UC Libraries Closed Nov. 12 for Veterans’ Day. HSL to Remain Open 9am-5pm.

Veterans DayUC Libraries will be closed Monday, November 12 in observance of Veterans’ Day, except for the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library, which will be open 9am to 5pm.

Normal hours will resume Tuesday, November 13. This closing includes the Walter C. Langsam Library 4th floor space, which will close Sunday, November 11 at 11pm and re-open Tuesday, November 13 at 8am.

Shakespeare’s Source for Romeo and Juliet

By:  Kevin Grace

“For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

Romeo and Juliet illustrationThose are the final lines in Romeo and Juliet. The young lovers are dead, victims of their own passion and the enmity between the Capulets and the Montagues.  Though their story is set in Renaissance Verona, it could be a tale told in any culture around the world in any era of humankind.  For all the literary genius of William Shakespeare, scholars have long known that many of his plays were re-workings of stories he heard and historical accounts he read during his lifetime.  Whether it was for Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard III, Othello, or others, Shakespeare adapted these accounts for his stage in the late 16th and early 17th centuries that now have been performed countless times for more than 400 years, and over those centuries his own words have been adapted time and again.   To see King Lear presented in England or Ireland is not the same as seeing it performed in South Africa or India or China.  And of course, to see it once in England or America is not the same as seeing it once again on what might be the same stage in the same year.  William Shakespeare’s plays are paragons of beautiful language, infinite interpretation, and above all, compelling stories.

Shakespeare Extra Illustrated

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Coming Together to Give Thanks Nov. 15

Join the University of Cincinnati Libraries for “Coming Together to Give Thanks” ~ Thursday, November 15, 3:00-4:30pm, Walter C. Langsam Library’s 4th floor.

 

giving thanks

 

In the program:

  • A brief presentation on the myths and truths associated with the first Thanksgiving
  • Thanksgiving bingo
  • Trivia contest. To participate in the trivia contest, form a group of 2-6 people. You can come with your trivia buddies or form a team on the spot. Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 teams.

And, of course, there is no Thanksgiving without food, so expect that (including pies)!

The event is free and open to all.

University of Cincinnati Composition Writing Contest: Call for Submissions

The English Composition Writing Contest is an annual celebration of the best student writing in English composition courses across all colleges at the University of Cincinnati. Students are encouraged to submit their best work from Intermediate Composition, English Composition or Introduction to Composition. For details please go the UC Composition Writing Contest Submission Portal.

Essays or multimodal projects composed during Spring, Summer, or Fall 2018 are eligible for submission.

The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2019.

Awards

Prizes are awarded for the top essay(s) in Intermediate Composition, English Composition, and Introduction to Composition. Additionally, there are prizes for the top multimodal entries.

Additional awards are sponsored by Dr. Cheryl Dunn, Emerita Faculty from the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the UC Libraries. The Dunn Award celebrates outstanding student writing at the University of Cincinnati.  UC Libraries support the best research entry. The winners of these awards are selected from entries submitted to the categories listed on the application form.

Winning student essays and projects are celebrated at the Writing Awards Ceremony each spring on the Clifton campus. Winners and their instructors will be contacted in February with details about their awards and the ceremony.

Submissions

To submit, upload your entry, indicating the course, and complete the form for each project or essay you are submitting using this link.  Only complete submissions will be considered for judging.

Benjamin Gettler papers – Update on Progress

By:  Alex Temple, Gettler Project Archivist

I recently finished taking a complete inventory on Benjamin Gettler’s papers.  It’s been really interesting unpacking folders from such an ambitious and involved person.  The collection largely stems from his involvement in various organizations from 1960-2003, notably the Cincinnati Transit Company, S.O.R.T.A./Metro, American Controlled Industries (ACI), the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), and the University of Cincinnati.  There is also a large collection of political correspondence with letters dating as far back as 1959 (with Robert F. Kennedy), through 2012.

The bulk of the time spent so far has been going through each item in Mr. Gettler’s correspondence, which contains approximately 1000 items.  Every piece has been examined for a sender, recipient, date, subject, and format.  That was a lot of reading!  It’s been interesting to read Mr. Gettler’s interests come through in his political correspondence, as well as seeing the often-contentious battles regarding S.O.R.T.A.’s operations.  I must admit, it’s been hard to stop examining the documents and start writing about them. Continue reading

Sidney Gao Joins UC Libraries as the Digital Imaging Coordinator

On Monday, Oct. 15, Sidney Gao joined UC Libraries as the new digital imaging coordinator in the Preservation Lab. Sidney comes to UC from UC San Diego (UCSD) where she has over four years of experience working in a digitization, imaging and preservation studio for Geisel Library. During this period, she perfected the ability to lead a production team in digitizing and archiving thousands of historical artifacts, documents, books and art pieces. As such, she has extensive experience in the application of various types of scanners and scanning techniques, as well as in image post-processing and various capturing software. Working in collaboration with UCSD Special Collections ensured her ability to handle rare and fragile objects, while simultaneously maintaining high digitization standards.

Welcome to UC Libraries, Sidney!

Visiting Librarian Yanli Liu Gave Her Final Presentation

Yanli Liu gave a presentation about data services and courses at the National Science Library, China Academy of Sciences

Yanli Liu and Amy Koshoffer co-taught a session for summer research students.

Hong Cheng, Ted Baldwin, Xuemao Wang, Yanli Liu, Leslie Schick at Yanli’s final presentation.

Yanli Liu, the visiting librarian from the National Science Library, Chinese Academy of Sciences completed her six-month period at the University of Cincinnati. Splitting time at the CEAS Library and the HSL Library, Yanli was involved in research data services, engineering librarianship, attending campus-wide workshops and webinars. On October 4th, she gave a final presentation about her two main projects: citation analysis of Mathematics and Physics researchers at UC and data management services survey and workshop.

 

Join UC Libraries at Books by the Banks Oct. 20

On Saturday, Oct. 20, the 12th annual Books by the Banks: Cincinnati USA Book Festival will take place downtown at Duke Energy Convention Center from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Once again, UC Libraries is an organizing partner of the literary event that allows readers to meet and greet favorite authors.

The day-long festival will feature over 150 regional and national authors, book signings, author panels and activities for the entire family to enjoy. All events are free and open to the public.

At the festival, attendees will have the opportunity to meet authors and to purchase signed copies of their books. Books by the Banks features writers in various categories, including fiction, non-fiction, cooking, children’s literature, local travel, sports and more. Nationally known authors such as Nick Bruel, Wil Haygood, Alice McDermott, Sara Paretsky and Jason Reynolds will join local favorites Sharon Draper, Will Hillenbrand and Thane Maynard to celebrate the joy and reading of books. Continue reading

Some Blowpipe Equipment : Notes from the Oesper Collections, No. 52, September/October 2018

A portable Berzelius oil lamp for blowpipe analysis. The additional ring and alcohol lamp could be used to evaporate mineral water samples for analysis.

A portable Berzelius oil lamp for blowpipe analysis. The additional ring and alcohol lamp could be used to evaporate mineral water samples for analysis.

Issue 52 highlights items in the Oesper Collections related to the practice and teaching of blowpipe analysis.

Click here for all other issues from the Oesper Collections and to explore the Jensen-Thomas Apparatus Collection.