CECH Spotlight: Black Fairy Tales

CECH Spotlight highlights recommended books in the the UC College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) Library.

Black Fairy Tales / written by Terry Berger / 1969
The People Could Fly / told by Virginia Hamilton / 1985
The Six Fools / collected by Zora Neale Hurston / 2006

The stories we tell our children are possibly the most important in our entire fictional memory, and foremost among these stories are fairy tales and folktales. Harkening back to the legends and myths of old, fairy and folk tales expand children’s imaginations, teach lessons, and reveal the reality in which they live. This is not more apparent than in Black Fairy Tales by Terry Berger, The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton, and The Six Fools by Zora Neale Hurston.

Coming from a wide variety of sources, origins, and peoples, these three books represent different oral traditions collected and written by a variety of authors. While storytelling traditions are much more expansive than what is contained within these books, they serve as an amazing introduction to fairy tales and folktales from African and African American cultures. Not only do they stand alone as great examples of children’s literature, but they serve as greater tools for change in the diversity they provide, as well as the history they present. “This book was done especially for the Black children who have never read Black fairy tales,” Terry Berger wrote in the dedication of his book.

These books present culture and stories which have long been ignored, and each provide unique perspectives to life, virtue, and our potential. Be it trying to catch sunshine in a wheelbarrow, marrying a great serpent king, or the fables of Bruh Rabbit, these books expand our imagination and deepen our appreciation.  .

All three titles are available from the CECH Library, as well as the OhioLINK and Search Ohio lending networks.

Review by Linus Sinnard, CECH Library Student Assistant | Secondary Education, CECH 2025

Subscribe to New Children’s Books at CECH Library

image of new books blog

The CECH Library has a collection unlike any other at UC Libraries, including thousands of children’s and young adult books. Now you can subscribe to keep up with the latest additions to our library!

From the Children’s and Young Adult Literature LibGuide, visit our new books blogs based on the category you’re interested in. The blogs are updated each time CECH Library gets new books. By subscribing to updates, you’ll get an email every time we add new books in the following categories: picturebooks, juvenile fiction, YA fiction, informational, and Native American authors and illustrators. Subscribe today so you’ll never miss a new addition to the collection.

Written by Madeleine Gaiser, Online Learning and Instruction Specialist | CECH Library

CECH Spotlight: The Legend of Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching

CECH Spotlight highlights recommended books in the the UC College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) Library.

The Legend of Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching / written by Demi / 2007

According to legend, more than 2000 years ago, a man known as the Old Master, or Lao Tzu in Chinese, would compile 81 verses into one of the prolific books of all time, and in turn create a philosophy which has endured for generations. This philosophy, known as Taoism, or “Way”, places emphasis on accepting reality for what it is, as well as peaceful inaction and a life of virtue.

In her book, Demi details the legend of Lao Tzu and the creation of his book, the Tao Te Ching, in great detail. She also includes many excerpts from the Tao Te Ching, accompanied by beautiful illustrations of Chinese mountains, animals, and architecture which fits perfectly with the themes discuss within their lines. Her book serves as a way to engage both kids and adults alike about the beliefs of Taoism. It also provides a unique outlook on life which few other books can, with advice and concepts that can be endlessly debated and ruminated on. The Legend of Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching is a must read for anyone intrigued by Taoist philosophy, or for anyone who simply wants a new outlook on life.

The Legend of Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching is available from CECH Library, as well as the OhioLINK and Search Ohio lending networks.

Review by Linus Sinnard, CECH Library Student Assistant | Secondary Education, CECH 2025

CECH Spotlight: The Eternal Ones by Kristen Miller

CECH Spotlight highlights recommended books in the the UC College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) Library.

The Eternal Ones: What If Love Refused To Die  / written by Kristen Miller / 2010

Haven has always had strange visions. However, she constantly has an uncanny feeling that she is reliving the memories of another’s romantic relationship from long ago. Yet, it almost feels as if it was her in those dreams. Living in a conservative town, she has no one to confide in especially when everyone seems to think that the devil is to blame for her strange dreams.

It all seemed to be just strange and coincidental visions until she saw a celebrity on television that reminded her exactly of the man in her dreams. Although her entire town is against her, a group called the Ouroboros Society in New York City that seems to know a lot about what Haven has been experiencing, not only that but the celebrity that triggered a connection to her dreams happens to be there as well.

The Eternal Ones is available from the CECH Library, as well as the OhioLINK and Search Ohio lending networks.

Review by Alexis Parker, CECH Library Student Assistant | Public Relations and International Affairs, A&S 2024

Check out library Spring Break reduced hours, March 12-20

spring break vine with lemonsMost University of Cincinnati Libraries locations have reduced hours for Spring Break, March 12-20. Check the library website for a list of hours by location.

Have a safe and relaxing Spring Break, Bearcats!

CECH Spotlight: It Feels Good To Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity

CECH Spotlight highlights recommended books in the the UC College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) Library.

It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity / written by Theresa Thorn, illustrated by Noah Grigni / 2019

It Feels Good to Be Yourself is an important and amazing book to use when it comes to approaching the topic of gender identity and expression. It is open and direct and explains gender in a very succinct way, making this ideal for young children. It discusses what cis-gender, transgender, non-binary and gender fluidity mean in a positive and easily understandable way. The illustrations feature diversity and are bright and full of life. At the end, there are resources readily available and information about pronouns. This text is straightforward and puts an emphasis on self-expression, acceptance, and inclusiveness.

It Feels Good to Be Yourself is available from CECH Library,  as well as the OhioLINK and Search Ohio lending networks. Keep an eye out for the sequel that debuts in October!

Review by Sadie Matthews, CECH Library Student Assistant | Elementary Education, CECH 2023

 

Upcoming changes to OhioLINK delivery provider

books on a shelfIn order to address ongoing delivery issues with OhioLINK materials, the University of Cincinnati Libraries, along with the other college, university and public libraries in Ohio, is changing the OhioLINK delivery provider.

There are three important points that impact OhioLINK borrowing immediately:

  • Between now and March 10, users should request any needed items from OhioLINK, SearchOhio and the SWORD/SW Depository as early as possible as delays are anticipated. University of Cincinnati librarians and staff are happy to discuss research needs and help locate alternate formats or other ways to secure materials such as using Interlibrary Loan, which does not rely on this intrastate delivery service.
  • From March 11 through the end of April, users will not be able to request materials through the OhioLINK Central Catalog, SearchOhio or SWORD/SW Depository. This is necessary to avoid a backlog of materials in the system during the transition.
  • Currently checked-out materials can still be renewed and returned during this time.

Beginning April 18, we will return to working with the company that provided delivery prior to July 2021 and are confident that they will be able to deliver your library materials efficiently once again. As we transition from one company to another, however, there will be slower than usual delivery times.

We ask for patience as we implement this long-term solution.

Questions? (513) 556-1424 or https://libraries.uc.edu/about/contact.html. In addition, OhioLINK has created a FAQ.

New Book Spotlight: Under the Broken Sky

Under the Broken Sky / by Mariko Nagai / 2019

Under the Broken Sky by Mariko Nagai is a historical fiction set in the Empire of Manchuria at the end of World War II. The novel, written in verse, follows sisters Natsu and Asa as they seek refuge after their village was attacked by the Soviet Union. For Natsu, the most important thing is keeping her sister safe at all costs, even if it means selling her.

This novel offers readers a glimpse into the life of refugees and how quickly their lives can be turned upside down and completely changed forever. The novel also allows a rare look into how the Axis powers lived during World War II and how they were treated after war officially ended.

Nagai intricately created poems to represent the importance of family and hope during tumultuous times, and easily pulls at the heartstrings of her audience.

Under the Broken Sky is available from CECH Library, as well as the OhioLINK and Search Ohio lending networks.

Review by Alice Somers (she/her), CECH Library Student Assistant | Secondary English Education, CECH 2025

Changes to information display in Faculty One Stop

Over the past two years, the term “zoom bombing” became prevalent in discussions about our remote work experience.  Zoom bombing means a situation where unauthorized individuals gain access to a virtual meeting and cause disruption.  To deal with this very disruptive practice, IT@UC made changes to the Faculty One Stop and Compliance Training systems in effect from Monday 02/21/2022.

Moving forward, meeting links will not display on the main information page for workshops.  Instructors should enter the meeting URL in the “other information” section and only those individuals logged in and who register for a workshop will be able to see this section in the workshop description.  This will help ensure that only UC credential holders and individuals who had an account created for them will have access to this information after registration.

For instructors – where to enter this information

screenshot of instructor information

 

For workshop registrants – where to find this information.screen shot to show how to enter in additional information

 

 

For technical support with Faculty One Stop, please call 513-558-2101 or email web.central@uc.edu

Seeing the Story in Data Series – Kick off Talk – Vetria Byrd PhD

logo for the Data and Computational Science Series 20200

 

JOIN us for the first in a four part data visualization series entitled:

Seeing the Story in the Data

A well thought out and designed visualization can convey meaning and deep insight into vast amounts of data.  In this four part lecture series, data visualization researchers and experts will discuss visualizations from different disciplines and highlight choices made to find the “so what”.

This series is a part of the Data and Computational Science Series.

Our first speaker will be Vetria Byrd PhD Assistant Professor of Computer Graphics Technology at Purdue University.  Dr. Byrd is interested in interdisciplinary research topics such as uncertainty visualization (it’s role and impact on reasoning in decision-making), big data, and high performance visualization.

Title: The Role of Data Visualization in Science and Computational Science

Date: March 2, 2022

Time: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST

 Please register https://ce.uc.edu/FacDev/Workshops/Details/17323 for the zoom link

This free event is hosted by UC Libraries Research and Data Serivces and the Office of Research – Research Computing and Data and funded by the Office of the Provost Universal Provider Grant and is open to all.