Silver Linings and Early Birds: Weather Lore in the Southwest Ohio Folklore Collection

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By:  Molly Gullett

The ability to predict and foresee oncoming weather has long fascinated humans. Before advanced Doppler technology and the ability to capture satellite images, weather prediction methods were passed through generations by way of proverbs and superstitions. The Southwest Ohio Folklore Collection features such lore and shows the interesting ways that it continues to be cycled because of its (sometimes surprising) accuracy.

Almanac from 1818Jennifer L. Collins’ contribution to the folklore collection has a wide range of weather lore from Southeastern Indiana farmers who depend on the proverbs’ precision even in contemporary times. Even before almanacs became popular, easy to remember lines were most effective for passing the tradition of weather lore. A fairly common proverb of Southern Ohio is “Red sky at night, sailors delight, Red in the morning, sailors take warning.” This lore can be traced back at least to biblical times where it is paraphrased in Matthew 16:3 “And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowring” (King James Bible). Continue reading →

Cincinnati Ballet at 50-Preparing for a Celebration

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Salome

Colleen Giesting in Salome

By Suzanne Maggard

The Archives and Rare Books Library has been working with Cincinnati Ballet to prepare for their 50th anniversary season which begins in 2013.  As part of the celebration, David Lyman, the dance writer for The Cincinnati Enquirer, is working on a book about the ballet.  Lyman was contracted to write the book by the Cincinnati firm, Allegori, who, in turn, has a contract for the book with Cincinnati Ballet.  Lyman has been doing research on the ballet using Cincinnati Ballet records and the David McLain and David Blackburn Collection held in the Archives and Rare Books Library.  Photos and slides from these records are currently being scanned for use in the book which will be released in 2013.  Although the images in this blog post are not necessarily ones chosen for the book, they are a sampling of the some of the images in the collections.

Continue reading →

1st Fridays at 4

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Murder in the Library

Figure out whodunnit!

  • What: Test your investigative skills and explore the library for clues to solve a murder mystery! Hope you don’t lose your appetite because PIZZA and DRINKS will be provided after the murderer has been found!
  • When: Friday, November 2nd @ 4pm
  • Where: Langsam Library (by the Triceracopter)
  • Who: Any UC student who likes solving mysteries!
  • How: Register at http://svy.mk/TctfZ8 (space for 36)
  • ?s: Contact Debbie Tenofsky (tenofsdg@ucmail.uc.edu)

The DAAP Library: New & improved meeting & study spaces!

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The DAAP Library now has several group studies for you to use for group or individual study, meetings, presentations, reviews, and teaching!

On the main (500) level, there are two:

The Seminar Room at the DAAP Library

The Seminar Room: This instructional room seats 25-30 and is equipped with HD projection & a sound system, a new DVD/VHS player, and PC that you can use or disconnect to connect your own Mac or PC. The Seminar Room should be booked in advance by visiting or calling the main desk in the DAAP Library (556-1335).

 

The Eames Room at the DAAP Library

The Eames Room: As an homage to famed designers, Charles & Ray Eames, this room is fully appointed with Eames furniture manufactured by Herman Miller and Vitra. This room seats 12 and is also equipped with projection & sound, a DVD/VHS player, and a PC that you can use or disconnect to connect your own Mac or PC. You may reserve this room by signing up on the weekly sign-up sheet hanging outside the room itself, otherwise, it’s first come, first serve.

On the upper (600) level, there are two more rooms for your use:

The DAAPThinks Tank at the DAAP Library

The DAAPThinks Tank: This room is appointed with George Nelson chairs, an Eames table, and seats 12. You may reserve this room by signing up on the weekly sign-up sheet hanging outside the room itself, otherwise, it’s first come, first serve.

 

 

 

The Special Collection Reading Room at the DAAP Library

The Special Collections Reading Room: Like the DAAPThinks Tank, this room is appointed with George Nelson chairs, an Eames table, and seats 12. You may reserve this room by signing up on the weekly sign-up sheet hanging outside the room itself, otherwise, it’s first come, first serve.

Cead Slan, or, A Farewell to Archives Month

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By Kevin Grace

-Not your colloquial Irish farewell, mind you, because that would have us skipping out when it is our turn to buy a round of drinks, and you just know we would never do that!  Rather, a farewell to Archives Month in Ohio and its 2012 Program for Heaney lecturetheme of “Ethnic Peoples of Ohio.”  In southwest Ohio, the focus has been on Irish heritage and the Celtic contribution to our culture.  From businessmen and women and Civil War soldiers to civic leaders and politicians, to writers and artists, Cincinnati and this corner of the state have been greatly enriched by the Irish.

In addressing this theme in October, we were very fortunate that it coincidentally embraced the annual Niehoff Lecture at the Mercantile Library, presented by Irish poet and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney.  It could have been happenstance, of course, but more likely cinnuint, or destiny to youse guys.  On Saturday evening, October 20, Heaney spoke before an enthralled audience at the Westin Hotel as part of a lecture series that has helped mark the Mercantile as the center for literary life in Cincinnati. Continue reading →

Local Lore: Haunted Buildings of Clifton

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By:  Molly Gullett

Arlin's LogoAs Halloween approaches, many of us are preparing to celebrate the holiday, from trick-or-treating to haunted house tours.  October is a month filled with a sense of the uncanny, and the Southwest Ohio Folklore Collection has many local examples from several research papers dealing with all things mysterious and ghoulish.

All communities have their collective legends and mysteries, and Clifton is no exception. Elise Maynard’s paper in the collection titled The Arlin’s Ghost in a Community Context features first-hand accounts from Arlin’s bartenders on the supernatural legends housed within this Ludlow Avenue bar. For years among the staff, there have been legends passed down about spirits that inhabit the building. The oral legends that passed down were brought to action when several bartenders and a few patrons conducted a séance in the basement. Continue reading →

ORCID: Connecting Research and Researchers

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Create a unique personal identifier with ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID)!

ORCID, an open, non-profit, community-based initiative has launched its Registry (http://orcid.org) and can now be used by researchers to create a profile and ID for themselves.

From the website:  “For scholars, ORCID provides a persistent identifier that unambiguously distinguishes you as the author or creator of your published works in systems that adopt ORCID.”

“ORCID provides two core functions:  (1) a registry to obtain a unique identifier and manage a record of activities, and (2) APIs that support system-to-system communication and authentication.  ORCID makes its code available under an open source license, and will post an annual public data file under a CCO waiver for free download.”

Find out more about ORCID at http://about.orcid.org/ or

http://about.orcid.org/news/2012/10/16/orcid-launches-registry

The Power Which Knowledge Gives

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“The Power Which Knowledge Gives”:
Go to The Polls Armed With Reliable Information

Recently I came across this stunning quote from James Madison in a fellow librarian’s blog post:

“A popular Government without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy, or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”

On November 6 UC students along with the all voters will be casting their votes in the General Election. Do you have all the information you need to make the important decisions?

Earlier this month we asked the students who visit Langsam library to share the sources of information they use in order to decide how to vote.

Tumblr was the most popular source followed by Facebook and reddit.  The responses featured online news sources, TV and radio channels and talk shows, newspapers and magazine titles ranging from The New Republic to Huffington Post, and a broad range of websites, including RealClearPolitics , League of Women Voters, and predictably Wikipedia.

Thank you for sharing your favorite sources of information. Here are some resources recommended by librarians.

The following premium library resources require off-campus access.

Stay informed and make great decisions!

The Subway and Street Improvement Photograph Grant Project- Images of Progress

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By: Angela Vanderbilt

The first delivery of scans depicting the 1920s subway construction project has arrived. These scans were made from a set of highly sensitive nitrate-based negatives, which are being digitized first due to their state of deterioration. A variety of factors have contributed to this deterioration, including the physical composition (an unstable silver nitrate emulsion held on a celluloid surface), age (many are from the 1920s-1930s), and environment (negatives had been stored in a location with dramatically fluctuating temperature and humidity levels prior to being stored at UC’s ARB repository), so it’s important to have them scanned as soon as possible. For safety reasons, the nitrate negatives will be destroyed once scanning is completed and image files are approved. Following the nitrate scanning, acetate-based negatives will be scanned. These negatives are also deteriorating due to similar factors but do not pose safety issues like the nitrate negatives, apart from their offensive vinegar smell…Following the negatives, the collection of prints will be sent for scanning. When completed, we will have over 8000 digital images of the subway and street improvements projects, images portraying Cincinnati from the 1920s through the 1950s, with over half produced as positive images from negatives.

Industrial Scene

Men walking along subway route Continue reading →

The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: October 24, World Polio Day

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"World Understanding, World Peace and Polio" by Dr. Albert B. Sabin

October 24 is known as “World Polio Day,” in honor of Dr. Jonas Salk’s birthday. According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, since World Polio Day 2011, the number of new cases of polio has declined by a significant amount. Along with the success of a decrease in polio cases, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has noted, “Polio eradication partners around the world are marking the first World Polio Day since India was removed from the list of countries with active transmission of wild poliovirus.” Currently, only three countries – Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan – are considered endemic for polio. Continue reading →