Category Archives: UCBA News

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Design the UCBA Library’s National Library Week Button

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Button Contest Graphic

Create the winning design for our National Library Week buttons and win a $30 UC Bookstore Gift certificate and bragging rights!

Design a 2.25 inch button. Guidelines and templates can be found on the Button Design Contest page. Design submissions will be accepted from March 5 – March 30, 2018. Submit final designs in PDF or JPG format to: ucbalibrary@ucblueash.edu.

The winning design will be determined using a blind submission and voting process among the UCBA Library Team.  Voting team members will not be aware of the students responsible for the button designs during the voting process. The winner will be notified on Monday, April 2, 2018.

Ohio Supercomputer Center to Provide Two Workshops on Resources

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Posted on behalf of Jane Combs

Associate Director, IT@UC Research & Development University of Cincinnati

The Ohio Supercomputer Center will offer two workshops on its resources and how to use them Tuesday March 13, on both East and West campuses.
IT@UC Research & Development will be hosting the Ohio Supercomputer Center for two workshops on Tuesday, March 13. The morning workshop will provide an introduction to the Ohio Supercomputer Center resources and how to use them. In the afternoon, the workshop will cover Big Data Analytics and Spark.

The Ohio Supercomputer Center, headquartered in Columbus, partners with Ohio researchers to develop proposals to funding organizations and is the state’s leading strategic research group.

The morning session will take place on West Campus, Langsam Library, room 475 from 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. The afternoon session will take place on East Campus in MSBRCV, E602 from 1:30 – 4 p.m. Laptops are needed if attendees want to participate in the hands-on portions of the sessions.

Workshops are open to anyone interested in learning about OSC services and those who want to use their accounts more efficiently; this is a great opportunity to ask any questions you have about performing your computational research on our systems. There are no prerequisites for attending.

 Morning topics include:

  • High performance computing concepts
  • Hardware and software available at OSC
  • Storage and file systems
  • How to start a new project and request resources
  • How to use our web portal OnDemand
  • Introduction to batch processing

Afternoon topics will include:

  • Introduction to Big Data
  • Data analytics at OSC
  • Running Hadoop and Spark at OSC

Register HERE

For additional information, contact Jane Combs at combsje@uc.edu.

2018_313 OSC Workshop Flier-UC

From the Desk of…Christian Boyles

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Christian Boyles, Collection Services Manager, UCBA Library.

Welcome to my desk, I hope you like it.  Up until a few months ago, my space was pretty barren.  That all changed when a co-worker told me that I “needed more $h!t in my area.”  I hope I rose to the occasion.

 

The UCBA Library’s Book of the Month

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by Christian Boyles

February 2018

A History of the United States in Five Crashes book cover

A History of the United States in Five Crashes
HB3722 .N39 2017

About the Book

In this absorbing, smart, and accessible blend of economic and cultural history, Scott Nations, a longtime trader, financial engineer, and CNBC contributor, takes us on a journey through the five significant stock market crashes in the past century to reveal how they defined the United States today.

The stories behind the great crashes are filled with drama, human foibles, and heroic rescues. Taken together they tell the larger story of a nation reaching enormous heights of financial power while experiencing precipitous dips that alter and reset a market where millions of Americans invest their savings, and on which they depend for their futures. Scott Nations vividly shows how each of these major crashes played a role in America’s political and cultural fabric, each providing painful lessons that have strengthened us and helped us to build the nation we know today.

A History of the United States in Five Crashes clearly and compellingly illustrates the connections between these major financial collapses and examines the solid, clear-cut lessons they offer for preventing the next one.

Is it checked out?  Don’t worry about it.  Here are some other titles on the subject.

Inside JobInside Job DVD cover (DVD) HB3722 .I57 2011: Provides an analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost of over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research, and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia.

Booms and Busts book coverBooms and Busts: an encyclopedia of economic history from Tulipmania of the 1630s to the global financial crisis of the 21st century. (ebook): This authoritative set explores three centuries of good times and hard times in major economies throughout the world. More than 400 signed articles cover events from Tulipmania during the 1630s to the U.S. federal stimulus package of 2009, and introduce readers to underlying concepts, recurring themes, major institutions, and notable figures. Written in a clear, accessible style, “Booms and Busts” provides vital insight and perspective for students, teachers, librarians, and the general public – anyone interested in understanding the historical precedents, causes, and effects of the global economic crisis. 

After the Music Stopped book coverAfter the music stopped: the financial crisis, the response, and the work ahead. HB3717 2008 .B55 2013: Many fine books on the financial crisis were first drafts of history–books written quickly to fill the need for immediate understanding. Alan S. Blinder, former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, takes the time to understand the crisis and create a truly comprehensive and coherent narrative of how the worst economic crisis in postwar American history happened, what the government did to fight it, and what we must do from here–mired as we still are in its wreckage. Blinder shows how the U.S. financial system, grown far too complex for its own good–and too unregulated for the public good–experienced a perfect storm beginning in 2007. When America’s financial structure crumbled, the damage proved to be not only deep, but wide. It took the crisis for the world to discover, to its horror, just how truly interconnected–and fragile–the global financial system is. Blinder offers clear-eyed answers to the questions still before us, even if some of the choices ahead are as divisive as they are unavoidable.

Now on Display for Black History Month and the African American Read In

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The UCBA Library has two displays running for the month of February: the African American Read In display (located at the entrance of the library) and the Black History Month display (located near the print station). Both displays will be available through February 28th.

Titles from the African American Read-In display can be used for the college sponsored Read-In event scheduled for Thursday, Febuary 8, 2018 from 12:30pm-1:45pm in the Audiotorium lobby. Read In events are held nationally during Black History Month and highlights African American authors. A full list of titles can be browsed online on the National African American Read In Guide along with information on how to volunteer as a reader.

Black History Month Poster

 

 

 

 

Black History Month Display

UCBA Library Presents UC Press Brown Bag

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Liz Scarpelli

Liz Scarpelli, UC Press Director, will be at UCBA to give an overview of the UC Press, its current initiatives and to take questions about the Press. Also, joining Liz via Skype will be the new UC Press Acquisitions Director, Michael Duckworth.

When: Thursday, February 22 from 12p-1p
Where: Learning & Teaching Center (Muntz 117)

 

Bookish Travels

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by Christian Boyles, Michelle McKinney and Kellie Tilton

UCBA Library staff and faculty, Christian Boyles (Collections Services Manager), Michelle McKinney (Reference and Web Services Librarian) and Kellie Tilton (Instructional Technologies Librarian) hit the road and visited a few bookish places over the holiday season. Click on the images to get a better view of the photos.

Christian Boyles / Washington DC / Library of Congress: In December, the missus and I went to DC for her birthday.  Along with visiting many great Smithsonian museums, walking a gazillion miles, seeing grand architecture, priceless works of art and ephemera and the new Star Wars film, we went to the Library of Congress.  For someone who has worked in libraries for a gazillion years, going there felt like what going to the Vatican must feel like to a Catholic.

The building itself is an amazing and imposing structure designed in the Beaux-Arts style with a bonkers fountain out front featuring the Roman god Neptune, some sea monsters and a bunch of naked people riding what I guess are horse snakes.  What that has to do with literature and the centralized housing of knowledge was lost on me.  Inside is no less impressive.  Walking in, I was legitimately awestruck by the LOC’s grandeur.  Imagine if St. Peter’s Cathedral and some enlightenment era French king’s home had a baby and you’re still nowhere close to how awesome it is.  Probably the crown jewel of the place is the reading room. Housed under a dome, it is a masterpiece of archetecture featuring arched stained glass windows, semetrical study carrells, Corinthian columns, and statues of some of the great minds in religion, poetry, commerce, philosophy, etc.  Just looking in on that, I’m pretty sure I felt my IQ nudge up a couple points.  Throughout the building, there were displays of ancient manuscripts going back hundreds and thousands of years.

Unfortunately, we were running short on time, so we couldn’t take the tour.  But, we did manage to check out a very cool exhibit on the American experience of World War 1.  In a perfect world, I would have spent a day, if not more, discovering all the cool features and offerings.  Insider tip: if you’re in DC and are having a sugar crash, the LOC’s vending machines are very comprehensive and cheap.

Michelle McKinney / Louisville, KY / Wild Fig Coffee & Books: In early January, I treated my husband to a quick trip to Lexington for his birthday. Before heading back home, I discovered a bookstore just down the street from where we were having breakfast. Wild Fig Coffee & Books is located near UK’s campus and is owned by award-winning author, Crystal Wilkinson. The independent bookstore has an eclectic selection of new and old books, including a wide range of graphic novels. Wild Fig also carries a variety of bookish and feminist gifts such as mugs, socks and greeting cards. The coffee is pretty tasty too!

Kellie Tilton: On Christmas Day, 2017, a friend from college and I hopped the pond to begin an epic two week, three country excursion that was kick started because we snagged tickets to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II in the West End. With our tickets falling in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, we decided to make the most of the time frame.

We spent a handful of days in London – mostly in pursuit in all the Harry Potter-related attractions London had to offer – then it was up to Edinburgh, Scotland to bring in the New Year with their Hogmanay celebrations. We made a quick trip across the Channel via the Chunnel to have a gandar at Paris (and basically eat a million croissants) before landing back in London to spend one more weekend catching the things we missed the first time.

Highlights of this adventure include, but are not limited to, The Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour, The British Library (and it’s History of Magic exhibition in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone publishing), the play (obviously), Hogmanay, Kensington Palace, and the Paris Catacombs. I brought back four new editions for my Harry Potter in Translation Collection. It just goes to show, your literary loves will provide ample reasons to travel the world!

UCBA Library Closed for Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

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by Elizabeth Sullivan

closed signThe UCBA Library will be closed Monday, January 15th in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  We will resume our regular Spring Semester hours on Tuesday, January 16th at 7:30 am.  Please visit our hours webpage to view all UCBA Library hours, including holidays and any exceptions to our regular schedule.

UCBA Library Participates in a Successful Spread the Warmth Drive

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by Heather Maloney

Heather Maloney (left), Director of the UCBA Library and Jen Ellis, Associate Professor of Nursing, pose with items collected for the Spread the Warmth Drive.

Thank you to all who generously donated new and gently used coats, hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, and even blankets to support our UCBA Cares – Spread the Warmth Drive 2017. We collected over 148 items and donated them this week to the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition. Our donations will help make this winter and the holiday season a lot warmer for so many who are truly in need!

The Spread the Warmth Drive was sponsored and coordinated by the UCBA Library and Student Nursing Association.