Love Data Week, Feb 8-12, 2021.

Love Data Week 2021

Love Data Week 2021

Love Data Week takes place the week of Valentine’s Day. Created to raise awareness of research data management, sharing, reuse, and preservation of data, it has been promoted by library and data professionals since 2016 in both online and in-person events.  You can see some of the events taking place around the world at the International Love Data Week 2021 schedule.

One of the ways we at RDS/UCL celebrate is to participate in the Adopt a Dataset program that ICPSR hosts every year.  ICPSR choses to highlight interesting data sets from their collection for individuals to explore to learn more about data. Once a dataset is chosen, you may fill out the Dataset adoption form and have your name added to the wall of adopters.  Adopters are encouraged to delve into the data by reading about the research, look at the variables, try out the analysis tools online, and read related publications.

ICPSR is a member consortium that UC belongs to that provides access to datasets from over 15,000 studies, over 5.6 million variables, which have had over 95,000 publications that cited those studies. It also provides curated data repository services for researchers, including secure data enclaves, which fulfill finding requirements for data management plans. Although most studies are quantitative in the social and behavioral sciences, there are also themed collections in the arts, humanities, and some health sciences. Teaching resources, online analysis tools, and pre-made exercise modules also are available to members.

There are a wide variety of datasets to choose from this year, ranging from education, to social media, social justice, to health. I chose to adopt one on music, Study of Jazz Artists, 2001 (ICPSR 35593). I started out by looking at the description of the study and how it was conducted. I then jumped into browsing the variables, one of the tabs found on the data set page. One of the great features of ICPSR is that you can search by variable if you are looking for specific studies to replicate or want to see if your own survey questions fit what others have asked in the past.

One variable jumped out at me – Q32- Age Began Playing First Instrument. My own children play instruments and I always wonder if we’ve started them at the right age or not. Looking at the result for this variable, I can see the unweighted results, including summary statistics and a variables chart. The median age was 9, the mode was 10, the maximum was 35, and the minimum was 1! I guess there’s still hope if you’re in your 30s to pick up an instrument to become a professional jazz musician!   The sweet spot to start your child appears to be the 8-10 year old range.

If you have questions about Love Data Week,  ICPSR, Data, Data Management Plans, Cleaning, Storing, Finding, or Using Data, contact us at Research and Data Services here at UC Libraries. We would love to help you with your projects, offer a workshop to your department or class, or discuss your data needs.

Cincinnati Song Initiative (CSI): Announcing Trial Of New Online Resource!

The UC Libraries are beginning a trial of the Cincinnati Song Initiative (CSI) Digital Resource, to continue to 31 December 2021. CSI is an online resource developed by CCM alum Sam Martin.

Trial feedback: Please send any trial feedback, comments, or suggestions to Dr Jenny Doctor (jenny.doctor@uc.edu).

Trial Link for the CCM/UC community to use: Cincinnati Song Initiative (CSI) trial
If you encounter technical issues linking to CSI, send an email to let us know so we can fix the problem quickly.

CSI overview:
CSI was founded to bring a concentrated and cohesive source of art song to the greater Cincinnati area. Dedicated to providing unique experiences through the power of music and text, each performance creates a sense of relevance and active engagement between performers and audiences. This is achieved not only through song, but also through spoken dialogue by the artists, which provides a context and historical background that connects audiences to the repertoire. Concerts take place at different venues throughout the Queen City in order to connect with its many vibrant communities and explore all it has to offer.

For example, CSI content includes:

  • Concerts featuring singers and pianists of national renown, both staged in Cincinnati and from stages beyond our area.
  • Innovation of art song, commissioning and premiering new works to help lead the genre into the twenty-first century and connect closely with today’s audiences.
  • A rich suite of digital resources, such as educational webinars, live interviews with living composers, and innovative digital performance projects.

I hope you enjoy exploring this resource! We welcome feedback about what you think of its usefulness as a tool to support teaching, research, and performance (jenny.doctor@uc.edu).

UC Libraries Closed Monday, Jan. 18 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. from LIFE Magazine

UC Libraries will be closed Monday, Jan. 18 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day . The libraries will resume normal hours on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

Want to read up on Martin Luther King, Jr., his impact and legacy? Check out these library resources.

Welcome back to the CCM Library for Spring Semester!

The CCM Library faculty and staff welcome you back to Spring Semester 2021!

The CCM Library is open and ready to support your work for the semester.

  • From Monday, 11 January 2021, the physical library is open Monday-Friday, 1-6pm (on the 6th floor, Blegen Library).  For more service information, view full post.
  • Study spaces are available by appointment in the Reading Room and the Media Lab
  • (see CCM Library Appointments).
  • The Click & Collect retrieval and pickup service allows UC users to request physical library materials in the Library Catalog. For details about requesting items, please see the CCM Library home page.
  • For entrance to the Blegen Library building, UC ID card swipe access is required, and a green light on the COVID Check app is required for UC students, and is strongly recommended for others.
  • The due date for most checked-out materials is now August 31, 2021.
  • Returns of CCM Library materials are accepted and encouraged. Place return items in the dropbox/carts on the landing outside the main entrance to the CCM Library (on the 6th floor, Blegen Library).

Welcome to spring semester. Check out service updates and library location hours.

cech libraryWelcome back, Bearcats, to spring semester 2021!

Check the Libraries website for any spring semester service updates and for operating hours by location. With limited exceptions, there remains no browsing of library materials in the stacks. The Click & Collect retrieval and pickup service allows UC users to request printed library materials in the Library Catalog for pickup at designated locations.  CHAT and email reference services are available to answer any question.

UC Libraries remains open and available online to provide users with access to library resources and services.

Have a productive, successful and safe semester.

Season’s Greetings from UC Libraries as we head into Winter Season Days

cabin in the snowSeason’s Greetings. Wishing you all a restful and restorative winter break. All UC Libraries locations are closed for Winter Season Days, December 24-January 3. We look forward to seeing you in the new year.

The University of Cincinnati Libraries Annual Progress Report, 2019-2020: A Year Like No Other

annual progress report graphicWhat a year it’s been.

The University of Cincinnati Libraries Annual Progress Report, this year completely online, covers July 2019 through June 2020, an academic year that started off normally, but in the spring would be disrupted in ways never thought possible because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fall semester was business as usual with students, faculty, researchers and staff accessing our facilities and resources for research and study, or simply to grab a cup of coffee between classes. Librarians and staff provided instruction on how to find the best research materials, offered reference assistance, collected and made our collections available and collaborated with faculty and researchers to translate information and data into knowledge. The usual activities in the library would come to a sudden halt spring semester.

This year’s report reviews how we responded to the Covid-19 pandemic, but it also celebrates our numerous accomplishments, highlights new special collections and library exhibits, spotlights the achievements of our faculty and staff and provides usage stats and financial information.

As the semester and 2020 come to a close, we wish you warm wishes for the holiday season. May the new year bring you health, harmony and joy.

UC Libraries closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday

thanksgiving graphicThe University of Cincinnati Libraries will be closed Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27 for Thanksgiving, with the Walter C. Langsam Library closing early on Wednesday, November 25 at 5pm.

Beginning Monday, November 30 library hours will vary by location with some closing their facilities and offering weekly Click & Collect library material retrieval and pick up service. Library hours and information about the Click & Collect service is available on the Libraries website.

Through the Online Library portal and CHAT reference service, UC Libraries remains open and available online to provide users with access to library resources and services.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

UC Libraries closed Wednesday, Nov. 11 for Veterans Day. Health Sciences Library to remain open 9am-5pm.

veterans day imageUC Libraries will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans Day, except for the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library, which will be open 9am to 5pm.

In addition, both the Click & Collect request and retrieval service and the CHAT online reference service will be unavailable Wednesday, Nov. 11.

Regular hours will resume Thursday, November 12.

To learn more about veterans at UC, check out this online exhibit from the Archives and Rare Books Library entitled “School & Country: Military Life at the University of Cincinnati.”