Discovering the Queen City

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By:  Tyler Morrison, ARB Student Assistant

The Queen CityWhile the rare book holdings of the Archives & Rare Books Library contain everything ranging from cuneiform and papyrus to Renaissance manuscripts and modern first editions, like every other institution, we also focus on particular genres.  Among these specialties are the history of the book; 18th century British literature; the Arts & Crafts Movement; Charles Dickens; Irish literature; and early travel and exploration.  And because we are in Cincinnati and UC is such an integral part of the city, of course we have many rare and important Cincinnati imprints ranging from the early days of the city’s founding to books published only recently.  Included in the many books on Cincinnati is The Queen City: A Hand-Book of Cincinnati.  Because the book dates back more than one hundred years, it has been restored so that it remains in a useable condition and its value as a part of local history is preserved.

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Civil War Exemptions

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By:  Janice Schulz

Exemption for Caption Anderson

An exemption for physical disability

The Archives and Rare Books Library’s collection of Hamilton County Civil War Exemptions is now available in digital format on the UC Libraries’ Digital Resource Commons. The collection consists of 102 documents dated from August-October, 1862, that can be searched, viewed, downloaded and printed. The documents in this collection were created as proof of exemption status under the Militia Act of 1862, which resulted in the first attempt to conscript Union soldiers in the Civil War. This collection represents a very small window in time during the long years of the Civil War, but it marks an important turning point in how the Union built its army.

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All Flags Shall Here Be Seen: Discover the World through UC Libraries Resources

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flags3“…All flags shall here be seen…” – this line from Pushkin’s “The Bronze Horseman” describing the thoughts of Peter the Great as he was envisioning St. Petersburg, comes to mind as one enters Langsam Library this summer. Flags of dozens of countries adorn the Circulation and InfoCommons desks greeting the UC Community, including nearly 3,200 international students from 110 countries. “I feel as if I were at the United Nations [Headquarters],” a colleague remarked today passing by the InfoCommons desk.

The diverse international community of students, faculty, and staff is described in the UC Academic Master Plan as “one of our richest resources.” UC Libraries’ faculty and staff are proud to be part of this community and to contribute to UC’s global engagement initiatives.
The flags proudly displayed in the library represent the richness of our collection. To help you learn about the countries where the members of the UC family come from, we’ll be featuring library resources in a semi-weekly tweet. Please feel free to share your favorite resources in your responses!

Afghanistan_flag_sm Today’s featured country: Afghanistan.
Source: Europa World Plus.
Learn more about countries of the world from the Country Information CampusGuide.

The Albert B. Sabin Digitization Project: Spreading the Word

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At the recent 2013 Society of American Archivists’ annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, I presented a poster on the final results of the Albert B. Sabin digitization project. Several archivists stopped by to discuss the poster, particularly because they were curious about the way project staff handled documents that contained sensitive information. Many of those that stopped by were at archives in similar positions as the Winkler Center, trying to figure out the best way to balance privacy and access. Continue reading →

Photographic Collections and Archive Repositories: A Balancing Act = Adventures in the Subway and Street Improvements Digitization Project

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By:  Angela Vanderbilt

The University of Cincinnati’s Archives and Rare Books Library (ARB) maintains numerous collections containing records of historic value for research and scholarly use. These materials are comprised of a variety formats, including printed documents, university records, sound recordings, and photographic prints and negatives.

One of these collections is the Ohio Network collection, comprised of historic local government and public records. The City of Cincinnati Engineer Records is part of this collection, and contains records produced by the engineer’s office from 1851 through 1957, including those of the Rapid Transit Commission for the subway and Central Parkway construction, as well as other street improvements carried out by the city within the same timeframe. And among these records are the negatives and photographic prints that are currently being digitized and that will be made available online via the ARB and Digital Collections web sites.

Nitrate Negatives

Nitrate negatives contained within City of Cincinnati Engineer Records collection

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Explore the HSL Subject Guides

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Find research help, subject specific resources, and more in the Health Sciences Library (HSL) Subject Guides.  These guides put together by HSL librarians to help you find the resources and information you need.

Included in these guides:

Find the HSL Subject Guides on the HSL home page http://libraries.uc.edu/hsl under Express Links.   Click on Subject Guides to explore the wealth of information and resources that are available to assist you with your studies, your research, and your access.  Other guides will be added as they are developed.

Questions and suggestions are welcome.  Contact Edith Starbuck at edith.starbuck@uc.edu or 558-1433.

From Potter's Field to Union Terminal: The History of Lincoln Park = Adventures in the Subway and Street Improvements Digitization Project

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By: Angela Vanderbilt

In my June 25 blog, “Ezzard Charles Drive: The Making of a Parkway,” I described how over time, many of the streets and locations captured in the Subway and Street Improvements images no longer exist, or have been altered in name or appearance, as they have been adapted for new uses. The area discussed in that blog is currently the site of the Cincinnati Museum Center, which occupies the former Union Terminal. Most residents of Cincinnati are familiar with the most current use of this building as well as its original purpose, a major railroad terminal by which passengers and freight from all over the United States passed through the Queen City. However, this area served two other purposes prior to the building of the terminal station, the first of which may surprise you. Continue reading →