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.
Martin Luther King, Jr. from LIFE Magazine
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!
While the primary focus of the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions collection is chronicling the history of health sciences in the Cincinnati area, the physicians, researchers and scientists in the archive made an impact world-wide. One such individual was Albert Sabin, researcher and scientist best known for his discovery of the live polio vaccine. Correspondence from his collection housed in the Winkler Center was recently used in a new publication, Italo Archetti (Peschiera Maraglio (BS), 1913 – Rome, 1998) In Vol. 2, No. 2 Scientia, December 2024 ISSN: 2974-9433 by Giacomo Simoncelli. Issue – Editrice Bibliografica Journals.
The book’s author, Giacomo Simoncelli, is a PhD candidate in history, philosophy, religions at the Sapienza Universita Di Roma in Italy and is a Visiting Fellow at Oxford Brookes University–Oxford, United Kingdom. In the publication, he chronicles the significant role of scientist Italo Archetti in his research on influenza, polio and his contribution to the establishment of the Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità). Archetti was a friend, colleague and correspondent with Dr. Albert Sabin and his wife Heloisa Sabin.
Simoncelli utilized correspondence between the Sabins and Archetti held by the Winkler Center and publicly available on the University of Cincinnati’s Digital Resource Commons https://drc.libraries.uc.edu/items/85a7fad8-7f7d-4fee-81d6-ced447989173. The letter demonstrates their professional respect and close friendship.
Donated by his wife Heloisa in 1993, the Sabin archives occupy nearly 400 linear feet and consist of correspondence, laboratory notebooks, manuscripts and other research papers generated by Sabin during his long and active medical career. This extensive collection also contains his honors, awards, medals and other memorabilia, as well as research materials such as microscope and lantern slides. In addition, there are hundreds of photographs, and many video recordings and audiotapes. The collection spans the years 1930 to 1993, with the bulk of material being from Sabin’s tenure in Cincinnati from 1939 to 1969. Other online Sabin resources include the digital collection and finding aid addendum.
The latest University of Cincinnati Libraries exhibit showcases historic images of Cincinnati from the Archives and Rare Books Library’s Urban Studies Collection. On display on the 4th floor lobby of the Walter C. Langsam Library, the Cincinnati Subway and Street Improvements exhibit features photographic prints and negatives from 1920 to 1956 from an extensive archive of the City Engineer, City of Cincinnati.
The collection of over 8,000 photographic negatives and prints were taken by the city’s Rapid Transit Commission as part of a failed subway development project in the 1920s, along with photographs documenting various street projects from the 1930s through the 1950s. It provides a glimpse at the interior views of homes and businesses damaged during the construction and follows the growth of the city through various street improvement projects that took place between the 1920s and 1950s.
The Cincinnati Subway and Street Improvements exhibit was designed by Francesca Voyten, communications design co-op student.
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.
ARB is pleased to welcome Julianna Witt, who was hired as the project archivist dedicated to this project. Julianna will be writing a series of blog posts documenting her work and the discoveries she makes while organizing the NAACP records. Her first post below highlights some records related to earlier desegregation efforts in Cincinnati, most notably the Deal v. Cincinnati Board of Education case filed in 1965.
Julianna writes:
The Cincinnati NAACP collection regarding the Bronson court case includes material on various desegregation cases in Ohio and across the country gathered by the NAACP and the plaintiffs’ attorneys as research into prior cases and precedents. Most referenced was an earlier Cincinnati education desegregation case, Deal v. Cincinnati Board of Education which was filed with the NAACP in 1965.
Detail of the first page of the transcript of proceedings in the Deal v. Cincinnati Board of Education lawsuit, 1965.
The plaintiffs in Deal argued that the Cincinnati Board of Education had engaged in segregated practices which did not give African American students equal education opportunities. The 6th District Court ruled that there was no evidence that the Cincinnati Board of Education was intentionally causing racially imbalanced schools but that the schools were a result of the racial makeup of specific neighborhoods.
After Deal, the Cincinnati Board of Education passed a resolution on December 10, 1973, which would redistrict all Cincinnati Public Schools attendance districts and called for full desegregation of schools by fall of 1974. This plan was soon canceled when new, more-conservative, school board members were elected and rescinded the resolution. The board then passed a voluntary integration resolution in January 1974. This new resolution reestablished the prior Cincinnati school attendance districts which had been altered to promote integration, called for voluntary open enrollment, expanded alternative school programs, and canceled all efforts to achieve full integration by fall of 1974.
Bronson v. Board of Education was filed in 1974 to re-establish the December 1973 resolution and to discuss racial isolation inside the schools. The Deal case was quickly reintroduced to determine if res judicata or collateral estoppel applied, which would prevent the re-litigation of the issues found in the earlier case. The 6th District Court found that the doctrine of collateral estoppel applied since the two cases argued that the Cincinnati Board of Education was participating in racial discrimination, and they would not retry the same matter. The court did allow post-1965 racial discrimination to be tried in the Bronson case and pre-Deal evidence could only be introduced if it was regarded as new and relevant on an individual basis.
Detail of the first page of a memorandum regarding the court case Bronson versus Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Cincinnati, 19xx.
Deal was commonly discussed in the court room which is evident in the various Bronson pleadings concerning pre-Deal evidence, prior decisions, and relevancy. The Cincinnati NAACP collection also includes other documentation regarding Deal besides pleadings, such as individual exhibits, interrogatories, correspondence, and newspaper clippings. During the ten years that the Bronson case was litigated, the plaintiffs’ attorneys continued to bring up Deal and other recent desegregation cases in Ohio and across the country in efforts to provide legal reasoning and support to desegregate the Cincinnati Public Schools and suburban school districts. The NAACP records currently being organized at ARB are proving to document not only the Bronson case of 1974, but earlier efforts to combat racial isolation and segregation in Cincinnati’s public schools.
This project has been made possible in part by grant RH-104772-24 from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this blog post do not necessarily represent those of the NHPRC.
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!”
The Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library announces the opening of The Anatomy Learning Lab to enhance the study of the human body. Located on the E level of the library, the 10 specimens placed throughout the space provide the opportunity for close study of torsos, a hand, foot, kidneys and other body systems. The specimens coupled with the Sectra Virtual Anatomy Table, also located in the space, provide an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the structural and functional complexities of the human body.
To celebrate the opening of The Anatomy Learning Lab, the Health Sciences Library is holding two events:
Open House
Thursday, January 16, 3:30-5pm Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library – E Level
Brief remarks by: Dr. Gregory Postel, senior vice president of health affairs and dean of the College of Medicine; and Liz Kiscaden, dean and university librarian
Lunch & Learn
Human Anatomical Models: History & Development of Plastination
Thursday, January 23, 11:30am Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library – The Anatomy Learning Lab, E Level
Dr. Efrain Miranda, CEO of Clinical Anatomy Associates, Inc. will review the history of three-dimensional models to study anatomy, including wax models, paper mâché models and other techniques and materials, culminating with the present, utilizing 3D computer-based systems and plastination.
Both events are open to all to attend in the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library, 231 Albert Sabin Way.
As we enter Exam Week (Dec. 8-14), check out UC Libraries various library locations to find the spot right for you.
Langsam Library’s three floors offer a variety of study options from quiet (6th floor) to more communal (4th floor). Students can find a spot to meet their study goals at a carrel, group study room, the Langsam Living Room or a high-top table at Starbucks. During exams, Langsam offers extended hours.
Is Langsam getting a little crowded? Visit one of our other library locations. Some recommendations:
The Classics Library and the CCM Library, both located in Blegen, both have quiet Reading Rooms. The GMP and Chem-Bio libraries feature large, open areas with desks and flexible seating options. For those on the medical campus, theHealth Sciences Library has three floors of study options.
In addition, to UC Libraries, the university offers multiple study spaces including in college buildings, coffee shops, TUC and other student centers.
EBSCOhost, a leading provider of e-journals, databases and eBooks, is redesigning their web user interface to meet ever-evolving user expectations for accessing, searching, choosing and using library resources. Currently, UC Libraries is included in a group of OhioLINK libraries to migrate to the new user interface for EBSCOhost on Tuesday, December 17. There is no expected downtime during the migration.
While accessing EBSCO products from UC Libraries web site is not changing, the EBSCO user interface is. EBSCO is introducing many new features including personalized dashboards, new ways to share and save resources, reading eBooks and much more. Previously shared saved items (folders, links, etc.) will transfer. EBSCO provides information on how to access data from the classic interface to the updated version, as well as a Quick Start Guide.
For questions or additional assistance, contact UC Libraries or your library liaison directly.
UC Libraries is collaborating with the College of Allied Health Sciences Open Science Community of Practice to host theseven-module Center for Open Science trainings from January 22 to June 4, 2025. All are welcome to join and encouraged to share with contacts that might be interested to attend.
Open Scholarship, which includes concepts such as Open Science, Open Research, Open Data, and Open Access, is a research approach that strives to make the research process as transparent and reproducible as possible. These trainings cover topics such as reproducible methods, data management and sharing, research collaborations and specific techniques such as preregistration, registered reports, preprints and teaching open scholarship.
We invite colleagues to register for the workshops facilitated by the Center for Open Science trainers as well as working sessions for a hands-on experience facilitated by UC Libraries focused on topics discussed in the trainings. The sessions will be both in-person and hybrid with light refreshments for the in-person sessions. Per the request of the COS facilitators, the sessions will be capped at 40 participants maximum. Given the cap, please ensure you can attend the sessions when registering. The faculty one stop instance will direct you to a MS form for registration.
Registration Link – https://ce.uc.edu/FacDev/Workshops/Details/19940. The sessions will be held both in-person in the Visualization Lab 240H Braunstein in the Geology-Math-Physics Library and virtually.
The curriculum and dates for the trainings are:
COS Module 1: Introduction to Open Scholarship – Jan 22
COS Module 2: Management and Sharing – Jan 29
UC working session – Feb 5
COS Module 3: Reproducible Methods – Feb 26
UC working session – March 5
COS Module 4: Research Collaboration on the Open Science Framework (OSF) – March 26
UC working session – April 9
COS Module 5: Research Sharing – April 23
UC working session – May 7
COS Module 6: Preregistration and Registered Reports – May 14
UC working session – May 28
COS Module 7: Teaching about Open Scholarship – June 4
Please contact AskData@UC.Edu if you have any questions about the trainings or the Center for Open Science.
Need a place to study for exams? Working late on a class project? The Walter C. Langsam Library has extended building hours beginning Sunday, Dec. 1st through exams.
