Dean’s Corner: Building Connections

As the dean of UC Libraries, I serve as an ambassador for the university and the Libraries on a global scale.  My travel takes me across the United States and around the world for conferences and site visits from San Francisco, California to Zhejiang, China.  It is equally important, however, for me to foster my relationships on a local and regional level with the universities and library systems across the state.

This summer, Ohio University hosted a two-week Institute for Chinese Academic Leaders.  Scott Seaman, the university’s dean of libraries, invited me to Athens to participate in a panel about “Current Trends & Changes in U.S. Research Libraries.”  This gave me the opportunity to spend time with the OU library leadership, support their international partnerships, and to reinforce the ties between our two libraries.

IMG_4779

From left to right: Liu Wanguo, director and research librarian and Huang Ying, head of Research and Development at Northeast Normal University with Scott Seaman, dean of Libraries at Ohio University

Upon their arrival at Ohio University, the visitors presented dean Seaman and OU’s dean emeritus Dr. Hwai-Wei Lee with handmade scrolls decorated with Chinese calligraphy commemorating the visit.

IMG_4780

From left to right: Huang Ying and Liu Wanguo with Ohio University’s dean emeritus Dr. Hwai-Wei Lee

Continue reading

You’re Probably More Like a Groundling Than You Think

By:  Sydney Vollmer, ARB Intern

Globe TheatreI’m pretty sure that during a quiz my freshman year of high school I couldn’t remember the term for the people who stood in the pit of the Globe Theatre to save my life. I sat in my honors English course feeling very stupid, and eventually turning in my quiz knowing I had failed to comprehend even the simplest term surrounding Shakespeare.

Now I’m aware, as I’m sure you are as well, that those smelly folks who couldn’t afford more than a penny to see a show were called groundlings. A penny may seem like nothing to us now, but back then it was the equivalent to 10% of one day’s wage (Globe Theatre Groundlings, n.d.). The majority of groundlings were London apprentices who were shirking their trades to see a show. This led to disgruntled employers as well as some rowdy activity in the crowds, due to the age of most groundlings. The players were not entirely happy either. As Shakespeare’s Hamlet speaks of the groundlings in Act 3, Scene 2:

“O, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings, who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb shows and noise.”

Continue reading

Library Research Guides: A Makeover

research guidesThe Libraries’ research guides underwent a makeover this summer with a new look and feel, responsive design and enhanced browsing functionality, resulting in a user friendly interface.

With over 450 guides, there is something for everyone. Users may  browse the guides by:

  • Library
  • Subject
  • Type: Course, Research Help, Subject Guide, and Special Topic
  • Owner

Continue reading

More Shakespeare! 11 Recipes Sure to Surprise Your Friends

By: Sydney Vollmer, ARB Intern

Are you a college student looking for something to serve at your party this weekend? Are you a young professional looking to impress? Are you married and have no idea what to make for that couple you hate but you’re obligated to invite to your house every now and then? Keep reading.

For you, and only you, I have found a book of Shakespearean recipes in our collection of ephemera from UC’s 1916 celebration. I’m almost positive none of your guests have ever tried any of these before!

A few parting words:

  • Always try recipes once before making for others
  • Feel free to let the people at ARB be the guinea pigs you make sample your first attempts!

Good luck! Make sure to take pictures of your creations and share your experience with us on Facebook.

Recipe Book Cover Continue reading

New Multi-Agency RFI on Exascale Computing

RFI on Science Drivers Requiring Capable Exascale High Performance Computing ( http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-GM-15-122.html)

Purpose: This is a multi-agency request for information to identify scientific research topics and applications that need High Performance Computing (HPC) capabilities that extend 100 times beyond today’s performance on scientific applications. Currently, computational modeling, simulation, as well as data assimilation and data analytics are used by an increasing number of researchers to answer more complex multispatial, multiphysics scientific questions with more realism.

Background: This is a request for information from NSF, DOE, and NIH for community input identifying scientific research that would benefit from a greatly enhanced new generation of HPC and in support of the National Strategic Computing Initiative (NSCI) (https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/07/29/executive-order-creating-national-strategic-computing-initiative)

Request for Information: All responses must be submitted to NIGMS_exascale@nigms.nih.gov by October 16, 2015

21st Century Transformation at Clermont College Library

 

 

 

Literary Invitation9

With support from Clermont College Dean Jeff Bauer, we are working closely with the UC Foundation to raise funds for our library’s renewal. In addition to repeating last year’s Quacks for Stacks fundraiser, we’re planning more initiatives for the coming year including A Literary Affair on Wednesday, September 23rd.

This fun event will kick-off the transformation and include a plaque dedication ceremony for former Library Director Fred Marcotte, as well as highlight exciting plans for improvements to the space. For more information about this event or donating to the 21st Century Library Campaign, contact Dana Parker 513- 558-9964 or Mindi Hilgeman 513-558-3420.

Katie Foran-Mulcahy
Library Director

What’s For Lunch?

Could you imagine being on campus today and not having a place to go for lunch or even more shocking – not being a short walk from a Starbucks?   From burgers to burritos to caramel Frappuccinos, there are plenty of options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a quick coffee break on or near UC’s West (Main) campus. With all of us so used to so many food options, we were stumped when the University’s Architect’s office asked us “Where was the university’s first dining hall and when did it open?”

We do not always have the answers in our heads, but we can always come up places to start looking. The Cincinnatian (UC’s yearbook) is a great place to start especially for questions that have anything to do with UC’s students. What makes this resource even better is that UC’s yearbooks have been digitized and are freely available online through the Libraries’ website: http://digitalprojects.libraries.uc.edu/cincinnatian/ Lucky for us, the 1914 Cincinnatian provided the clue that we needed. An announcement in this yearbook stated, “Varsity’s New Lunch-Room, opened February 9th 1914.” The article also included a menu with interesting options like pineapple and lettuce salad with egg dressing and cold ham and a pickle. The most expensive item on the menu was only 12 cents. Continue reading

From Alcohol Proof to Galileo : Notes from the Oesper Collections, No. 34, September/October 2015

A surviving set of “spirit bubbles: for testing the proof of alcoholic beverages.

A surviving set of “spirit bubbles:” for testing the
proof of alcoholic beverages.

Issue 34 explores some of the curious uses of glass balls to approximate the density of liquids.

 

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

 

 

 

 

Memories of Shakespeare and the Lyric Theatre

By: Sydney Vollmer, ARB Intern

Ad for Shakespeare seriesLook what we found! CCM students of days gone by customarily made a scrapbook of their experiences while they were in school. The scrapbook of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (one half of what has become UC’s College-Conservatory of Music) student Virginia Inez Day recently came into our hands just in time for us to start our Shakespeare celebration! For those of you who have been in the cheap seats, 2016 is the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death and we are commemorating it with a year of promoting our Shakespeare holdings in the Archives & Rare Books Library and documenting the history of Shakespeare productions in Cincinnati. Continue reading