Category Archives: UC Libraries

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In Times Like These

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By:  Kevin Grace

Puppets from Ridley Walker PlayOne of the most in-the-news phrases of this past year has been “fake news.”  Every political point of view has employed it to the point where the first reactions among readers and listeners to current events has a question in mind, “Is this real information?”  And in times of political or social stress, there is a mounting trepidation over who controls information, or, who preserves it.  Librarians are often in the forefront of acquiring information, protecting it from those who would alter or destroy it, and preserving it for now and for the future.  The sources of information, of knowledge, continue to grow exponentially and in our rapidly changing technological world, much of it disappears.  As websites continue to grow – and to disappear through political exigencies – the expertise of librarians and archivists are called upon, a recent example of which is illustrated in a science article on web discovery and preservation: https://apps.sciencefriday.com/data/librarians.html. Continue reading →

Service Note: Library Catalog and other Key Library IT Services Unavailable Dec. 28

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Please note that many IT systems and services will be unavailable on Thursday, December 28, from 5 a.m. to midnight, during a planned power outage for maintenance in the university’s primary data center.  Several UC Libraries systems that are located in the data center or that reside on UCIT managed servers will also be unavailable during this outage.  UCIT will send a message to all users once the maintenance is completed and all services become available.

Systems that will NOT BE AVAILABLE include:

  • All blogs and hours services – LiBlog
  • Blackboard
  • Canopy
  • digital.libraries.uc.edu
  • Digital Resource Commons
  • ILLiad
  • Journals@UC
  • Kaltura
  • Luna Imaging and Media repository
  • Proxy Server
  • Scholar@UC
  • SharePoint
  • UC Flex
  • UCLID – Library Catalog

Systems that WILL be available:

  • Catalyst
  • Internet access
  • LibGuides – http://guides.libraries.uc.edu/
  • Student & employee e-mail
  • VPN
  • 3rd party applications (Box.com, Lynda.com, WebEx etc.)
  • “uc.edu” college and department websites
    (Note: College of Allied Health Sciences, College of Law, College of Medicine and UCSIM websites will not be available.)

For more information, please visit: www.uc.edu/ucit/maintenance

UC’s Digital Scholarship Center Awarded a $900,000 Grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

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The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded the University of Cincinnati a $900,000 grant in support of the Digital Scholarship Center’s research on machine learning and data visualization in multiple disciplines in the humanities and beyond. Located in the Walter C. Langsam Library, the Digital Scholarship Center (DSC) is a joint venture of the University of Cincinnati Libraries and the College of Arts and Sciences. Launched in September 2016 as an academic center, the DSC provides faculty and students across the university with support for digital project conception, design and implementation.

“As a Research 1 university, the University of Cincinnati must be equipped to support the highest level of research activity. Digital scholarship plays a key role in setting the stage for our continued momentum in investigation and innovation. It helps to break down silos to share new knowledge across disciplines,” said Neville G. Pinto, president of the University of Cincinnati.

In partnership with faculty and motivated by their research questions, the DSC serves as a ‘catalyst,’ making new forms of digital research possible by lowering the technical barrier to entry for faculty to investigate their research questions. Continue reading →

The Benjamin Gettler Papers Project

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By: Alex Temple, Gettler Project Archivist

Alex TempleHi, my name is Alex Temple, and I’m the Project Archivist who will be letting the life and work of Benjamin Gettler out of the box, so to speak.  While I am unpacking and learning, I will be using this blog to share with you some of the interesting footprints* left behind by Mr. Gettler throughout his accomplished life of service and business achievement.  To round it out, I will also be sharing with you my process and experiences with the project.

These “footprints” are currently stored in six boxes.  It is my job to sort through these boxes and arrange their contents in a way that best represents the life of Ben Gettler, and to describe the contents and arrangement to make his life easy for you to access and discover for yourself.  There will be detailed finding aid created, along with a web exhibit and select digitization of important documents.

Gettler papers boxesTo put another way, Mr. Gettler wore many shoes in his life while leaving these footprints, and I’ll be determining their style and occasion.  I will also be rehousing the collection to ensure that these records of his life will be preserved for long-term care, so with some luck we just might meet a cobbler on the way!

In his life, Benjamin Gettler worked as a lawyer, served on the University of Cincinnati’s Board of Trustees, and was deeply involved in Cincinnati public transportation, the Jewish community, and local, state, national, and international politics and philanthropies.  What are the contributions of Ben Gettler that you are interested in? Throughout this project, your thoughts are always welcome and encouraged!

To learn more about the holdings of the Archives & Rare Books Library and its ongoing projects, visit us on the 8th floor of Blegen Library, call us at 513.556.1959, email us at archives@ucmail.uc.edu, visit our web page at http://libraries.uc.edu/arb.html, or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ArchivesRareBooksLibraryUniversityOfCincinnati.

 

*Visible Footprints is the autobiography of Benjamin Gettler, co-written with Michael G. Rapp and published in 2012.

Rare Book Occasional – Scroll of Esther

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By: Alia Levar Wegner, ARB Intern, 2017-2018

The inaugural post of the new Rare Book Occasional looks at the Archives and Rare Books Library’s two manuscript copies of the Scroll of Esther (Megillat Esther). Produced sometime in the 18th- and 19th centuries, these parchment scrolls illustrate the ritual importance of scroll reading in Judaism.

The Book of Esther holds a prominent position in the Jewish faith, as it is one of the Five Megillot, or five scrolls that mark particular festival or fast days in the Jewish calendar. This important Biblical book recounts Esther’s role in securing the salvation of the Persian Jews, and its recitation marks a day of joyous celebration for Jewish people. Esther scrolls are traditionally read twice during the festival of Purim, once in the morning and again in the evening.

Scroll of EstherScroll of Esther opened

Top:  Scroll of Esther (Ms. no. 22), before treatment,  Bottom: Scroll open to the names of Haman’s sons (Esther 9:7,9). Photos: Jessica Ebert

The materiality of the Scroll of Esther forms an important part of its religious significance. Early rabbinical writers composed rules regulating its production and public recitation. According to rabbinic tradition, the ceremonial Scroll of Esther can only be handwritten on parchment with ink using the square Hebrew script. Esther scrolls are also distinguished by their arrangement on a single dowel. These rabbinical prescriptions continued to influence the scroll’s material construction in more contemporary times, as illustrated by the Archives and Rare Books Library’s 18th– and late 19th-century Esther scrolls. In accordance with tradition, these scrolls are handwritten on vellum in the traditional script.

Featured here are images of one of the Library’s Esther scrolls that recently underwent conservation to repair small tears and damage to the parchment (Ms. no. 22). The scroll was rehoused on two dowels to enable the manuscript to be safely viewed.

Additional information about the conservation process can be found here.

Scroll of Esther

Scroll of Esther (Ms. no. 22), after treatment. Photo: Jessica Ebert

For more information on this and other items at the Archives and Rare Books Library, visit us on the 8th floor of Blegen Library, call us at 513.556.1959, email us at archives@ucmail.uc.edu, view our website at http://libraries.uc.edu/arb.html, and follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ArchivesRareBooksLibraryUniversityOfCincinnati.

Read UC Libraries 2016/17 Progress Report: Transforming People

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progress report coverRead the University of Cincinnati Libraries 2016/17 Progress Report: Transforming People. In addition to providing an update on the news, events and stats from the previous academic year, the report celebrates UC Libraries’ most valuable resource – our people.

It is people who create a lasting impact on library operations, innovation and growth, and who implement and inspire lasting change. From essential library operations to innovative services, everything the Libraries has accomplished this past academic year is because of the hard work, dedication and creativity of the librarians and staff, as well as through collaborations and support of students, donors, faculty, researchers and university administrators.

The Progress Report is available online at https://issuu.com/uclibraries/docs/uclannualprogressreport16_17.

Questions? Request a print copy? Email melissa.norris@uc.edu

Happy Reading!