Category Archives: UC Libraries

50 Minutes-1 Book

Posted on by

By Kevin Grace

Drawing from Don QuixoteThe next “50 Minutes-1Book” lunchtime talk in the Archives & Rare Books Library will be Thursday, January 19, at noon.  Jerry Newman has graciously agreed to talk about his favorite book, Don Quixote.  Originally published in two volumes a decade apart,  in 1605 and 1615, El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha (The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha), is one of the cornerstones of Western literature.  Jerry has spent decades exploring Miguel de Cervantes’ masterpiece, reading and re-reading it, and studying its history.  His informal talk will look at the novel as a cultural event and its lasting influence.  He’ll discuss the personalities and relationship of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, as well as the book’s publication history, some of the unusual and unique attributes of it, as well as the lasting fame and adventures of Don Quixote’s characters, and their influence in Western culture. Continue reading →

The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: Prisoner Volunteer Based Research – The New Jersey State Prison Experiment

Posted on by
The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: Prisoner Volunteer Based Research – The New Jersey State Prison Experiment

Copy of certificate given to experiment volunteers, August 31, 1944.

By Megan Ryan, Sabin Project Student Assistant

In the post-World War II years, the experimental side of Dr. Sabin’s work relied upon prisoner research for development. The role of prisoner volunteer-based research was extremely relevant in the development of modern medicine in the late-1940’s and early-1950’s in the United States. Notably occurring right in the midst of this trend was Dr. Sabin’s New Jersey State Prison experiment in the 1940’s on sandfly and dengue fever. Continue reading →

The End of the World? December 17, 1919?

Posted on by

While perusing the Cincinnati Observatory records, I ran into this time-sensitive letter from Mrytle Riley of the Western Electric Company in Cincinnati, which seems very appropriate for this apocalyptic year.  (If you haven’t heard, according to the Mayans, the world is supposed to end in 2012.  For more information, read an explanation in UC Magazine.)    Mrytle Riley had heard that the world was going to end on December 17, 1919 and contacted the observatory to find out if this was true. Continue reading →

The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: Happy (Belated) Anniversary, March of Dimes!

Posted on by
The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: Happy (Belated) Anniversary, March of Dimes!

Invitation to Dr. Sabin's Bela Schick Lecture, 1944. This can be found in Series 3 – Manuscripts, Box 6, Folder 2 – Correspondence, photos, draft, 1944.

On Tuesday, January 3rd, I read a tweet from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which said:

“On this day in 1938 @marchofdimes was founded by #FDR to combat #polio!”

In honor of the anniversary of the founding of the March of Dimes, here are a couple more things in the Sabin collection that highlight some of Dr. Sabin’s research he conducted with aid from the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (NFIP). (You may recall from an earlier blog post that the NFIP later changed its name to the March of Dimes.)

In May 1944, Dr. Sabin gave the Bela Schick lecture called, “Studies on the Natural History of Poliomyelitis” at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. (For your information, Dr. Bela Schick was the developer of the Schick immunity test, which helped to determine if someone was susceptible to diphtheria. In 1923, he became director of the Department of Pediatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital.*) This lectureship was established by Dr. Schick’s friends and colleagues after his retirement, and Dr. Sabin was invited to give the 2nd annual lecture. Dr. Sabin was contacted by Dr. Murray Bass to give a report on “virus studies, especially in connection with poliomyelitis.”[1] Of course, Dr. Sabin accepted, after he made sure that he would be in the country at the time. When contacted about a dinner prior to the lecture, he suggested that NFIP notables Mr. Basil O’Connor (President) and Dr. Don W. Gudakunst (Medical Director) be invited as well.[2] Continue reading →

Cincinnati Looks to the Skies: The Cincinnati Observatory Records and the Paul Herget papers

Posted on by

The Cincinnati Observatory is a local historical treasure and holds what was once one of the world’s largest telescopes.  Throughout its history, the observatory has served as a source of weather forecasts, official Cincinnati time, and a site of scientific discovery.  It also has a long connection with the University of Cincinnati.  The Archives and Rare Books Library holds many observatory records along with the papers of long-time director Paul Herget.

Observatory Buildings

The Cincinnati Observatory in Mt. Lookout, 1943

Continue reading →

Notice: Archives and Rare Books Library Renovation

Posted on by

By Kevin Grace

Notice: On January 9, the Archives & Rare Books Library will begin moving our offices and reference/reading room to the north end of the 8th floor in Carl Blegen Library in Room 814.  This move will allow the final phase of renovation of the Archives & Rare Books Library through a grant from the Schott Foundation.

Two years ago, the north end of the floor was renovated with fresh paint, new carpeting, creation of the Marge Schott Seminar Room, a small book arts room, and exhibit cases.  This final phase on the south end will also see fresh paint and new carpeting, and the relocation and building of a new reference desk, all to better meet the needs of students and researchers.

It is anticipated that the renovation will take three months, but there will be no disruption in reference and research services.  However, ARB’s reference holdings will not be available during the project.  All other archival materials and rare books can still be accessed.  Room 814 will serve as our office space and our reading room, as well as continuing to be the venue for our monthly “50 Minutes-1 Book” lunchtime lecture series.

For further information, please call 556-1959 or email us at archives@ucmail.uc.edu.

The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: What Do "Restricted" and "Confidential" Mean?

Posted on by
The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: What Do "Restricted" and "Confidential" Mean?

Letter from Colonel Stanhope Bayne-Jones to Dr. Sabin

In August 2011, I attended the Society of American Archivists annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois. While there, I attended a session called “Exploring the Evolution of Access: Classified, Privacy, and Proprietary Restrictions.” As I sat in the room listening to the speakers, I started to think how to apply these concepts to the Sabin digitization project.

For several weeks after the meeting, my colleagues and I had lively debates about how these concepts, as well as the recent SAA endorsed “Well-intentioned Practice for Putting Digitized Collections of Unpublished Materials Online” document, would affect the display of the Sabin materials online. On one hand, we recognize that Mrs. Sabin left Dr. Sabin’s important collection in our hands to ensure that this material is accessible to researchers around the world. On the other hand, we also recognized the need to do two things: 1.) protect the health information of those mentioned in the collection that participated in Dr. Sabin’s research, and 2.) make sure we don’t leak any classified government information online. Even though much of Dr. Sabin’s materials related to his research and his work with the military are considered “old” by some standards, it is still necessary to do our due diligence to protect information as needed. Continue reading →

Welcome New Winkler Center Board Members

Posted on by

By Stephen Marine, Executive Director of the Winkler Center

The Advisory Board of the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions recently welcomed three new members to its ranks. 

  • William B. Camm, M.D., Vice President and Corporate Medical Director at OneAmerica Financial Partners, Inc. in Indianapolis.
  • Philip M. Diller MD, PhD, Chairman of Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
  • Michael J. Gilligan, FACHE, CEO of Priority Consult, a medical software firm in Cincinnati, and until recently the long-time CEO of the Mayfield Clinic. 

Continue reading →