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 College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services, and IT (CECH) celebrates Stress Less Week this semester Monday, March 10th– Friday, March 14th. This semester the focus is on YOU! Explore resources that allow you to empower yourself all week long at the CECH Library.
CECH Library Programming for Stress Less Week:
Visit CECH Student Services Center on Get Involved UC for a full list of events.
Rachel Hoople, CECH Library operations manager and student supervisor
Sometimes the hardest part about studying is staying focused. Whether you’re antsy or someone’s phone call is more interesting than tomorrow’s exam, focusing on school work can be a challenge.
CECH Library is building a new Study and Focus Tools Collection (SFTC) to debut in Fall 2025. Checkout two great opportunities to get a sneak-peak of the collection and play with some awesome fidgets!
Wednesday, March 12 (10am-12pm):
Get a first look at the collection. We’ll be tabling in the Teachers-Dyer Complex lobby (3rd floor).
Thursday, March 13 (1-4pm):
Come to the CECH Library and visit our Fidget Petting Zoo. A table will be set up near the MakerLab.
Wednesday, April 2
(3-5pm):
See our fidgets and study tools during the Tech & MakerLab Playground in CECH Library.
After doing research and surveying library users, CECH Library selected 20 items to support students’ focus and study habits – white noise machines, sound muffs, fidgets, and more! These items will be available for anyone in the UC community to use and checkout beginning Fall 2025.
–Madeleine Gaiser, CECH Library
Know of a good book to eat?! Create an Edible Book for UC Libraries International Edible Books Festival!
It’s time once again for the fan-favorite International Edible Books Festival scheduled for Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 11 a.m. on the 4th floor of the Walter C. Langsam Library. UC Libraries is seeking people interested in creating an edible book for the enjoyment of all in attendance. There are few restrictions – namely that your creation be edible and have something to do with a book – so you may let your creativity run wild.
As in previous years, entries will be judged according to such categories as “Most Delicious,” “Most Creative,” “Most Checked Out” and “Most Literary.” Those awarded “Best Student Entry” and “Best Overall” will win UC swag.
If you’re interested in creating an Edible Book, fill out the entry form Edible Books Entry by Tuesday, March 25. And if you’re looking for inspiration, visit The Facebook Album to see Edible Books from years past.
On Saturday, February 15, Don Jason, clinical informationist in the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library, represented the University of Cincinnati as a sponsor of the Heart of Northside Health Fair. This fair allowed community members to connect with approximately 15 different vendors. They were able to get screened for issues such as hypertension and diabetes, as well as receive educational materials and meet local healthcare providers.
The Heart of Northside Health Fair was organized by UC College of Medicine Faculty member, Florence Rothenberg. Rothenberg is a cardiologist who has been treating Cincinnati patients for almost 20 years. When the North Presbyterian Church dissolved and closed its doors, Rothenberg purchased the building in 2022 with the goal of creating a wellness center for patients who do not have as much access to the resources needed to maintain a healthy diet and exercise.
On display on the 5th floor lobby of the Walter C. Langsam Library through the end of spring semester, The Art of Bookplates features various bookplates found in the collections of the University of Cincinnati Libraries.
A bookplate, sometimes called an ex libris plate, is a label affixed inside a book to indicate ownership or to honor an individual, gift or collection fund.
UC Libraries has numerous bookplate designs to represent various collections, libraries, funds and gifts. In addition, some books in our collection include bookplates from other universities where they were housed before finding a home in UC. The exhibit showcases just some of the bookplates found throughout our libraries.
The Art of Bookplates was curated, designed and produced by Lexi Davis, design co-op student on the Communications Team. Want to learn more? A handout available at the exhibit includes an article by William Jensen tells more about bookplates found in UC Libraries Oesper Collection.
The University of Cincinnati Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room announce the next roster of poets for Poetry Stacked, a semi-regular poetry reading series held in the 6th floor east stacks of the Walter C. Langsam Library.
At the next event, scheduled for Wednesday, March 12 at 4:30pm, three poets will read their original work:
Last November, the University of Cincinnati Libraries announced the award of an Archives Grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to the Libraries’ Archives and Rare Books Library (ARB). This grant supports the archival processing of records related to the lawsuit Bronson v. Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Cincinnati maintained by the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and donated to the University of Cincinnati in the 1980s.
All achievements and accomplishments of the witnesses listed are current as of 1979, the year that the witnesses began giving depositions.
Our final spotlight of Black History Month is a well-known figure in Cincinnati’s history of civil rights and activism, Marian Spencer. Born in Gallipolis, Ohio in 1920, Marian Alexander was a graduate of Gallia Academy and went on to study English literature at the University of Cincinnati. During her time at the university, she was involved in campus life and was an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. While here, she also met her husband, Donald Spencer. After college, the couple settled down and had two sons, Donald and Edward.
Spencer’s sons were actually what sparked her passion for civil rights and equality. When the boys were young, they wanted to go to an event at Coney Island Amusement Park but were disappointed when they showed up and were escorted out because it was a segregated event. Spencer, along with 28 other witnesses filed a lawsuit and won the case to desegregate the park.
Following this event, Spencer dedicated herself to fighting for civil rights and equality in the Cincinnati area. She spent time as the NAACP Cincinnati Chapter president, served on Cincinnati’s City Council and was a representative of Ohio’s Democratic Party at a national level. Even more than this, Spencer was passionate about equality in education and played a pivotal role in the 1974 Bronson case, which was a catalyst in desegregating Cincinnati Public Schools. Other organizations Spencer worked with include Housing Opportunities Made Equal, Planned Parenthood, Cincinnati Human Services Task Force and the U.S. Civil Rights Commission Ohio Advisory Board.
You might recognize Marian Spencer’s name by the street that’s named after her downtown, the dormitory that’s named after her or perhaps by her well-known scholarship here at UC. To learn more about Marian Spencer’s life and work, visit the digital exhibit:
To see the full collection of Marian and Donald Spencer Papers, visit the University Archives at UC’s Archives and Rare Books Library.
Our second Black History Month spotlight goes to a pioneer of medicine in the Cincinnati area, Lucy Oxley – the first African American to graduate from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Lucy Oxley was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1912. During her childhood, her family moved to Cincinnati, as her father was named rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. As a young girl, Oxley looked up to three of her uncles who became doctors and knew early on that she wanted to be one too. She graduated early from Woodward High School and joined the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine’s six-year undergraduate and medical program.
During her time at UC, Oxley excelled, working hard to earn her spot in the group of top fifteen students who would have the chance to intern at General Hospital (UC Medical Center). However, she was refused an internship spot. When she questioned Dr. Alfred Friedlander about why she wasn’t given an internship, he said to her, “Lucy, you are a negro, and we don’t want you.” Oxley replied, “Well Dr. Friedlander, I wouldn’t change that for anything.” Rising above the prejudice, she went on to complete her internship at Freedmen’s Hospital in Washington, DC, and returned to Cincinnati to join her classmates for graduation on June 5, 1936.
After graduation, Oxley became a medical director for student wellness at Bennett College in North Carolina, and then Wilberforce College here in Ohio. Following that, she had a daughter, Francine, and returned to Cincinnati where she started her general practice. In 1945 she began working in cancer research alongside fellow UC grad, George Sperti. A few years later she returned to full-time practice in family medicine where she cared for thousands of patients and families.
Later in life, Oxley was diagnosed with lung cancer but continued to treat patients up until her passing in 1991. She is remembered today for her dedication to those she cared for and for paving the way for young African Americans who aim to make a difference in the medical field just as she did.
To learn more about Lucy Oxley’s life and contributions to the world of medicine, visit the Source newsletter link: https://libapps.libraries.uc.edu/source/lucy-oxley-md-a-pioneer-and-servant-leader/
Or watch Drs. Felson and Goodman interview Dr. Oxley as part of the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions Oral History Series. https://uclid-uc-edu.uc.idm.oclc.org/record=b1410475