Category Archives: Classics Library

Posts related to the Classics Library.

The 2022 Papyrology Summer Institute at UC

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While many are enjoying summer break, the classics library remains open to visiting scholars and others. This summer, world-renowned papyrologist UC Professor Peter van Minnen has been hosting the Papyrology Summer Institute, held under the auspices of the American Society of Papyrologists. This 5 week-long intensive program has comprised lectures on topics such as petitions, magical papyri, materiality (the archaeology of papyri as objects) by scholars from all over the world in the morning or research and readings in the library followed by examination of papyri on loan from the University of Michigan in the lab (Blegen 320) in the afternoon. Some of the participants could already read Egyptian hieroglyphs, Coptic, and Demotic coming into the program, and all could read Greek and Latin. Each participant works on 3-4 papyri. Their findings are subsequently published in the Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists. In addition to the papyri, each participant examines one ostracon (a piece of pottery with writing on it), the publication of which will be as a group.

Polaroid collage of participants in the 2022 Papyrology Summer Institute at UC by one of the participants, Dr. Ella Karev, Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago.

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Happy Birthday, Julius Caesar!

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Today, July 12, is the birthday of Julius Caesar, born 2,122 years ago. It is somewhat uncertain if the day is a cause for celebration or mourning. He, like many modern-day would-be dictators and populists, had imperial designs, invading parts of northern and central Europe, and challenging Rome itself, casting the dice when crossing the river Rubicon, giving rise to not only an insurrection but a full-fledged civil war for the soul, or at least survival, of democracy. He won and was appointed dictator for life. That is until Marcus Brutus and others assassinated him on the Ides of March in 44 BCE at the site of the curia and theater of Pompey, a friend turned foe, and four Republican temples excavated by another dictator, and amateur “archaeologist,” Benito Mussolini, and now the home of a popular cat sanctuary. The assassins were initially hailed as heroes and saviors of the Republic. Ironically, the assassination may have backfired as the long-running (almost 500 year) democratic (excluding women and slaves) Republic turned into an equally long dictatorship, beginning with Emperor Augustus, by comparison a relatively “benign” ruler, the great-nephew of Julius Caesar, which later produced such notorious dictators as Caligula, Nero, and Domitian.

Julius Caesar | Biography, Conquests, Facts, & Death | Britannica

Unlike some other populists, Caesar was an intelligent and well-educated man, an author and historian, whose works, along with those of his opponent Cicero, are read by American school children, not only for their historic content but also for their exemplary prose. His name lives on in words for an omnipotent ruler, Tsar, Czar, and Kaiser, and for the month of July. After his death, he was deified and a comet which had appeared was hailed as a sign of his divinity. Yes, people interpreted “signs” and “hidden messages” then, too.

Julius Caesar’s birth would not have been possible without the aid of the She-Wolf who saved the lives of Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome and Caesar’s ancestors. No doubt Caesar was turning in his grave during the theft and desecration of his great-great-great… grand-mother in Eden Park less than a month ago.  Would it not be a wonderful birthday present for Caesar (and for us all!) if she were returned or found further unharmed (the kidnappers cut off her paws)!? Dum spiro, spero.

Happy Birthday, Julius!
Felix sit dies natalis tuus, Iuli!

Lori Harris named interim dean and university librarian

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lori harris

Lori Harris

Lori E. Harris has been named interim dean and university librarian of the University of Cincinnati Libraries effective July 1, 2022. Harris initially joined the Libraries in 2015 as an associate fellow from the National Institutes of Health/National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM). She permanently joined the University of Cincinnati Libraries in 2016.

Harris previously served as assistant dean and director of the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library and the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions. More recently, she co-led the development of the Libraries’ strategic framework NEXT Directions, which outlines the Libraries’ Guiding Principles and Pathways to operational excellence with special emphasis on initiatives relating to research, diversity, equity and inclusion and aligns with the University’s Next Lives Here framework. She has helped to support the College of Medicine’s LCME process by serving as a member of the reaccreditation committee and she currently sits on the College of Medicine’s Education Committee representing the Health Sciences Library.

Harris has worked tirelessly to build external relationships for the University of Cincinnati Libraries. Recently, she worked with Dr. Phil Diller, College of Medicine and the Henry R. Winkler Center Board, to bring to the university campus the six-part lecture series and exhibits that examined the work of Andreas Vesalius. Building upon her continued relationship and collaborations with colleagues from NIH/NLM, Harris helped bring to the Health Sciences Library the Native Voices traveling exhibition and lecture series, which honored the native tradition of oral history.

“I look forward to working with my University of Cincinnati Libraries colleagues in this new capacity,” said Harris. “Our recently completed Strategic Framework will provide the guiding principles and pathways for us to continue to advance our mission and realize our vision.”

Harris obtained her M.A. MSLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her B.A. in American studies, museum studies and archives from Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts.

In her new role, Harris will provide leadership and coordination for the daily operations of the University of Cincinnati Libraries, working collaboratively with the library leadership of UC Blue Ash, UC Clermont and Law Libraries. Harris will continue to work directly with UC Libraries’ senior leadership, faculty and staff to ensure that continuity, growth and development of the University of Cincinnati Libraries is maintained throughout her tenure as interim dean and university librarian.

The Twins are now orphans – their mother has been stolen from Eden Park!

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The She-Wolf (“Lupa”) was stolen from Eden Park on June 16, 2022, ironically, the same day I returned from a trip to Rome. It is a tragedy for all of us who value history and who understand and appreciate the importance of the Wolf to the founding of ancient Rome, to Roman history, and to Roman life and character, but also to many generations of Cincinnatians. The story of the Wolf, one of countless animals helping humans throughout the ages, is a sweet and engaging one. The statue was a gift of the city of Rome, then a sister city of Cincinnati, the city named after a Roman general. Yes, it was gifted while Mussolini was the ruler of Italy; however, the artist of the original statue of the Wolf, probably without the twins, was ancient Roman or, possibly, Etruscan or, according to some scholars, medieval, having no connection to Fascism. There are many literary accounts of the story in ancient Roman authors such as Livy, Dio Cassius, Ovid and others. Here is one of Ovid’s accounts:

“A she-wolf which had cast her whelps came, wondrous to tell, to the abandoned twins: who could believe that the brute would not harm the boys? Far from harming, she helped them; and they whom ruthless kinsfolk would have killed with their own hands were suckled by a wolf! She halted and fawned on the tender babes with her tail, and licked into shape their two bodies with her tongue. You might know they were scions of Mars: fearless, they sucked her dugs and were fed on a supply of milk that was never meant for them. The she-wolf (lupa) gave her name to the place, and the place gave their name to the Luperci. Great is the reward the nurse has got for the milk she gave” (Fasti 2.413-432).

I had suggested that the statue be moved to the John Miller Burnam Classics Library or to the lobby of the Blegen library building. Let us hope that the criminals who stole the sculpture develop a conscience and return it to the City of Cincinnati, and that the City finally decides to protect it by having it housed in the classics department or classics library of the University of Cincinnati or in the Cincinnati Art Museum.

The Burnam Classics Library’s Greek Map Collection has been digitized!

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Finally, the John Miller Burnam Classics Library has been able to move into the 21st century thanks to its staff and East View, an information services company, which has digitized one of the Library’s rarest and most important collections of Greek, British, and U.S. military maps from World War I and II. East View specializes in hard-to-find foreign language materials such as maps, newspapers and ephemera. In addition to helping us digitize and preserve the Burnam collection of maps, many in poor physical condition, the company has provided a searchable database free-of-charge for the Classics Library and freely available to the UC community.

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“New” Discoveries for the Burnam Classics Library

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When researching an unrelated topic, the librarian came across a reference to Greek manuscripts in the Burnam Library. They were not known to previous or current staff, so it was a mystery. The librarian contacted the Archives and Rare Books Library in the hopes that they might be there, and eureka! They had mistakenly not been transferred during the move of classics materials from ARB to the Burnam Library more than three years ago.  The boxes contain some 10 very rare Greek newspapers of the Greek resistance movement published during WWII and shortly thereafter, such as Οδηγός των αδελφοτήτων της Ε.Α. and Η Αλληλεγγύη from 1945, Ελεύθερη σκέψη (όργανο του Εθνικού Κομιτάτου Νέων) from 1942, Ελεύθερη Ελλάδα (όργανο της Κ.Ε. του Εθνικού Απελευθερωτικού Μετώπου) from 1943, and Φωνή της Αλλελλεγγύης (όργανο του Παρατήματος Μακεδονίας και Θράκης…) from January 1, 1946.

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The Classics Library Announces Policy Change

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Today’s libraries recognize that current methods of organization are outdated. Upon consultation with other UC C&D libraries and classics libraries nationally, the UC Classics Library hereby wishes to announce the following policy change:

In acknowledgement of the times, and for reasons of aesthetics, logic, and common sense, the John Miller Burnam Classics Library has decided to classify and shelve our books by color rather than by call number. The Library of Congress Classification System is cumbersome, non-intuitive, and comprehensible only to catalogers.

Some patrons simply do not remember a book’s call number or its author and title; however, they do recall the color of the book.

When I am at a gas station I never give the make and model of my car to the attendant as I cannot remember those things and the numbers that supposedly are posted above the pumps are confusing. I simply say “$10 on the red car over there.” It works every time. It’s easy to remember and understand.

Thus, in an effort to alleviate obstacles and to enhance the experience of locating books and browsing in our Library, we have decided to enact this organizational change.

The catalog records will from now on read as in the following examples:

Navy Blue

Davis & Bennet, Pylos Regional, 1st ed. (2017).

Classics, S 5, 15th aisle, top shelf 


Tangerine Orange

Virgile, Énéide, bks. 1-4, Budé 1st ed. (1977).

Classics, S 6, 10th aisle, 3rd shelf

 

The Boolean keyword search in the Library Catalog for these examples will be:

In Euclid add <Limit>: Classics
Then type:

(“Navy Blue” AND “Davis”).

(“Tangerine Orange” AND “Virgile” AND “Budé”).

The call number sign posts in the stacks are being replaced with color-coated ones (see images below), which will need no examination or deciphering.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused during the period of transition to the new system, which we estimate to be between 5 and 10 years, and appreciate your cooperation.

Rebecka Lindau
Head, John Miller Burnam Classics Library

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

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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!

Upcoming changes to OhioLINK delivery provider

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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.

The University of Cincinnati Libraries Annual Progress Report, 2020-2021

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Looking back as we plan our NEXT Directions.

This year’s Annual Progress Report covers July 2020 through June 2021. It was an exceptionally complicated time, during which we entered the second year of the pandemic, developed and adopted new digital resources to support remote learning and remote research and prepared for the transition back to campus for the 2021 fall semester.

In these unprecedented times, library faculty and staff continuously found ways to transform and elevate library services by bringing their experience, talents and dedication to the forefront so as to continue to fulfill our mission to “empower discovery, stimulate learning and inspire the creation of knowledge by connecting students, faculty, researchers and scholars to dynamic data, information and resources.” Continue reading →