Today the Archives and Rare Books Library is highlighting one of our German-Americana Collections, the Alfred Gong papers. The finding aid can be viewed online at the Alfred Gong papers.
Alfred Gong (1920-1981)
Gong, who was named Alfred Liquornik at birth, was born on August 14, 1920, in Chernivtsi, Romania (which is now part of the Ukraine) and attended the University of Chernivtsi. His education was cut short due to Soviet and then German occupation during World War II in which he was forced into the Jewish ghetto established in Chernivtsi and later the ghetto in Mogilev-Podolsk. Gong spent 1941-1944 in forced labor camps before he was able to escape to Bucharest, Romania, with forged papers. In 1946, he moved to Vienna, Austria, and finished his education at the University of Vienna. While in Vienna, Gong organized poetry readings and published poetry in newspapers.
Congratulations on the publication of your new book! How has your research practice in and around libraries and archives evolved since you were a student? Were there particular classes or opportunities during your time at NKU that prepared you for undertaking the research for this book?
Since writing my debut book, I have actually taken a position as a Programmer in the Local History and Genealogy Department at the Kenton County Public Library. That experience has significantly expanded both the resources available to me and my understanding of how to use them. I now have access to historical maps, city directories, county histories, and other reference materials that have helped me uncover stories that might otherwise have remained hidden. Through the library’s resources, including Ancestry, I have also improved my ability to locate vital records and trace individuals through historical documents.
My degree is in Public History, and of all the courses I took at NKU, I would say my archives class prepared me the most for researching and writing this book. It taught me how to navigate archival collections, evaluate primary sources, and piece together fragmented stories from incomplete records. Those skills proved invaluable when researching LGBTQ+ history, where sources are often scattered, hidden, or difficult to identify. More broadly, NKU taught me how historians think—how to ask questions, follow evidence, and remain comfortable with ambiguity when the historical record is incomplete.
UC Libraries would like to welcome Kiersten Linkey as the Coordinator for the Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry. In this role, Kiersten will be primarily responsible for all aspects of museum operations, including public services, daily operations, project support and care for various collections. In addition, she will provide general support and backup at the Science Library. Kiersten’s role will eventually play a part in helping the Oesper Museum maintain regular operating hours – a key to growing impact and awareness for its various collections.
Kiersten graduated from Miami University in 2024 with a bachelor’s in History. During her time there, she worked at the Walter Havighurst Special Collections Library, where she discovered her passion for library work. After graduating, she went on to become a Collections Librarian at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museum in Fremont, Ohio. Additionally, she is pursuing her MLIS degree from Indiana University Indianapolis and is currently nearing completion. In her free time, she loves to read, go on runs and visit local ice cream parlors.
The Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library (HSL) is pleased to announce an exciting new resource, MedOne Neurosurgery, produced by Thieme. This dynamic platform offers leading neurosurgical content designed to stimulate deep learning and to enhance teaching and clinical practice in neurosurgery and spine surgery.
Image of an angiogram with pre- and postoperative views of an internal carotid artery anterior wall aneurysm.
With a single search interface, MedOne Neurosurgery offers access to multimedia, including more than 100,000 images, 2,000+ procedural videos, board review questions, full-text eJournals, eBooks and much more, all from one intuitive interface. Users can create and customize “playlists” of their favorite content, including presentation files that can be easily shared.
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.
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.
Fabricated citations have increased dramatically recently and have sparked debates about how to address this problem within scholarly publishing. When these citations are discovered, those articles frequently get retracted. However, there is a time lag.
So what’s a librarian or researcher to do? How can we keep retracted articles out of our literature searches?
Rate of fabricated references per 10 000 papers in PubMed Central January, 2023- February, 2026, as cited in Topaz M et al. (2026) The Lancet, 407, 1779-1781
At this year’s Medical Library Association conference, I learned about a strategy in a paper session entitled, “Identifying Retractions in Systematic Review Searching” by Caitlin J. Bakker et al. In their presentation, the authors describe a multistep process to identify retracted papers using the citation manager Zotero and the LibKey Nomad browser extension paired with Covidence, the systematic review screening software.
Image of a retracted citation flagged in Zotero, from zotero.org
Zotero has a built-in feature, which automatically flags retracted articles at the item level using data from Retraction Watch. The presenters recommend running database searches and importing citations first into Zotero, followed by Covidence during title and abstract screening. They use this process first at the outset; again prior to data extraction and finally, before submitting manuscripts for publication.
UC Libraries would like to welcome Charli Muszynski to the Operations and User Services Team as the Student Outreach Coordinator. In this role, Charli will be responsible for generating ideas for and orchestrating innovative events and programming that demonstrate the value of the libraries to users and stakeholders. She will have a leading role in orientation, Welcome Week, exam weeks, and other popular UCL standards. In addition, she will be part of the operations and services team that keeps Langsam Library open and operating.
Charli comes to us from Miami University, where she worked as the Assistant Director in the Office of Student Wellness. There, she led campus-wide programming surrounding mental health and worked with peer educators to curate and disseminate information and resources to students. Before her time at Miami, she earned bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Theater Arts from Duquesne University, and a Master’s in Health Education from Penn State University. Charli is looking forward to helping students engage with the many resources and opportunities available through UC Libraries and hopes to provide moments of connection and joy for the students and staff.
In the early 20th century the excellence of the Bar-Ray Products Company and the Kelley-Koett Manufacturing Company gave Covington, Kentucky the distinction as “X-Ray City”. While they were independent enterprises, these two Covington-based companies were instrumental in their influence on early radiology science, medical imaging, and the manufacture of radiation protective equipment.
Bar-Ray Products Company X-ray Stitching Stand, circa 1940s and Kelley-Koett Manufacturing Company X-ray machine, circa 1920 on display at the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions.
The Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions installed an exhibit of a Bar-Ray Products Company X-Ray Stitching Stand (circa 1940s) and a Kelley-Koett Manufacturing Company X-Ray Machine (circa 1920). The radiology equipment was utilized at the Cincinnati General Hospital. The X-Ray Stitching Stand was accessioned with an attached document of operator instructions.
Informational brochure, undated. From the Center for Peace Education records at the Archives and Rare Books Library
For 30 years Cincinnati and suburban school children were given the opportunity to learn about peer mediation, conflict management, cooperative discipline, bias awareness, and diversity through the efforts of the non-profit organization Center for Peace Education.
The Archives and Rare Books Library is excited to announce that the Center for Peace Education (CPE) finding aid is now available to view online at the Center for Peace Education records.
