Category Archives: Classics Library

Posts related to the Classics Library.

Changes in library hours beginning summer semester

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UC Libraries has reduced operating hours in most locations beginning summer semester and continuing throughout the upcoming academic year. To minimize the impact on library users, reductions are primarily during evening and weekend hours when in-person usage is at its lowest. Digital library services, including Chat Reference, online resources and access to the library catalog will remain available 24/7.  

langsam library

These changes are the result of a reduction to the UC Libraries operating budget and are informed by foot traffic and usage patterns. The budget reduction required eliminating contracted security services and student employee positions, which are necessary to keep the libraries open extended hours. When determining how to adjust operating hours, the Libraries reviewed usage statistics and prioritized retaining currently employed student employees.

We recognize that reduced hours will impact users and are committed to maintaining access to services and support in a digital environment. Library staff and faculty roles remain unchanged.  

Each UC library location will continue to monitor usage and may adjust hours when possible, such as during high-demand periods. A list of library hours by location is posted on the Libraries web site.  

UC Libraries welcomes Jordan Finkin, head of the John Miller Burnam Classics Library

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UC Libraries is pleased to welcome Jordan Finkin, PhD, as the new head of the John Miller Burnam Classics Library. Jordan joins UC from Hebrew Union College, where he most recently served as deputy director of libraries, overseeing a four-campus system, as well as serving as the rare book and manuscript librarian. He brings extensive experience in library leadership, collection development and the stewardship of rare books and manuscripts.

jordan finkin

Jordan holds a doctorate in Near Eastern studies and is the author of several scholarly monographs and numerous academic articles. He is also a productive literary translator from Yiddish, German and French, and the founder and director of the Naydus Press, a nonprofit publisher of Yiddish literature in English translation. His work with multilingual collections, together with his administrative experience, positions him well to steward the Classics Library’s exceptional collections and serve UC Libraries’ mission.

The John Miller Burnam Classics Library at the University of Cincinnati possesses one of the world’s largest and most distinguished collections of Classical Studies with particular strengths in Greek and Latin philology, Aegean Bronze Age archaeology, and Latin palaeography. It is unique in housing under one roof the full spectrum of sub-disciplines within the broad definition of Classics — language and literature, art and archaeology, history, philosophy, religion, law, science and medicine in addition to Modern Greek studies, papyrology, epigraphy, palaeography and more. The collection spans five millennia of recorded history and the vast geographic areas of Ancient Greece and the full expanses of the Roman Empire, including Eastern Rome (Byzantium) in addition to sizeable collections covering the Near East and Ancient Egypt.

The Classics Library is located at 417 Blegen Library and features a Reading Room, Palaeography Reading Room, Epigraphy and Papyrology Reading Room and impressive stack floors.

The Collection: at the Classics Library

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I don’t know about you, but every time I walk into our Classics Library, I feel a little like Indiana Jones. As I admire the priceless treasures housed there, I can’t shake the sneaking suspicion that at any moment, a huge boulder is going to appear and start chasing me, threatening to run me over. After all, being surrounded by the collected wisdom of the ancient world creates an atmosphere like none other, teeming with whispers of long-ago adventures and still-uncovered secrets.  

The University of Cincinnati’s (UC) John Miller Burnam Classics Library is undoubtedly one of a kind. From its inception to its current practices, the library holds a special place in the heart of our Classics Department, libraries, and wider scholarly community, serving distinguished international faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and many visiting scholars. It is the definition of a destination library, serving over 75,000 patrons from around the world per year, who flock to Cincinnati to browse and study its unparalleled resources.

Classics alumna, Lindsay Taylor, agrees the Classics Library is a very special place. “It probably saved me thousands of dollars as a student to have all these materials at my disposal while doing high-level research. Classics was truly the most magical and scholarly place possible to get an undergraduate degree, and the older I get, the more I realize how valuable the education I received there is. The program is just steeped in evidence and primary source evaluation and scholarly communication surrounding this evaluation, the library is at the core of that effort.” 

classics library display
Display in the Classics Library
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Corey Ferguson joins UC Libraries as Classics Library Operations Supervisor

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UC Libraries is excited to welcome Corey Ferguson as the Library Operations Supervisor of the John Miller Burnham Classics Library.

In this role, Corey will lead the various day-to-day library operations, including student supervision, service point management, and stacks maintenance. Other duties include engaging in and overseeing events, exhibits, instructional materials, collections processing, student and supplies budget management, and operational data and assessment activities.

Corey most recently was the Youth Collection Development Librarian for MidPointe Library System. In addition, she has worked at public libraries in Cincinnati, Springfield (MA), and New York. She also brings experience in various editorial and publishing roles.

Welcome, Corey!

Corey Ferguson standing in front of the stacks in the Classics Library.

UC Libraries will open at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 12, except for HSL which will open at 7:45 a.m.

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Due to inclement weather, University of Cincinnati campuses are closed from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. Visit Commencement and Registrar’s pages for additional details. This closure applies to all UC Libraries locations except for the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library, which will be open at 7:45 a.m.

snowy campus

UC Libraries closed December 2, except for HSL

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Due to inclement weather, the University of Cincinnati campus will close from 7 a.m. Dec. 2, 2025, until 7 a.m. on Dec. 3, 2025. This closure applies to all UC Libraries locations except for the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library, which will be open Tuesday, Dec. 2 from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m.

snowy campus