Category Archives: UC Press

Announcing the 2021/22 UC Libraries Annual Progress Report: A Year of New Beginnings…

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Announcing the 2021-22 University of Cincinnati Libraries Annual Progress Report: A Year of New Beginnings…a year that saw the broad return of students, faculty and staff to campus for fall semester. The transition from virtual to in-person was an extensive process as library spaces were re-evaluated to allow for a safe return to working and studying on campus. We welcomed students, faculty and staff back to campus with refreshed spaces, enhanced safety protocols for social distancing and a revived appreciation for working together in person.

The year also saw the announcement of our renewed Strategic Framework: NEXT Directions. The University of Cincinnati’s NEXT Lives Here Strategic Directions focus on the core areas of Academic Excellence, Urban Impact and the Innovation Agenda in order to engage people and ideas – and to transform the world. The University of Cincinnati Libraries is key to what’s NEXT.

In this Annual Report, we look back at the top News & Events, applaud Staff Accomplishments & Milestones and look at the Libraries By the Numbers and Financially.

While we celebrate the accomplishments of the past academic year, we also continue to move forward in pursuit of our vision of being the globally engaged, intellectual commons of the university – positioning ourselves as the hub of collaboration, digital innovation and scholarly endeavor on campus and beyond. I invite you to be a part of our journey – a journey led by our Guiding Principles of Investment in our People; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; and Digital Transformation.

The Annual Progress Report is available online via Sway. Happy Reading!

University of Cincinnati Press title, “Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education: Strategies for Teaching,” named a 2022 Choice Outstanding Academic Title

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equity and inclusion in higher education cover“Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education: Strategies for Teaching,” edited by UC’s Rita Kumar and Brenda Refaei, and published by the University of Cincinnati Press, has been named a 2022 Choice Outstanding Academic Title.

Each December, Choice publishes its list of Outstanding Academic Titles. This prestigious list reflects the best in scholarly titles, both print and digital, reviewed by Choice during the previous year and brings with it the extraordinary recognition of the academic library community. The list is quite selective, containing approximately ten percent of some 5,000 works reviewed annually in Choice, a publishing unit of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association. Continue reading →

Gretchen Gueguen joins the Press as temporary journals and digital projects coordinator

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Gretchen GueguenWelcome, Gretchen Gueguen to the University of Cincinnati Press. Gretchen has been hired as temporary journals and digital projects coordinator and will manage the Press’s seven journal clients and Sophia Triantafyllopoulos, journals graduate student assistant. Gretchen will also be a vital member of the Open Education Resources (OER) initiative serving as technical project manager and an associate editor for interactive Open Access (OA) projects hosted on Manifold and OMEKA.

Gretchen holds an MLIS from the University of Maryland and a BA in English from Penn State University. Since 2015 she has taught Digital Libraries in the MLIS program at Clarion University. Gretchen has worked remotely as an independent library consultant for the past six years. Previously, Gretchen worked as data services coordinator and network manager for the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), where she managed member relationships and served as a liaison to DPLA Hubs. Before DPLA, she served as head of archival activities for the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia Library, Digital Initiatives Librarian at East Carolina University, and the Digital Collections Librarian for the University of Maryland.

Welcome, Gretschen!

In Memoriam: Mark Konecny

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UC Libraries faculty and staff, along with friends, students and collaborators, gathered recently to remember and celebrate our colleague and friend Mark C. Konecny, Ph.D., MLIS, who died Thursday, February 10, 2022.

Mark came to UC Libraries in July 2016 in the newly created position of scholarly communications and digital publishing strategist. During his time at UC, Mark spearheaded the establishment of the Libraries scholarly communications program, which entailed consulting with the broader UC faculty community on all matters copyright. Many people noted Mark’s incredible depth of knowledge, willingness to help everyone and his collaborative nature. One person referred to Mark as a “connector of people and ideas.”

Upon the creation of the University of Cincinnati Press, Mark transitioned his role to combine scholarly communications with the work of the Press, focusing his efforts on digital publishing and open access.

Xuemao Wang, vice provost for digital scholarship and dean and university librarian, commended Mark’s can-do attitude and his desire to learn new skills and set higher goals for himself. He noted that he enjoyed and appreciated Mark’s candid and diplomatic way of expressing copyright rules and his ability to present his ideas and create buy-in. Continue reading →

Read Source for the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries

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

In this issue of Source, as we mark the 20th year of publishing our newsletter, Dean Xuemao Wang welcomes students back to campus. We spotlight a library staff member, Ben Kline, and special collections in the DAAP Library and the newly digitized OMI posters, as well as a team bringing research and data services to the university community. In addition, we announce upcoming events – Life of the Mind and The Illustrated Human: The Impact of Andreas Vesalius.

Read these articles, as well as past issues, on the website. To receive Source via e-mail, contact melissa.norris@uc.edu to be added to the mailing list.

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

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

In this issue of Source, Dean Xuemao Wang takes time to reflect as work begins to transition back on campus and we showcase UC Libraries innovation and impact during the pandemic. In addition to articles highlighting collections such as Albert Sabin’s papers and Obed Wilson’s library, this issue also marks the commemoration of the first national Juneteenth holiday and features an interview with the authors of the recent University of Cincinnati Press book, Bicycling Through Paradise. As our 19th year of publication comes to a close, we feature a retrospective of past covers and a look back at the 2009 Edible Books event.

Read these articles, as well as past issues, on the website. To receive Source via e-mail, contact melissa.norris@uc.edu to be added to the mailing list.

 

Learn a different story about Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum at an event April 18

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book cover for the speaking stoneJoin Greg Hand online 5:00 p.m., Sunday, April 18 as he interviews Michael Griffith, UC professor of English, about his new book, The Speaking Stone: Stories Cemeteries Tell, published by the University of Cincinnati Press.

While working on a novel, author and longtime Cincinnati resident Michael Griffith starts visiting Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum. Soon he’s taking almost daily jaunts, following curiosity and accident wherever they lead. The result is this fascinating collection of essays. Rather than sticking to the cemetery’s most famous, or infamous, graves, Griffith stays true to the principle of ramble and incidental discovery. To purchase the book.

Michael Griffith

Michael Griffith

About the author: Michael Griffith is the author of the novels Trophy and Spikes and the story collection Bibliophilia. He is professor of English at the University of Cincinnati College of Arts and Sciences.

Register by Friday, April 16.

University of Cincinnati Press publication co-edited by UC’s Rebecca Wingo named the National Council on Public History’s Best New Book of the Year

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digital community engagement book coverThe University of Cincinnati Press publication edited by Rebecca S. Wingo, Jason A. Heppler, and Paul Schadewald, Digital Community Engagement: Partnering Communities with the Academy has won 2021 Best New Book of the Year from the National Council on Public History. Each year, the Council selects one book in the area of public history theory, study or practice.

Available via open access on Manifold, Digital Community Engagement brings together cutting-edge campus-community partnerships with a focus on digital projects. Through a series of case studies authored by academics and their community partners, this collection explores models for digital community engagement that leverage new media through reciprocal partnerships. The contributions to this volume stand at the crossroads of digital humanities, public history, and community engagement.

“The team at UC Press made the whole process easy, and the TOME grant made the open access publication possible. My co-editors and I decided early on that this book in particular required open access publication. We spoke to a lot of different presses and we most closely matched with UC Press’ mission,” said Rebecca Wingo, editor of Digital Community Engagement.

“It is fitting that our first award-winning book was published in open access and print in order to inspire engagement to the widest audience possible. As a university press focused on publishing interactive books designed to brings authors and readers together, we are delighted to see this edited volume win a national prize in a discipline that connects the academy to the community,” said Elizabeth Scarpelli, director of the University of Cincinnati Press.

Liz Scarpelli awarded a UC Staff Excellence Award

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liz scarpelliAt a virtual ceremony held Wednesday, Dec. 15, Liz Scarpelli, director of the University of Cincinnati Press, was awarded a Staff Excellence Award for her work starting the Press and also for her commitment to the university and to the Next Lives Here philosophy.

Her nominator noted her work on the development of the Toward Open Access Monograph Ecosystem (TOME) review committee and the creation of the first-ever regional university press/publisher information technology Development Tech Exchange. Moreover, she is committed to improving the academic mission of UC by directly recruiting, consulting and supporting faculty authors on all three of its campuses. “In just a few short years, UC Press has already published three TOME funded books, placing UC in the top 20% of all participating publishers. But that’s not all. During this short time, under Liz’s direction, the University of Cincinnati Press has already cranked out scholarly books, a textbook and journals!”

“My work in Cincinnati over the last three years has been rewarding. To be acknowledged from individuals outside the publishing world, specifically by my own university, is indeed an honor. This acknowledgement signals to me that a university press is not only of value to the institution, but is also able to move university initiatives forward while maintaining integrity and rigorous peer review within the American University Presses core values, service-oriented Library Publishing and the innovative University of Cincinnati model.  I am excited that our unique model has created 12 published books, a pipeline of 50 projects and six academic journals authored by scholars from both within and outside of the university. While this award is being presented to me, I am grateful for the support of everyone on the Press’s board for their continued support and advice, the authors who believe in us, my colleagues in UC Libraries, our dean Xuemao Wang and my staff at the Press, Mark Konecny, Sarah Muncy and Sean Crowe, who work tirelessly to make these books–open access and otherwise–come to fruition,” said Liz of the honor.

The Staff Excellence Awards ceremony was emceed by Chris Collins, chair of the Staff Senate, and Heidi Pettyjohn, incoming chair of Staff Senate, with remarks from President Neville Pinto, Provost Kristi Nelson and Bob Ambach, senior vice president for administration and finance. In addition to Liz, five other UC Libraries’ staff members received nominations: Michael Alfieri, Dean Bachelder, Ben Kline, Yu Mao and Rebecca Olson.

Congratulations, Liz!

The University of Cincinnati Libraries Annual Progress Report, 2019-2020: A Year Like No Other

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annual progress report graphicWhat a year it’s been.

The University of Cincinnati Libraries Annual Progress Report, this year completely online, covers July 2019 through June 2020, an academic year that started off normally, but in the spring would be disrupted in ways never thought possible because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fall semester was business as usual with students, faculty, researchers and staff accessing our facilities and resources for research and study, or simply to grab a cup of coffee between classes. Librarians and staff provided instruction on how to find the best research materials, offered reference assistance, collected and made our collections available and collaborated with faculty and researchers to translate information and data into knowledge. The usual activities in the library would come to a sudden halt spring semester.

This year’s report reviews how we responded to the Covid-19 pandemic, but it also celebrates our numerous accomplishments, highlights new special collections and library exhibits, spotlights the achievements of our faculty and staff and provides usage stats and financial information.

As the semester and 2020 come to a close, we wish you warm wishes for the holiday season. May the new year bring you health, harmony and joy.