Category Archives: UC Libraries

Books by the Banks Brings Bestselling Authors to Cincinnati

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books by the banksFor more than a decade, the region’s biggest book festival has brought the best in literature to downtown Cincinnati. This year’s festival is no different and will feature more than 130 authors, as well as literary themed activities for all ages.
The 11th annual Books by the Banks: Cincinnati Regional Book Festival will be held 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 at Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown Cincinnati. UC Libraries is an organizing partner of the literary event along with the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Mercantile Library, Northern Kentucky University Library, Gateway Community and Technical College, MidPointe Library System, Lane Libraries and Clermont County Library.

Many bestselling national authors will be present at the event, including:

  • Kate DiCamillo, the author of “Because of Winn Dixie” and one of only a handful of people to have been honored with not one, but two Newbery Medals.
  • Lauren Oliver, best-selling author of many young adult novels, including “Before I Fall,” which was recently adapted as a major motion picture.
  • Stephanie Powell Watts, a literary newcomer but already an award winner with her novel “No One is Coming to Save Us.”
  • Matt Bellassai, Buzzfeed writer and YouTube sensation.
  • Gretchen Carlson, returning to Cincinnati, cut her teeth as a reporter for WCPO before heading to Fox News. She has now become a spokesperson against sexual harassment in the workplace with her book “Be Fierce.”
  • It is again a banner year for children’s authors including Rafael Lopez, Ben Clanton, Will Hillenbrand, Loren Long, Chris Grabenstein and many more.

Several authors at the festival have a UC connection, including:

  • Phillip J. Obermiller, co-author of “The Cincinnati Human Relations Commission: A History, 1943 – 2013,” is a senior visiting scholar in the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning’s School of Planning.
  • Obermiller’s co-author, Thomas E. Wagner, is professor emeritus in the School of Planning.
  • Judy McCarty Kuhn, editor-in-chief of the 1966-67 “News Record,” is a retired Cincinnati English, history and journalism teacher. Her book, “The Other UC and Me: Editing the Sixties,” talks about her experiences at the newspaper.

The day-long festival will feature book signings, author panels and activities for the entire family to enjoy in the Kids’ Corner and Teen Scene. The popular “Writing and Getting Published” series returns this year with panel discussions covering hot topics for writers and workshops to help hone the craft of writing. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet authors and purchase signed copies of their books. Books by the Banks features writers in various categories, including fiction, non-fiction, cooking, children’s literature, local travel, sports and more.

All events are free and open to the public. For more information, and to see a complete schedule of events, visit www.booksbythebanks.org.

Named Glassware, Notes from the Oesper Collections, No. 46, September/October 2017

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Assorted 19th-century round-bottom wine flasks from the Oesper Collections

Assorted 19th-century round-bottom wine flasks
from the Oesper Collections

Issue 46 explains that common laboratory glassware is often named after famous chemists of the past, though the exact reason for these name choices is not always obvious.

Click here for all other issues of Notes from the Oesper Collections and to explore the Jensen-Thomas Apparatus Collection.

 

 

 

 

 

Environmental Records and Regulation

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By:  Eira Tansey

Burning Barge on the Ohio River

Strode, William, “Burning Barge on the Ohio River”, 1972, Environmental Protection Agency: DOCUMERICA. Image source: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/543983

The relationship between local, state, and federal environmental protection has always been complicated – both by accident and by design. When the earliest environmental protections began, they typically started at the local and state levels, often following some kind of environmental disaster – and thus, environmental protections developed unevenly. By the time, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created in 1970, the decentralization of environmental policy was deliberately embedded in the original organization of the agency: much of EPA’s enforcement and regulatory duties are delegated to state environmental agencies.

Water issues have been roiling the Midwest, with significant attention paid to the Flint lead crisis and the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. Ohio’s water issues may not be in the headlines as much, but the risks are worth paying attention to. Ohio is often described as a “water-rich” state with Lake Erie to the north, and the Ohio River to the south. Although we may be water-rich, this water is often quite contaminated. The Ohio River is consistently ranked as the most polluted river in the United States, and UC researchers have conducted studies of pollutants from Ohio River-sourced drinking water supplies connected with past manufacture of Teflon. Both Lake Erie and the Ohio River routinely experience harmful algae blooms, which are often connected to runoff from agricultural activities – and much harder to regulate. In addition, Cincinnati is under a federal consent decree due to the overflow from infrastructure deficiencies with the local sewer system.  Continue reading →

Beginning Nov. 12 UC I.D. Required to Enter Blegen after 5pm

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blegen hoursBeginning Sunday, Nov. 12, a valid UC I.D. is required to enter Blegen Library, home of the Archives and Rare Books Library, John Miller Burnam Classics Library, the Albino Gorno Memorial Music (CCM) Library and the Classics Department, after 5pm.

Public Access: doors to 400 level will be unlocked:

Monday-Friday: 8am-5pm

Saturday: 10am-5pm

Sunday: 1pm-5pm

UC Community Access: doors to the 400 level will be locked and accessible with a UC I.D:

Monday-Thursday: 7:30am-11pm

Friday: 7:30am-6pm

Saturday: 9:30am-6pm

Sunday: 12:30pm-11pm

Individual library hours vary, so check each libraries hours online at https://www.libraries.uc.edu/about/hours.html

 

What Do Martin Luther, a Hidden Paleontologist and German-Americans Have in Common? They are All in the Latest Source.

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sourceRead Source, the online newsletter, to learn more about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries.

This latest issue of Source includes an article from Xuemao Wang, dean and university librarian, about UC Libraries core beliefs and their role on how we achieve our mission “to empower discovery, stimulate learning and inspire the creation of knowledge by connecting students, faculty, researchers and scholars to dynamic data, information and resources.” Kevin Grace, university archivist and head of the Archives and Rare Books Library, writes about a hidden bust of a famous 20th-century paleontologist and philosopher. Two important gifts are announced in this issues of Source – the first, an endowment from the Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation for the German-Americana Collection; the second, a legacy gift from Sandra and Robert Cohan to benefit musical collections in the Albino Gorno Memorial Library. Exhibits highlighting the Archives and Rare Books Library’s Shakespeare Collection, the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and a book display for Hispanic Heritage Month are also featured in this issue of Source. In addition, a collaboration between the College of Medicine and the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library to create a grant program to partner medical faculty with library informationists is announced.

Read these articles, as well as past issues, on the web at http://libapps.libraries.uc.edu/source/ and via e-mail. To receive Source via e-mail, contact melissa.norris@uc.edu to be added to the mailing list.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with UC Libraries

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hispanic heritage monthBy Kendall Smith

Feliz Mes de la Herencia Hispana!

Please come celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in the Walter C. Langsam Library with readings by UC faculty from the Romance Languages and Literature Department.

Friday, September 29 from 1:30 pm-3:00 pm

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Walter C. Langsam Library, Digital Learning Commons (toward the back on the 4th floor)

 

Featured at the event will be five speakers reading from their various recent works.

Continue reading →