grant; and Peter E. Landgren, Interim Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Award for Faculty Excellence 2016-2017 – Tiffany Grant

Tiffany has served as co-PI on the NIH Informationist Supplement grant “The Relationship Between Vortices, Acoustics, and Vibration in Vocal Fold Asymmetries”, working collaboratively with Dr. Khosla and his team.  Dr. Grant also coordinated the writing of and now implementation of the Faculty Development Grant UC Libraries received this year for the pilot of Electronic Lab Notebooks at the University of Cincinnati.  Last fall, Dr. Grant also invited the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) to come to the University for a series of workshops for UC faculty and staff.

“I am profoundly grateful to have been considered for such an honor. I truly enjoy the work that I do and those that I work with. My work in the Libraries has been tremendously rewarding, and I’m thankful for the continued support of my Health Sciences Library and University of Cincinnati colleagues. Any “excellence” that I may have achieved has largely been due to your example and support,” said Tiffany.

‘Preserving the Past for the Future’ Exhibit Showcases Preservation Lab

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preservation exhibitJust in time for Preservation Week (April 23-29), a new exhibit, “Preserving the Past… for the Future,” showcases the services and mission of the Preservation Lab.

Beginning in January of 2012, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County (PLCH) and University of Cincinnati Libraries (UCL) began a long-term collaboration to provide conservation and preservation treatments in an equally-managed, staffed, and equipped preservation lab situated in UC’s Walter C. Langsam Library. Employees from both PLCH and UCL work on the general circulating and rare/special collections of each institution.

special collectionThe exhibit, located on the 4th floor of Langsam Library, showcases the work of the lab as well as educates about the difference between preservation and conservation, what makes an item a “special collection,” and the techniques and tools used in the care of collections. The exhibit also features both before and after images of the treatment done to the objects and explains the process. The exhibit was curated by Holly Prochaska, preservation librarian, Ashleigh Schieszer, lab conservator, and Jessica Ebert, conservation technician, and was designed by Jessica Burhans, communications co-op design student. Continue reading →