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.

New Books in the Science Libraries

We are back! Check out the new science books (mostly ebooks) that have been added to the Geology-Math-Physics and Langsam Libraries.   GMP has added 24 ebooks from the American Mathematical Society (AMS).  The print books in the list are available through the Click & Collect service.

Click here to access the September-October 2020 list.

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

 

 

 

 

UC Data Day Wrap-up

On Oct 23rd UC Libraries and IT@UC partnered for the 5th UC Data Day.  This year’s all virtual event featured, two power sessions, a Keynote by Glenn Ricart of US Ignite, and an interactive panel session of multidisciplinary faculty.

The event started with the first power session by George Turner, Indiana University’s (IU) Chief Systems Architect with IU’s Pervasive Technologies Institute (PTI).  Mr. Turner led participants through an introduction to high performance computing and demonstrated how to access the UC Advanced Research Computing (ARC) system.

Erin McCabe, Digital Scholarship Fellow with UC Libraries Digital Scholarship Center (DSC) led the second session on text mining and natural language processing.  Both sessions had a hands-on component with participants accessing the ARC system as well as engaging with the DSC platform for text mining.

Glenn Ricart of US Ignite gave a keynote address steeped in his own personal data that highlighted how much data one individual creates and how this data is being used to make policy decisions, drive business and help us image the future.  He also discussed the problems of our dependence on data and possible pitfalls and wrongdoings.

The closing session of the day was the interactive panel moderated by Michael Dunaway, PhD (UC Executive Director of the Digital Futures Resilience Program).  Dr. Dunaway started us off by asking two questions:

  • How is ubiquitous data changing your work as a Researcher, Educator, and/or Clinician, and its contribution to society?
  • How is ubiquitous data changing society and shaping our sense of community?

Six faculty from very different disciplines who use data in very different ways shared their perspectives on the keynote and the state of data literacy education at UC.  Glenn Ricart also participated in the discussion and affirmed the conclusions that was best stated by Whitney Gaskins (CEAS Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor- Office of Inclusive Excellence & Community Engagement) when she said “We need to educate students to be more numbers literate.”  Dr. Achala Vagal (MD, Radiology) expressed that the amount of data will only continue to grow per the example of medical imaging data and its storage needs.  Zvi Biener, PhD (Associate Professor Philosophy| History | Judaic Studies department, and the Center for Public Engagement with Science) highlighted how the approach to evaluating data changed with Newton, and we have to continue to question if we are truly gaining knowledge from all the data generated.  Both Prashant Khare (Asst. Professor, CEAS Aerospace Eng & Eng Mechanics, Chair, Advanced Research Computing (ARC) center) and Sam Anand (Professor, CEAS ME, Director – Siemens PLM Simulation Technology Center) discussed the need for jobs to adapt to the data rich environment and that if we are educating our students to be more numbers literate, they will cope better in the future work environment.  The panelists, Glenn Ricart and Michael Dunaway guided us through the changing and complex data rich world we now find ourselves and left us much to think about as to how our institute and community can face the challenges and ultimately benefit from this new environment.

Videos from the day are available on the STRC youtube page, as well as archived in a Data Day collection 2020 in UC’s institutional repository Scholar@UC.  We invite you to review the sessions and continue the dialogue at AskData@uc.edu or attend an upcoming Data and Computational Science series event.

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.”

Click & Collect Retrieval and Pickup Service Expanded to Daily, Monday-Friday

Lookinclick and collect graphicg for library print materials for research or study? The Click & Collect retrieval and pickup service (now expanded to a daily service!) allows UC users to request printed library materials in the Library Catalog for pickup at designated locations. Requests made daily Monday-Friday are typically available the next 1-2 business days. Users should wait for an e-mail pickup notice before coming to the library to pick up requested items. There is a limit of 10 items per request/25 a week.

Due dates have been automatically set for February 15, 2021. When searching for print materials in the Library Catalog, items with the status of “Click & Collect” are available for request. Items from one library location cannot be requested for pickup at another library location.

Click & Collect pickup locations and details per participating library are available on the Libraries web site.

Items requested from SWORD (Southwest Ohio Regional Depository) will be sent to Langsam Library only for pickup. Please note – SWORD will initially appear as the pickup location at the time of request, but will change to Langsam as the request is processed.

Updates to Click & Collect will continue to be posted online.

For other research and library service needs, the University of Cincinnati Libraries remains open and available online to provide users with access to library resources and services.

UC Libraries Announce Phased Approach to Re-Open Library Facilities

With the start of fall semester, UC Libraries will begin to re-open library facilities to the UC community in a limited, phased approach to ensure social distancing. Our priority remains to provide access to library resources to the extent possible while maintaining the health and safety of students, faculty and staff. The availability and use of locations and spaces within the libraries will be reviewed on a continual basis and updates will be posted on the Libraries website.library with tables and chairs


Beginning August 10
, the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library (HSL) is open for fall semester with limited in-person accessibility to library spaces.

Beginning August 17, the UC Blue Ash College Library is open with services available in person, virtually or both.

Tues-Fri, August 18-21, the 400 level of the Walter C. Langsam Library will be open from 10am-4pm. No library services will be available during this time.

Beginning August 24, the Walter C. Langsam Library, Albino Gorno Memorial (CCM) Library, John Miller Burnam Classics Library, Archives and Rare Books Library and UC Clermont College Library will open with limitations and protocols to ensure social distancing. Location specifics are listed at https://libraries.uc.edu/about/covid-19.html.

Other library locations remain closed at this time, but are under review for re-opening at a date to be announced. UC Libraries remains open and available online to provide users with access to library resources and services.

With limited exceptions in the Classics and CCM Libraries, there is no browsing of library materials in the stacks. The Click & Collect retrieval and pickup service allows UC users to request print library materials in the Library Catalog for pickup at designated locations. Pickup location details are available on the Click & Collect webpage.

Library users can once again request OhioLINK & Interlibrary Loan materials. Details are posted on the Libraries website.

Save the Date: GIS Day 2020

GIS Day is an annual event for students, staff, faculty, and the broader community to learn more about Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and to celebrate the power of geospatial analysis and visualization in answering research questions and solving real-world problems. This year, GIS Day is happening on Wednesday, November 18, and we hope you’ll mark your calendars so you can participate. We’re excited to bring you a different kind of GIS Day experience this year and to tell you a bit about what we have in the works.

In the past, we’ve hosted in-person GIS Day events, but we decided early in the discussions about returning to campus for autumn semester that this would not be a good idea in 2020. The first important change for this year is that we’re going virtual!

A virtual GIS Day provides us with a great opportunity to broaden participation in the program. Another important change this year is that our GIS Day 2020 program will be a collaboration between The Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University, and the University of Cincinnati. Get ready for 3C GIS Day!

We’re in the early stages of planning, but we look forward to an exciting program that will include:

  • Lightning Talks
    • Learn about the application of geospatial technologies in a wide variety of disciplines from faculty, staff, students, and GIS professionals across Ohio’s 3C Corridor (Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati).
  • StoryMaps Showcase
    • We’re inviting any students, staff, and faculty affiliated with The Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University, and the University of Cincinnati to create and submit ArcGIS StoryMaps to showcase their work on GIS Day and beyond. More details about the StoryMaps Showcase will be coming soon!
  • Professional Networking
    • We will provide a venue for GIS professionals, researchers, and students from across Ohio to connect with one another and discuss experiences, opportunities, and current topics of interest in the world of geospatial.

In anticipation, there will be a StoryMaps workshop on October 5, 2020 from 10 am – 12 pm taught by the Research and Data Services team and hosted by the FEC.  Stay tuned for more information about this workshop and 3C GIS Day in the coming weeks and months, and mark your calendars for a great event on November 18, 2020!  The event is free and open to all.

The 3C GIS Day planning committee includes Josh Sadvari and Katie Phillips (OSU), Ben Gorham (Case), and Amy Koshoffer (UC). If you have any questions about 3C GIS Day or are interested in participating and want to receive updates, please email Amy Koshoffer at askData@uc.edu.