Category Archives: HSL News

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The University of Cincinnati Libraries Annual Progress Report, 2019-2020: A Year Like No Other

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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.

UC Data Day Wrap-up

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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

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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!

Lori E. Harris named assistant dean and director of the Health Sciences Library and Winkler Center

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lori harrisXuemao Wang, vice provost for digital scholarship and dean and university librarian, is pleased to announce that Lori E. Harris has been appointed UC Libraries 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.

In her new role, Harris will plan, direct and assess the services and resources of the Health Sciences Library and Winkler Center within the context of UC Libraries’ mission and strategic plan. She will develop and implement library procedures, collect and analyze library data and oversee the implementation of the Health Sciences Library and Winkler Center strategic directions. She will provide leadership and coordination of the daily operations of the Health Sciences Library and Winkler Center.

Harris joined UC in 2016 as the assistant director of the Health Sciences Library after completing the second year of her National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Library of Medicine (NLM) Associate Fellowship Program at UC Libraries. She received her MSLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds a B.A. in American Studies from Smith College.

During her tenure at UC Libraries, Lori has lead and collaborated in numerous initiatives and projects including acquiring and managing the traveling Native Voices: Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness exhibition to the Health Sciences Library, serving as interim director of the Health Sciences Library since January 2019 and co-leading the Libraries Return to Campus Task Force, which is managing how the libraries are providing access to research, services and facilities during the pandemic.

“My time at UC Libraries has been a rewarding one, and it’s just beginning,” said Harris. “I look forward to working with my library colleagues in this new capacity to continue to provide access to the Health Sciences Library’s and Winkler Center’s excellent research collections and services that help to advance the university’s research, teaching, learning and clinical practice initiatives.”

To learn more, read an interview with Lori Harris that appeared in Source in September 2015 when she first came to UC Libraries as an NIH/NLM associate fellow. Congratulations, Lori!

UC Libraries closed Wednesday, Nov. 11 for Veterans Day. Health Sciences Library to remain open 9am-5pm.

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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.”

Join us Dec. 1 for World AIDS Day: Highlighting the Past, Present and Future of HIV/AIDS from the Medical, Research and Urban Perspective

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world aids day graphicAn estimated 40 million people worldwide have died of AIDS since 1981, and an estimated 37 million are currently living with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS), making it one of the most significant global public health issues in recorded history. First recognized in 1988, World AIDS Day is dedicated to spreading awareness of the AIDS pandemic, uniting in the fight against HIV infections and to mourning those who have died of the disease.

On December 1, 2020, the University of Cincinnati will participate in Worlds AIDS Day with a symposium to highlight the past, present and future of HIV/AIDS around the world from a medical, research and urban perspective. Open to all, this day-long, virtual event will feature speakers from around the country who have endeavored in many facets of HIV/AIDS treatment, research and advocacy. The day’s speakers include: Continue reading →

New PubMed: Tips and Tutorials

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Image-New PubMed home page

 

 

 

PubMed changed its look and user experience earlier this Spring. While it still offers the same great search features – it is quite a bit different. To learn about the new features, check out the Network of the National Library of Medicine’s (NNLM) Tutorials and Recordings for PubMed. There you will find quick video tours, PowerPoint presentations, and even classes.

Still have questions about the New PubMed?  Contact the Health Sciences Library for additional assistance. We can provide answers, workshops, as well as PubMed instruction for your course. 

 

 

 

OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center (EJC) Platform Update

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OhioLINK will release the latest update of the Electronic Journal Center (EJC) platform on September 30th. The EJC will be unavailable between 7 and 9 p.m. while the platform is updated.

This release includes three major changes:

  • a new user interface with minor changes to functionality, including more ways to search on the List of Journals page
  • the discontinuation of the MyEJC feature
  • additional support for WCAG 2.1 (Accessibility Tools for ADA)

While EJC 6.1 is not yet fully compliant with WCAG 2.1, per OhioLINK policy, there is an exception on file with the Ohio State University Digital Accessibility Office. If a library user with a disability experiences difficulty accessing an OhioLINK application, they should contact the OH-TECH Digital Accessibility Team: https://www.ohiolink.edu/content/accessibility

If you have any questions, fill out a ticket at https://www.ohiolink.edu/content/request_support

Sept. 22 Life of the Mind lecture to feature John Lynch who will speak on challenges of medical communication

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Life of the Mind, interdisciplinary conversations with University of Cincinnati faculty, will return Tues, Sept. 22, at 2:30 p.m. with a lecture by John Lynch, professor of communication in the College of Arts and Sciences, who will speak on “Remembering When Medicine Went Wrong: Lessons for Medical Communication Today.” The lecture will be presented via Zoom with the link soon available at https://libraries.uc.edu/lifeofthemind.html.

life of the mind graphic

Following Professor Lynch’s remarks, a panel of three will respond to the lecture:

  • Charles R. Doarn, professor, environmental and public health sciences; program director, MPH; director of telemedicine
  • Renee MaHaffey Harris, president and CEO, The Center for Closing the Health Gap
  • Michelle McGowan, research associate professor in the Ethics Center and Division of General and Community Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the College of Medicine; graduate program director, Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, College of Arts and Sciences.

The Life of the Mind lecture series has merged with the former Authors, Editors & Composers to create one event that will celebrate the achievements of UC’s artists, authors, editors and composers. A bibliography and exhibit of the 2019 creative and scholarly works of UC’s faculty and staff will accompany the lecture and be available online.

Sponsored by the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost, and organized by the University of Cincinnati Libraries, Faculty Senate and the Faculty Enrichment Center, the mission of Life of the Mind is to celebrate UC faculty research, scholarship and creative output and to foster the free and open exchange of ideas and discourse. Life of the Mind is free and open to the public and attracts a broad audience including UC students, faculty, staff and alumni, as well as people from the community.

More information about Life of the Mind is available online at www.libraries.uc.edu/lifeofthemind/.

Questions? Contact Melissa Cox Norris, (513)556-1558 or melissa.norris@uc.edu.

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

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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.