In celebration of Independence Day on Saturday, July 4, UC Libraries will be closed on Friday, July 3. Normal hours for all library locations will resume on Monday, July 6.
We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.
Category Archives: Preservation Lab
Read Source to learn about the news, events, people and happenings of UC Libraries
Read Source, the online newsletter, to learn about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries.
In this issue of Source, Liz Kiscaden, dean and university librarian, looks back at the accomplishments of the most recent academic year while also looking head to the fall semester. We celebrate the many accomplishments of the UC Libraries faculty and staff, the 2026 UC Open Research Day and announce the 2026 Zero Textbook Cost Grant cohort. Two collections are highlighted in this issue: The Werner H. Von Rosentiel papers and the Oesper History of Chemistry collection while the Winkler Center display illuminates Covington, Kentucky as the “X-Ray City.” This issue of Source concludes with a year in photos.
Read these articles, as well as past issues, on the website. To receive Source via e-mail, contact melissa.norris@uc.edu to be added to the mailing list.
UC Libraries closed for Juneteenth
The Preservation Lab will display “Preservation of all shapes and sizes” at their annual open house Thursday, April 30
Join us for the Annual Preservation Lab Open House, Thursday, April 30, 2-4pm, 300 level of the Walter Langsam Library. “Preservation of all shapes and sizes” will include tours of the lab, demonstrations of projects and treatments, cookies, bookmarks and stickers!
Want a sneak peek of the work of the Preservation Lab? Stop by Langsam Library’s 4th floor on Tuesday, April 21, 10-11:30am and Thursday, April 23, 2-3:30pm to learn about housing complex materials and relax with a hands-on activity.
Formed in 2012, the Preservation Lab is a book and paper conservation lab. The Preservation Lab provides the full suite of preservation services to the University of Cincinnati Libraries and, for a fee, to other cultural heritage institutions. The Preservation Lab’s expertise is in book and paper conservation, with services available in general circulating materials repair, single-item conservation treatment, housing, exhibition prep, and preservation consulting.
The Preservation Lab Open House is free and open to all to attend. Those driving to campus can park in the Woodside Drive/Library Garage or Campus Green Garage off of Martin Luther King Drive.
Learning 3D imaging in the Preservation Lab
On a cold, snowy Friday at the end of the semester,The Preservation Lab hosted a 3D imaging workshop where two professors from UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning (DAAP) taught 3D imaging techniques to a small group of imaging colleagues from Ohio and Michigan labs.
The instructors, Jordan Tate and John-David Richardson, both teach photography in DAAP. Previously, Jordan cross-collaborated with Jessica Ebert from the Preservation Lab on imaging the Assyrian Cornerstone, found in the collection of the Archives and Rare Books Library. Jordan demonstrated 3D imaging techniques and Jessica demonstrated how to do Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI).
Participants in the Friday, Dec.12th workshop were:
- Jessica Ebert – UC Libraries, Preservation Lab
- Catarina Figueirinhas – UC Libraries, Preservation Lab
- Erin Wilson – Ohio University Libraries, Preservation & Digital Initiatives
- Matt Carissimi – The Ohio State University Libraries, Digitization
- Sidney Gao – UC Libraries, Digital Initiatives Team
- Biz Gallo – Library of Michigan, Digitization Initiatives
- Dustin Wood – New South Associates/Veterans Affairs History Office (Dayton), Digital Archives & Museum Imaging Specialist
The object photographed came from the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions.
The Yoruba, Luba or Luluwa/Lulua Statue (circa 1800—1900) was presented by “the Interns & Residents Wives Club, 1974” to the University of Cincinnati Hospital. The statue’s distinct shapes and facial features match most closely to the sculpture style of the Yoruba, Luba or Luluwa/Lulua. The figure appears to be working with a mortar and pestle, and was made for sale, rather than ceremonial or cultural use.
The Preservation Lab provides the full suite of preservation services to the University of Cincinnati Libraries. The Lab’s expertise is in book and paper conservation, with services available in general circulating materials repair, single-item conservation treatment, housing, exhibition prep and preservation consulting.
The use of 3D imaging in preservation is crucial as it creates an accurate visual record of an object before and after treatment. It allows conservators to examine often fragile objects in close detail without touching, and possibly damaging, the structure. In addition, 3D imaging provides a visual record for students and researchers to view and study.
UC Libraries launches a Youtube channel
We are happy to share that UC Libraries now has a Youtube channel. The platform is the home for more long-form content, including Library Get-to-Knows, Poetry Stacked videos and segments surrounding special exhibits and collections.
The newest project we are excited to share is a video on the Daniel S. Young Civil War Medical Illustrations. Devhra BennettJones, Dr. Kris Ramprasad, Sean Crowe and Sidney Gao have kindly shared their perspectives on what it was like to process and digitize the collection. In addition, they shared about the impact the illustrations have had both in the medical and academic communities.
Check out the video at the link: https://youtu.be/clBtdAjzoBA?si=-1Z-8CSEnINPYKog
Read Source, the online newsletter, to learn about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries.
Read Source, the online newsletter, to learn about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries.
In this issue of Source, Liz Kiscaden, dean and university librarian, welcomes Bearcats to campus and we highlight what we did over the summer. We announce a new digital collection, The Daniel S. Young Archives of Medical Illustrations, as well as a collaboration to digitize rare manuscripts. We invite readers to the upcoming Cecil Striker Annual Lecture, “Pharmacy Education in the Queen City,” and to learn more about other Library Events. Chris Platts, assistant professor of art history and frequent collaborator with the Libraries, talks about some of his projects and research interests. And Katie Foran-Mulcahy writes about efforts to re-make the MakerLab in the CECH Library.
Read these articles, as well as past issues, on the website. To receive Source via e-mail, contact melissa.norris@uc.edu to be added to the mailing list.
Silent no more. PBS’s “The Art Show” to feature Theda Bara, Archives & Rare Books and The Preservation Lab
Theda Bara, born Theodosia Burr Goodman on July 29, 1885 to a local Jewish family, attended the University of Cincinnati from 1906-1908 before leaving to pursue an acting career. Bara became one of the biggest stars of the silent film era making 40 films between 1914 and 1926. Her femme fatale roles earned her the nickname “The Vamp.”
While most of the films Theda Bara starred in were destroyed in a studio fire, her name lives on at UC with the T. Everett Harré Manuscript on Theda Bara, which is housed in the Archives and Rare Books Library.
This weekend’s episode of CET and ThinkTV’s “The Art Show” will feature Theda Bara and the manuscript in Archives and Rare Books. View it Saturday, May 17 at 6pm on CET or Sunday, May 18 at 5:30pm on Dayton’s ThinkTV. It will also appear on the PBS App and is currently viewable on YouTube.
Included in the episode, Chris Harter, university archivist and head of the Archives and Rare Books Library, talks about the 450-page typewritten manuscript that documents Bara’s life. It was intended to be a memoir ghostwritten in collaboration with Bara, but was never published. Holly Prochaska, preservation librarian and head of the Preservation Lab, talks about how they worked to ensure that the manuscript and letters between Bara and Harré are protected and will remain available for study and research long into the future, thus cementing Theda Bara’s legacy.
The Preservation Lab presents “More than Conservation” Thursday, May 1
Join us for the Annual Preservation Lab Open House, Thursday, May 1, 2-4pm, 3rd floor Langsam Library. “More than Conservation” will include tours of the lab, demonstrations of projects and treatments, cookies, bookmarks, and stickers!
Want a sneak peek of the work of the Preservation Lab? Stop by Langsam Library’s 4th floor to learn about artist’s books and book arts, Tuesday, April 15, 2-3:30pm; and Thursday, April 17, 10:30am-noon to learn about the anatomy of a book.
Formed in 2012, the Preservation Lab is a book and paper conservation lab. The Preservation Lab provides the full suite of preservation services to the University of Cincinnati Libraries and, for a fee, to other cultural heritage institutions. The Preservation Lab’s expertise is in book and paper conservation, with services available in general circulating materials repair, single-item conservation treatment, housing, exhibition prep, and preservation consulting.
Read Source, the online newsletter, to learn about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries.
Read Source, the online newsletter, to learn about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries.
In this issue of Source, Liz Kiscaden, dean and university librarian, writes about how UC Libraries is taking advantage of funding opportunities to Invest in Strategic Priorities. The Archives and Rare Books Library announces receipt of a national grant to process historic Cincinnati schools desegregation case records.The Carl Solway Gallery Archive in the Robert A. Deshon and Karl J. Schlachter Library for Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) Library is featured. Ted Baldwin, head of the Sciences Libraries, writes about how the razing of the iconic Crosley Tower will necessitate the move of the current Chemistry-Biology Library space to Braunstein Hall where it will merge with the Geology-Mathematics-Physics Library to become the Science Library opening fall semester.
Beginning in 2025, the Preservation Lab expanded its mission to provide expertise and services to the larger cultural heritage community, moving to a regional lab model. Under this new model, the Preservation Lab is now entirely managed, staffed and equipped by the University of Cincinnati. Two articles: Re-introducing the Preservation Lab and Exploring Historical Bindings: A Hands-On Workshop at UC’s Archives and Rare Books Library celebrate the Preservation Lab. Open Access publishing opportunities are discussed in this issue and upcoming Library Events are listed.
Read these articles, as well as past issues, on the website. To receive Source via e-mail, contact melissa.norris@uc.edu to be added to the mailing list.