Winter Break hours for UC Libraries

Winter Break Hours for the University of Cincinnati Libraries begin Saturday, Dec. 18. All library locations will be closed Dec. 18-Jan. 2, except for the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library (HSL), which will be open noon-5pm, Dec. 20-23 and closed Dec. 24-Jan. 2.

winter sceneIn addition, all library locations except for Langsam Library and HSL will close at noon, Friday, Dec. 17. The Desk@Langsam will also close at noon, Friday, Dec. 17.

A listing of all hours is available on the Libraries website.

Have a relaxing and safe Winter Break.

New Books in the Science Libraries

Check out the new science books that have been added to the Geology-Math-Physics and Langsam Libraries.

Two titles that may be of interest at the GMP Library are The Chemistry of Money (HG231 .R64 2021) and The Science and Commerce of Whiskey (HD9395 .A2 B89 2021).

Click here to access the September-October 2021 list.

If you have any questions about these books, contact Ted Baldwin, Director of Science and Engineering Libraries at Ted.Baldwin@uc.edu.

 

UC Libraries closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

turkeysThe University of Cincinnati Libraries will be closed Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26 for Thanksgiving, with some locations closed the remainder of the holiday weekend and many library locations closing early on Wednesday, November 24 at 5pm. Check the listed hours for each library location’s specific hours.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Alia Jones joins the staff of the Geology-Mathematics-Physics Library

Welcome to Alia Jones, who has joined the staff of UC Libraries as the temporary library services assistant at the Geology-Mathematics-Physics (GMP) Library. Alia started on Monday, Nov. 1, and has been orienting herself with library processes, the collections and learning about the service needs at the GMP Library.

Alia will work primarily at the GMP Library, but will also assist operations when needed at the other Science & Engineering Libraries’ (SEL) locations.

Alia has a wide-ranging background in literature, research and libraries. She holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Cornell University, majoring in Cultural Anthropology with minors in American Indian Studies and East Asian Studies. Her work experience as a library services assistant and later as a senior library services assistant with the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County (PLCH) gives her great insight in assisting patrons and performing front line activities.

Along with her work at PLCH, Alia has worked with book retailers, was an English teacher in South Korea and spent time as a research assistant at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. She has worked as a freelance writer doing book reviews, conducted numerous presentations and speaking engagements, as well as serving on several library related programs/activities.

Welcome, Alia!

Data Day 2021 Wrap

Authored by Amy Latessa (OoR Advanced Research Computing team) and Mark Chalmers (UC Libraries – Science and Engineering Libraries)

On November 5th, UC Libraries with collaboration from the OoR Advanced Research Computing team, hosted the 6th annual UC Data Day. The theme of this year’s virtual event was Bias, Miscommunication, and Equity in Data and featured a Keynote by Heather Krause, two interactive panel sessions, and a weeklong virtual screening of the documentary film Coded Bias.  This year’s event had 145 attendees and 29 views of the film. 

Following the opening remarks of Xuemao Wang, Vice Provost for Digital Scholarship and Dean and University Librarian of UC Libraries, Data Day commenced with the keynote by Heather Krause, PStat, and Founder of We All Count. Heather challenged the traditional notion of data’s objectivity, reminding attendees that researchers must make choices and these choices are not objective. Heather also walked participants through several examples of research questions and demonstrated how the questions could be better designed with equity in mind and the onus of change on systems.   She emphasized to participants that there is no “silver bullet” against bias, prejudice, and injustice, and we all must remain vigilant and consider who’s lived experiences are being centered, even at the onset of a project such as when formulating a research question. Heather was engaging and took many thought-provoking questions from the audience.   Continue reading

UC Libraries closed Thursday, Nov. 11 for Veterans Day.

veterans day graphicUC Libraries will be closed Thursday, Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans Day.

Regular library hours will resume Friday, Nov. 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.”

3C GIS Day(s) Registration is open

Celebrate National GIS Day

GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems.  It is a powerful research tool to create, manage, analyze, and map data based on spatial attributes.

As in 2020 and again in 2021, UC is participating in the statewide 3C GIS Day and there are several ways for you to join the celebration:

1) Register to watch all the virtual events including the Keynote by Chris Fisher of the Earth Archive Project: Register for 3C GIS Day(s).

2) On Nov 17th @ 11 am in 400TUC, watch the Keynote over lunch with your UC Colleagues: Register for in person viewing event Deadline 11/8/2021

3) Showcase your own GIS work by giving a Lightning Talk: Lightning Talk Submission Form – Deadline 10/27/2021

4) Participate in the Map Gallery showcase:  Map Gallery Submission Form – Deadline 11/10/2021

Find more in-depth information on each part of the GIS Day celebration, please visit the event website – https://3cgisday.github.io/.

 

The event is free and open to all.  Registration is required.

Questions

For general event questions, please contact geospatial@osu.edu.

For the UC specific event, please contact Amy.Koshoffer@uc.edu

The World of Color – New Langsam Library exhibit showcases the work of Isay Balinkin

An exhibit on the 4th floor lobby of the Walter C. Langsam Library showcases the work of University of Cincinnati professor Isay Balinkin, a pioneer in the field of color studies. From being an impassioned teacher, awarded the prestigious Godlove Award for his lifelong contributions to color in art, science and industry, Balinkin’s impact was far reaching. His colorful book collection is available for use and study in the Geology-Mathematics-Physics Library, while his personal communication, lab notes and various other belongings are available for research in the Archives and Rare Books Library.

graphic of isay balinkin

Continue reading

UC Data Day, scheduled for Friday, Nov. 5, to focus on bias, miscommunication and equity in data

UC Data Day 2021, scheduled for Friday, Nov. 5, 2021, will offer online panel discussions and a keynote address by Heather Krause, founder of We All Count and the Data Equity Framework, centered around the theme of bias, miscommunication and equity in data. The event will also include a week-long virtual screening of the documentary film Coded Bias and an afternoon panel discussion on Good vs Bad AI.

In order for data to be equitable, the processes involved in the data life cycle must consider the ethical nuances of each step in the process. Careful consideration must be paid to the way that we collect, analyze, interpret and distribute data in order to ensure that bias is not integrated (consciously or unconsciously) into the process. Today we are barraged with information, couched as fact, that is misleading, potentially harmful and that is replete with biases. These miscommunications can lead to the reinforcement of negative stereotypes, poor decision making, social upheaval and mistrust of vetted, factual information. Social Media is often a “mixed bag” of facts and fiction, and many people have difficulty navigating and drawing the line between them. UC Data Day 2021 will take aim at data miscommunication and bias and discuss ways in which data can be re-examined through an equity lens.

More information about Data Days past and present, along with a link for registration, is available on the Data Day website.

data day graphic

In October of 2020, we celebrated our 5th Annual Data Day event. As we prepare for subsequent similar events, we would like to assess the impact of our previous events on those that attended. We are asking that if you have attended any Data Day event in the past that you would kindly take a few moments to participate in a survey to assess your experiences. Your responses will be confidential unless you choose to submit your contact information for further inquiries regarding the events.

Please use this link to access the survey: https://redcap.link/ucdataday. Please know that your feedback is very important to us, and we appreciate your time filling out the survey.

3C GIS Day(s) 2021: Save the Date and Call for Proposals 

3C GIS Day(s) 2021: Save the Date and Call for Proposals 

Save the Date 

Join us during the week of November 15-19 for a virtual GIS Day program featuring a keynote speaker, lightning talk sessions, and a digital map gallery. This event is free and open to the public, and registration details will be available soon. 

GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems.  It is a powerful research tool that makes use of the geospatial attribute of data.  One of the oldest and most famous examples is the map showing how John Snow was able to determine the source of a cholera outbreak in London from the location of sick individuals.   

 3C GIS Day(s) 2021 is a collaboration between Case Western Reserve University, The Ohio State University, and the University of Cincinnati. 

Lightning Talk Call for Proposals 

The 3C GIS Day(s) planning committee invites submissions for lightning talks (10 minutes) from any faculty, staff, or students affiliated with one of the three organizing institutions. We encourage submissions from any disciplines that use geospatial information in any format, such as agriculture and environmental sciences, geography, engineering, business, health sciences, urban planning, and the humanities and social sciences, among others. We especially encourage submissions from graduate and undergraduate students who would like to showcase their work through a fun and informal presentation opportunity. 

Please submit your lightning talk proposal by Friday, October 15Lightning Talk Submission Form. 

Information collected during the submission process includes presenter name and affiliation, availability during proposed sessions times, and presentation details (title, brief description, and any collaborators). 

If you have questions, please contact geospatial@osu.edu. 

Stay Tuned 

As part of this program, we’ll also be organizing a digital map gallery for affiliated faculty, staff, or students to showcase their original cartographic work, including both static and interactive maps. More information and a map gallery submission form will be available in the coming weeks.