Due to inclement weather, the University of Cincinnati campus will close from 7 a.m. Dec. 2, 2025, until 7 a.m. on Dec. 3, 2025. This closure applies to all UC Libraries locations except for the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library, which will be open Tuesday, Dec. 2 from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m.
When William B. Jensen (1948-2024), the Ralph E. Oesper Professor of the History of Chemistry at the University of Cincinnati from 1986-2024, was a student at the University of Madison-Wisconsin taking the History of Chemistry class, he sketched caricatures of the chemists he was learning about. While Aaron Ihde lectured, Jensen would select a chemist and caricature them based on the portraits found in Ihde’s textbook, “The Development of Modern Chemistry” (1964).
Now available online via JSTOR, the UC Libraries online collection contains the 33 original, hand-drawn caricatures of notable chemists and physicists Jensen penned between 1970 and 1974. They are held by the Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry. The collection was scanned and digitized by the UC Libraries Digital Initiatives Team.
Throughout the years, Jensen would submit the caricatures to appear in scientific journals and publications, and reported that there was interest in reproducing them on t-shirts, coffee mugs and even an album cover. Jensen eventually published the caricatures in a 2010 booklet, “Chymists: That strange class of of mortals: Caricatures of famous chemists with a few physicists and biologists,” which was recently published digitally.
Upon Jensen’s death in 2024, the collection was acquired by the Oesper Collection in April 2025.
The Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry is a nationally recognized collection of scientific artifacts, books, journals, photos and prints related to the history of chemistry. They are a joint venture of the University of Cincinnati Libraries and the UC Department of Chemistry. They were founded in 1986 by William B. Jensen.
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.
The University of Cincinnati Libraries is launching a new series of workshops focused on systematic reviews where researchers can work through the review process with the support of our experienced librarians.
Systematic reviews are large projects that are rigorous, multi-faceted, and lengthy undertakings. We have designed these workshops to be accessed as a series or independently so that researchers can tailor their learning to their current progress from research question to publication.
If you are interested in conducting a systematic review or other type of comprehensive review, join us for one or more of the workshops by registering on Faculty OneStop.
Summer is here and that means the Undergraduate Research Summer Learning Community (URSLC)has begun. The kick-off session, held June 4th on the 4th Floor of Langsam brought together students from 55 different research areas for networking and community. The students discussed their research interests and upcoming opportunities over wonderful food featuring egg bake, potatoes, and homemade pastries provided by local business and award winning Pierre Entities Catering.
After an overview of the program, Graduate Students and Presidential Fellows Adair McWilliams (Epidemiology), Damilola Odula (Philosophy), and Henry Levesque (Regional and Urban Planning) provided insight into their early days of research and how they thrive in the research environment. Research results in new knowledge, innovations and improved lives and requires a love of exploring the unknown, perseverance, passion, and embracing both failure and success. The graduate students encouraged the audience to dive into the passion, make time for processing information, and especially to make sure they also take care of themselves through the research experience.
The community meets Wednesdays in June and July from 9:30 to 11 am both in-person and via zoom. The upcoming sessions will cover mentorship, data management, ethics, ownership, presentations and research methods. If you are interested to participate, you can still register. More information can be found on the UC Libraries website.
The URSLC is sponsored by UC Libraries and in collaboration with the TRIO McNair Scholars, University Honors Discover program, NSF Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation, and CCPS Undergraduate Research Program. The program is free and open to any undergraduate interested in research.
UC Libraries welcomes Debal Chen, PhD student in Geography & GIS as our new GIS research consultant.
Debao is a PhD candidate in Geography at the University of Cincinnati. Originally from Hunan province, China, he earned his master’s degree in Human Geography from Guangzhou University. His research focuses on crime geography and spatial analysis of crime, with particular interests in the dynamics between gentrification, Google Street View imagery, and the life cycles of urban retail stores.
Also, Debao has published in several peer-reviewed journals, including Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, Applied Geography, and Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. As a GIS Collab consultant, he looks forward to supporting others while continuing to expand his analytical toolkit in GIS-related analysis.
Check out his ORCID and Google Scholar profiles
The Data & GIS collab is now located in 460 Langsam due to renovations in the new Science Library.
Debao’s hours will be
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.
Most University of Cincinnati Libraries locations have reduced hours for Spring Break, March 15-23. Check the library website for a list of hours by location.
Have a safe and rejuvenating Spring Break, Bearcats!
The University of Cincinnati Libraries will be closed Monday, Jan. 20 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The Libraries will resume normal hours on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
This Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we invite you to join the Libraries Racial Equity, Support & Programming to Educate the Community Team (RESPECT) in commemorating this civil rights legend by checking out these library resources. In addition, just when you thought you knew everything there was to know about Martin Luther King, Jr., History.com has compiled a list of 10 surprising facts that you probably didn’t know. For example, Martin Luther King, entered Morehouse College at the tender age of only 15!
In the spring of 2024, June Taylor-Slaughter, research and services specialist in the Science & Engineering Libraries, was working the UC Libraries help-line chat when author D. B. Borton asked an out of the ordinary question.
Borton attended UC in the 1980’s and wanted to use Langsam Library as a setting for a mystery novel she was writing. Unable to recall information about the library carrels, she used Library Chat for answers. Barton said she wasn’t sure if anyone would be able to assist her. Coincidentally, June told her that she was also a student at that time working in Langsam Library. She was able to provide Borton with exactly the details she needed to include in her book. Borton was so grateful and told her she’d send her a copy.
After not thinking about the instance for a while, June was pleasantly surprised one day when she received a copy of Borton’s finished novel along with a hand-written thank-you note – and on the third page of the book, a special acknowledgment.
When asked about the acknowledgment, June said, “It was the best reward from working Library chat. You can help someone with the smallest thing, but you don’t know how much it’s appreciated until it’s acknowledged, so I am humbly grateful. This acknowledgment wasn’t just for me, but also for UC Libraries. I’m really looking forward to reading this book!”
