All UC Libraries locations will be closed Monday, September 7 for Labor Day. Regular library hours will resume on Tuesday, September 8.
Have a safe and relaxing holiday! 🔅
Category Archives: ARB Library
New University of Cincinnati collections at ARB
The Archives and Rare Books Library is excited to announce new University of Cincinnati collections that have finding aids published online, or accruals made to existing collections. These include:
Continue readingUC Libraries Fall Events – poetry, exhibits, dogs and games!
Poetry readings, exhibit openings, lunch & learns, dogs and game night! There’s something for everyone. UC Libraries Fall Events provide an opportunity for people to engage with and learn about library collections and resources. Grab a friend or colleague and come to an event or two or three. All events are free and open to all to attend.
- Sept. 29, 5:30-7PM, DAAP 5000 Level & Ella Lipnik on 3000 Level: Reception for Fotofocus exhibit in the DAAP Library. Dare to Stare: 19th-Century Circus and Sideshow Portraits. Exhibit curated by Theresa Leininger Miller
- Oct. 7, 4:30pm, Walter C. Langsam Library 6th floor east stacks: Poetry Stacked
- Oct. 15, 6-7:30PM, Walter C. Langsam Library Digital Scholarship Area: Great Library Guess Off. The Guesspionage™ -style challenge will highlight UC Libraries-specific statistics, such as percentage of students who utilize library resources, as well as available statistics on student wellness that contribute to belonging and academic success (i.e., reported sleep, stress levels, and study habits).
- Oct. 19, 2PM-3PM: Open Access Week Panel. Details coming soon.
- Oct. 20, NOON-1:30PM, Stanley J. Lucas, MD, Board Room, Health Sciences Library: Winkler Center Lunch & Learn. Medical Illustration: The American Civil War and Now, and the opening of the Daniel S. Young Exhibit. Speakers: Kris Ramprasad, MD, MA (history), retired associate professor at UC; Sydney Seeto, second-year medical student at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and Sophie Laye, second-year medical student at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
- Oct. 22, 2PM-3PM: Open Access Week Workshop. Details coming soon.
- Oct. 23, NOON-2pm, Science Library‘s Intersect Space: Celebrating Dr. Kenneth Caster: Legacy, Archive & Library Collection. Reception follow. Co-hosted by A&S Geology Department.
- Oct. 28, 3PM, Science Library‘s Intersect Space: Oesper Research Talk – “Rudy W. Thomas: The Hands Behind the Oesper Collections.” This talk will present the life and career of Rudy W. Thomas, longtime demonstrator and restoration specialist for the University of Cincinnati’s Department of Chemistry.
- Nov. 18, 4:30PM, John Miller Burnam Classics Library: Poetry Stacked
- Nov. 19: 4:30PM, Max Kade German Cultural Center (CCH 5105): Archives and Rare Books Library & German Studies Present: The Printer and the Courtier: The Circulation of “Pennsylvania German” Books in Enlightenment Germany, a talk by Jennifer A. Merriman, Ph.D. Candidate, College of William & Mary.
- Dec. 1, 3PM, Water C. Langsam Library: Fuzz Therapy for Finals (Dog Therapy). Unwind before finals with UC’s own Sammy the therapy dog and other registered therapy animals from Pet Partners.
Continue reading
Newly Processed Collections related to Cincinnati History that You May Have Missed
With the help of additional staff members and interns at the Archives and Rare Books Library, we have been working hard processing collections and publishing better descriptions of our holdings. Here are some recently processed (or recently improved) finding aids related to the history of the City of Cincinnati that are now available to our researchers. Most of the descriptions below were taken from the finding aids written by Brittney Lynn Smith and Julianna Witt.
Cincinnati Board of City Hall Trustees records (ON-75-18) – The Cincinnati Board of City Hall Trustees records document the planning and construction of Cincinnati’s City Hall which was completed in 1893. Samuel Hannaford and Sons were the architects for the project and the Board of City Hall Trustees were formed to manage the budget. The collection contains clerk’s records relating to the project, meeting minutes, reports, architectural and contractual bids and financial records. ARB intern, Brittney Lynn Smith, processed this collection.
The Ruebel family papers at ARB
Orange roadblock signs and detour routes can hinder anyone’s daily commute. A single road can be repaired repeatedly over decades to make the perfect paved road. However, where does that begin? The Ruebel family of Cincinnati contributed significantly to Cincinnati’s roads with their family-run construction business from 1892-1986. The Archives and Rare Books Library has a newly published finding aid outlining the 88 years and three generations of Cincinnati road construction of the John Ruebel & Brother Company.
Looking for Photos of UC? If so, check the University Photographs Collection
Over the years, the Archives and Rare Books Library (ARB) has acquired numerous photographs of UC’s campus, university events, student activities, and academic departments. ARB’s largest collection of photographs related to the University of Cincinnati, though, is the University of Cincinnati photographs collection. The first materials in this collection came to ARB in 1977 and the photographs were organized in what archivists and librarians often call “subject files.” This means that photos were grouped together according to subject matter. Over the years, Public Relations and ARB staff added to the collection, and over the years, due to heavy use, photographs got misfiled into the wrong subject files. Making the collection even more confusing, the collection was never fully inventoried nor was a finding aid created.
Alfred Gong papers at the Archives and Rare Books Library
Today the Archives and Rare Books Library is highlighting one of our German-Americana Collections, the Alfred Gong papers. The finding aid can be viewed online at the Alfred Gong papers.
Alfred Gong (1920-1981)
Gong, who was named Alfred Liquornik at birth, was born on August 14, 1920, in Chernivtsi, Romania (which is now part of the Ukraine) and attended the University of Chernivtsi. His education was cut short due to Soviet and then German occupation during World War II in which he was forced into the Jewish ghetto established in Chernivtsi and later the ghetto in Mogilev-Podolsk. Gong spent 1941-1944 in forced labor camps before he was able to escape to Bucharest, Romania, with forged papers. In 1946, he moved to Vienna, Austria, and finished his education at the University of Vienna. While in Vienna, Gong organized poetry readings and published poetry in newspapers.
Continue readingUC Libraries closed July 3rd
Read Source to learn about the news, events, people and happenings of UC Libraries
Read Source, the online newsletter, to learn about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries.
In this issue of Source, Liz Kiscaden, dean and university librarian, looks back at the accomplishments of the most recent academic year while also looking head to the fall semester. We celebrate the many accomplishments of the UC Libraries faculty and staff, the 2026 UC Open Research Day and announce the 2026 Zero Textbook Cost Grant cohort. Two collections are highlighted in this issue: The Werner H. Von Rosentiel papers and the Oesper History of Chemistry collection while the Winkler Center display illuminates Covington, Kentucky as the “X-Ray City.” This issue of Source concludes with a year in photos.
Read these articles, as well as past issues, on the website. To receive Source via e-mail, contact melissa.norris@uc.edu to be added to the mailing list.
