Welcome to the New Entrance to the Geology-Mathematics-Physics Library

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Melissa Cox Norris

New exterior entrance.

When users of the Geology-Mathematics-Physics Library returned to campus for spring semester, they were greeted with a new entrance to the library. The more accessible and visible entrance is located on the exterior of Braunstein Hall across from the Old Chemistry Building and visible from the quad. It includes a book drop as well as a lounge space adjacent to the new entrance.

Over the next six months there are plans to improve the library’s upper level. First, the service desk and reserves will move across the room to be adjacent to the external entrance. In addition, more lounge and group collaboration spaces will be created, as well as a computing space to support GIS needs.

The new entrance will allow many people to discover, or re-discover, this library, and to make use of its resources.

View from the quad.

View of the interior and the lounge adjacent to the new entrance.

Poison!: Notes from the Oesper Collections, No. 36, January/February 2016

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Aja Bettencourt-McCarthy

An overview of OSHA’s rating system for laboratory chemicals

Issue 36 provides a brief insight into the history of labeling chemical bottles.

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

Dean Xuemao Wang to Join Steering Committee of SPARC

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Melissa Cox Norris

Dean of University Libraries, Xuemao Wang

The global coalition advocates Open Access, Open Education and Open Data.

Xuemao Wang, dean and university librarian, has been selected to serve on the Steering Committee of the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC).

SPARC is a global coalition of 200+ academic and research libraries that works to enable open sharing of research output and educational materials in order to “democratize access to knowledge, accelerate discovery and increase the return on investment in research and education.” To achieve this mission, SPARC collaborates with authors, publishers, libraries, students, policymakers and the public to build opportunities and promote changes to make open access the default for research and education. Continue reading →

A Program By Any Name: Calling All Theater Goers and Performers!

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Suzanne Reller

We need your help! The Archives and Rare Books Library is expanding its Shakespeare holdings as part of the 2016 quadricentennial . In our effort to document and preserve the heritage of Shakespeare productions in the greater Cincinnati area over the past two centuries, we’re building an archival collection of local Shakespeare play programs. It doesn’t matter if they are from 1902 or two days ago. They can be programs from performances by CCM, high schools, professional theater groups, or the couple next door who are forever emoting on Romeo and Juliet. It doesn’t matter! The only requirement we have is that the performance took place somewhere in the tri-state.

Please mail your submissions to the Archives and Rare Books Library, P.O. Box 210113, Cincinnati, OH 45211-0113 or drop them by our library on the 8^th floor of Blegen Library. If you have any questions, just contact us via email (archives@mail.uc.edu) or give us a call Monday through Friday, 8-5, at (513) 556-1959.

Thank you all so much for following our celebration, and a special thanks to anyone who can contribute. We can’t wait to see the wonderful programs you have in store for us! To learn more about our Shakespeare commemoration, have a look at our web page, http://libapps.libraries.uc.edu/exhibits/shakespeare400/.

UCBA Fun Facts: 2016 Reading Goals

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Michelle McKinney

Question: Do you have any reading goals for the new year?

Heather

Heather Maloney, Library Director: To read more – more specifically to finish more books! The stack on nightstand is embarrassing:-)

Michelle McKinney, Reference/Web Services Librarian: I’m taking up the Book Riot 2015 Read Harder Challenge found at: http://bookriot.com/2014/12/15/book-riot-2015-read-harder-challenge/

Kellie Kellie Tilton, Instructional Technologies Librarian: Stretch Goal: 150 books; Realistic Goal: 100 books

Lauren Lauren Wahman, Instruction Librarian: Ah, yes. I’m going to make another attempt at noting what books I read throughout the year. I sometimes pick up a book only to find that I’ve already read it!

Rachel Rachel Lewis, Technical Services Manager: My goal is just to “read”.

julierobinson Julie Robinson, Library Operations Manager: Hmmm, more time for reading!

Pam Adler, Public Services Assistant: No! No goals, no pressure when it comes to reading for pleasure.

Will(iam) You Allow Me To Deviate?

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Suzanne Reller

By: Sydney Vollmer, ARB Intern

I’m going to depart from the traditional format of my blog posts for just a moment. Instead of trying to share some story or educate you on our holdings, I would rather take a second and start a discussion with all of you.

Recently I came across an article in the Wall Street Journal, titled, “The Coming Shakespeare Extravaganza” (you may have seen it on our Facebook page). The article goes over the impending 400^th anniversary celebrations, but it also asks if we are celebrating William too much. I would like to ask you all the same question, but in broader terms. Continue reading →

UC Celebrates Its Library’s Founding Collection as It Celebrates Shakespeare 400

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Suzanne Reller

Events around the world will mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in April. University of Cincinnati Libraries are showcasing UC’s rare Shakespeare collections and highlights of the UC Shakespeare Tercentenary a century ago.

Cultural, creative and educational organizations around the world will kick off celebrations honoring the legacy of William Shakespeare as the world observes the 400th anniversary of his death, which was on April 23, 1616. Here at the University of Cincinnati, the Archives & Rare Books Library’s Shakespeare collection is one of the university’s original library collections, purchased for the university back in the 1890s.

The Enoch T. Carson collection holds more than 250 volumes. The collection has illustrations from editions of Shakespeare’s works along with pamphlets, clippings, excerpts, criticism, almanacs and various souvenirs that were collected by Carson. Over the past century, dozens of additional volumes have augmented that original collection, including rare editions illustrated by Edmund Dulac, Arthur Rackham, and W. Heath Robinson. Continue reading →

Dean’s Corner: A New Year for UC Libraries

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Melissa Cox Norris

After an innovative, transformative and event-filled 2015, UC Libraries is starting the new year off strong.

The Libraries are undergoing a great deal of physical change, from the accessible new entrance of the Geography-Mathematics-Physics Library to the updated service desk and learning commons on the 4^th floor of Langsam Library.

The new Langsam Service Point under construction

Behind the scenes, our librarians and staff continue to plan and host events and educational opportunities for UC students and library users, like those sponsored by the Libraries’ Diversity grant. The Libraries’ online resources are constantly being refined to provide the best possible access and content for students and faculty, such as the BoardVitals Question Banks recently acquired by the Health Sciences Library. In addition, we are making it possible for UC’s faculty and researchers to archive and make available online their scholarly output with Scholar@UC, UC’s digital repository. Want to know more about the opportunities for faculty, staff and student workers? New positions are posted on the Libraries’ website.

This year, look for posts from me about the new and exciting projects and events at UCL, my local, national and international involvement with the library community, and my personal thinking on UC Libraries’ Strategic Plan going forward.

Thank you for reading and welcome back!

Xuemao Wang
Dean and University Librarian

The Art Family Robinson, or, A Picture is Worth 1000 Words…Maybe That’s Why Books are Illustrated

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Suzanne Reller

By: Sydney Vollmer, ARB Intern

Our Shakespeare family is growing! This week, we received a copy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with illustrations by W. Heath Robinson! Sure, sure. We know you already know the play, but do you know this illustrator?

Heath Robinson (weird that he goes by his middle name, especially when it’s also the middle name of one of his brothers) was born to illustrate in May of the year 1872. Even if he hadn’t had any talent, some form of artistry was surely expected of him. His father and both of his brothers all worked as illustrators. Heath, himself, aspired to paint landscapes. Why, I will never understand. Fortunately for us book lovers, he found little success with that venture and thus was born another illustrator to the Robinson family. Continue reading →

The Christ Hospital Winkler Center Collaborative Oral History Program Kicks Off with an Interview of Dr. William Schreiner

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Melissa Cox Norris

This image serves as a link to the
interview with Dr. William Schreiner in
UC Libraries Mediaspace.
The entire Winkler Center Oral History Collection is now easily available in a streaming form
through the abovementioned website.

We are proud to announce the completion of the first interview in The Christ Hospital Health Network in collaboration with the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions Oral History Series; our first interview subject was one of Cincinnati’s most prominent physicians who is also considered to be “The Doctors’ Doctor”, Dr. William Schreiner. The entire interview is now available in a streaming format through the UC Libraries mediaspace.

Continue reading →

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