The Library Services Platform (LSP) upgrade included OneSearch, a new user discovery interface for finding and accessing resources in the Libraries’ collections.
Need help using OneSearch?
OneSearch Drop-in Hours in Langsam: UC Libraries is hosting two drop-in sessions in Langsam Library where students, faculty and staff can learn about the new system and get assistance with any questions. Drop by on Monday, Aug. 25 and/or Tuesday, Aug. 26 between 12pm and 2pm where librarians will be on hand to demo OneSearch and answer any questions.
The new user discovery interface streamlines search functions and access to local library resources and scholarly research. OneSearch offers new and improved features and benefits including:
Faster searching – search electronic and print resources in one search,
Enhanced discovery – explore automatic recommendations, citation trails, availability in multiple formats and track requests, including finding resources across the OhioLINK network,
Personalized features – save preferences, searches, citations and export to citation management systems,
More intuitive user experience, and
Mobile friendly – a responsive user interface designed specifically for mobile devices.
Based on student feedback, the Marcotte Library has upgraded its reservation system for the video conferencing rooms. Each room now features a tap display screen communicating whether the room has an upcoming booking and allows users to self-reserve as they enter.
This upgrade enables the rooms to now be open and easier to access. Students can also easily book the rooms in advance through Microsoft Outlook. More information about how to use these rooms can be found in our FAQs:
Last November, the University of Cincinnati Libraries announced the award of an Archives Grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to the Libraries’ Archives and Rare Books Library (ARB). This grant supports the archival processing of records related to the lawsuit Bronson v. Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Cincinnati maintained by the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and donated to the University of Cincinnati in the 1980s.
History of alternative programs and schools
Alternative programs and schools in Cincinnati Public Schools existed prior to the Bronson v. Board of Education lawsuit and continued to grow in numbers as the case proceeded. These programs were designed to give students more opportunities in the classroom compared to the standard taught subjects. These were voluntary programs and open to students of all ages.
This upcoming fall semester, the Marcotte Library has many exciting opportunities for you to engage with us! You can find a full list of our planned events in GetInvolvedUC. Some highlights that may interest you:
Discover OneSearch & Your Library is an asynchronous, online event held during the first two weeks of school.
Edible Books will be a way to show your love a books and baking or enjoy some delicious treats in the library during Banned Books Week.
Finding & Using Sources Workshop will be held near midterms and finals to help you prepare for an upcoming research assignment.
More details on these events and other events are available on Bearcats Landing or GetInvolvedUC.
Field research is an exciting time, filled with travel, discoveries, and hope of breaking new ground. I recently traveled southwest Michigan, visiting four repositories in four days to research an event known as the Kentucky Raid, an attempt in 1847 by slavecatchers to kidnap African Americans residing in Cass County, Michigan thwarted by nonviolent resistance. This was a successful effort thanks to strong preparation and planning that allowed for thorough research of many resources.
First off, what was the Kentucky Raid? It remains little known or documented outside of Cass County. Kentucky plantation owners and bounty hunters sought to kidnap escaped slaves residing in a county that was also a hotbed of the Underground Railroad. However, the alarm was raised, free African Americans and whites confronted the slavecatchers and forced them through a hurried court trial to release the victims.
To start, I determined what I was going to research: not what happened but how memories and histories have shaped perspectives of the raid. This may appear simple, but it determined what repositories to visit, what collections to research, and what information to look for. This made for a more efficient effort on limited time.
This was especially important as records relating to the raid are scattered across southwest Michigan. Establishing the research goal allowed me to narrow the search to four repositories: the Cass District Library Local History Branch, the James E. Bonine House, the Lemmen Library & Archives at Grand Valley State University, and the Regional History Collections at Western Michigan University.
Before visiting any repositories came several steps. The first was presenting the goal and receiving supervisor permission. These helped secure funding for travel, meals, and living arrangements. Once they were approved and funded, I developed a schedule to ensure I used my limited time efficiently. As I was traveling every day between sites, I selected a hotel with a location central to them and a rental car for travel. One last step prior to visiting was contacting each repository a month in advance to give staff sufficient time to search collections for the necessary records.
The volumes of records yielded in these searches varied among the repositories. Which was why I had to decide on whether I had time to research them or make copies to research later. Two repositories had fewer records than the other two, giving me time to research them. The volume of records at the other two forced me to focus less on research and more on looking for records that could be worth researching and marking them for reproduction.
All these efforts served to make this a successful research trip in hope of showing how perspectives have changed of the Kentucky Raid over time. Yet all this would not have been possible without setting that goal, doing proper preparation, and determining where to visit and what to research.
Navigate to Account Settings -> Institutional Access and add University of Cincinnati. This will provide you with continuous access to the library’s journal subscriptions.
LibKey Nomad
Browser extension that provides one click access to full text articles to which the library subscribes.
Enter University of Cincinnati as your institution.
Citation Managers
The library supports Zotero (a free open source option) and EndNote (a subscription based option). Zotero is free for everyone, while EndNote is available for free to all individuals at the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Allied Health Sciences. Individuals outside of these colleges are required to purchase EndNote. Citation managers help you to easily save and organize your references. They also provide a write and cite feature with a plug in for Word, Pages, or Google Docs. Learn more at: https://guides.libraries.uc.edu/citation
Covidence
Online tool that streamlines the process of literature intense research projects (such as systematic and scoping reviews).
We are excited to share that Julia Carr-Trebelhorn has joined UC Libraries as the Service Coordinator for the Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry. Julia earned a PhD in the History of Science, Medicine and Technology in 2023 from the University of Oxford. In addition, she holds a BA (English Literature) and MA (Art History) from the University of Kentucky, where she also completed courses in Materials Science, Ceramic Engineering and Chemistry.
Julia brings a wealth of experience in the history of science, special collections and museums that will benefit both the Oesper Collections and UC Libraries more broadly, including experiences in operations and collections management. As the Service Coordinator, her duties include: facilitating public operating hours for the Oesper Collections, coordinating tour requests, assisting with compiling statistics and stories on engagement with the collections, collaborating on displays and digital projects and much more. In the Science and Engineering Libraries unit, Julia will also have responsibilities in supporting the CEAS Library collections and operations.
Last November, the University of Cincinnati Libraries announced the award of an Archives Grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to the Libraries’ Archives and Rare Books Library (ARB). This grant supports the archival processing of records related to the lawsuit Bronson v. Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Cincinnati maintained by the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and donated to the University of Cincinnati in the 1980s.
Image from Cincinnati Enquirer, November 14, 1978
The struggle of busing
During the legal proceedings of the Bronson case, one of the examples of discrimination within Cincinnati schools cited by the NAACP was the policy of busing students to school further away rather than allowing them to attend a much closer school in order to prevent integration at particular schools.
From historical anatomies to apothecary artifacts to early 20th-century pharmaceutical equipment, there are three new exhibits at the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library that have something interesting for everyone to explore.
Display Case 1: Dr. Lisa Koby’s donation to the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions. Ansomi Normals Du Corps Human Atlas Inconographique, by Sigismond Laskowski (1841-1928).
Lisa’s father, Dr. Victor Koby was a direct descendant of Andrei Kobyla – the progenitor of the Romanov dynasty in Russia. Dr. Koby attended medical school in Prague, where he became friends with Dr. Katherine Euler. After graduation, Euler gifted Koby the Atlas pictured (wherever photo is). The Atlas made it through World War II and over to America, where it was given to a friend of Lisa Koby’s, Dr. Stillman (University of Cincinnati), who then had it restored. It was then donated to UC Libraries.
Display Case 2: Dorothy Blank Apothecary Artifacts Collection.
Dorothy “Dot” Blank was born September 11, 1914, and died August 7, 1987 at the age of 72. She was the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy freshman class secretary, as well as the historian for the Alpha Phi Gamma sorority. She graduated in 1934 with a Candidate in Philosophy degree. Her husband, Robert E. Lonneman Sr. graduated in 1944 with a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Pharmacy. The display consists of apothecary weights, sets of mortar and pestle, apothecary scales and glass test tube.
Display Case 3: Compound & Traditional Pharmacy Provisions.
The University of Cincinnati Libraries will be closed, Friday, July 4 for Independence Day. Normal hours for all library locations will resume Saturday, July 5.
