Shakespeare’s Culturally Relevant Halloween Story

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By Erica Bock, Archives and Rare Books Library Intern

Titus AndronicusIt is that time of year again. It is starting to feel like fall and Halloween is right around the corner. Netflix is coming out with their top Halloween picks. And a category such as “gory” or “gruesome” is bound to be featured, as it is nearly every year. If you are like me, not only do you enjoy a scary film, but there are also books that fit the season. Maybe you are cracking open Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Stephen King’s Carrie. However, I just may have a new recommendation for you. Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus is a horror story that would definitely be featured on Netflix’s gory or gruesome film choices. And, believe it or not, it would be appealing to the same fans who adore American Horror Story or Sweeney Todd. But apart from appealing to the horror genre buff, this play addresses some issues that may be very close to home.

Although this story features a horrific fourteen killings, six severed members, one rape, one live burial, one case of insanity and an instance of cannibalism, we can find a number of these barbaric acts relevant to today’s culture. First and foremost, the issue of racism is addressed through these events. Titus Andronicus’ opposing sides consist of the Romans, which are revealed to be the more civilized pale skinned people, and the Goths, the darker skinned people known for their lawlessness and tactlessness. These are simply cultural biases that our culture is no stranger to. However, as the story progresses, both parties commit crimes of hatred, causing the audience to wonder who the heartless and reckless people really are in the end. Continue reading →

Join us for “Zorro Turns 100: The Hispanic Legacy of America’s First Superhero”

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Zorro Turns 100: The Hispanic Legacy
of America’s First Superhero

In 1919, an unknown U.S. pulp fiction writer created a masked California hero who fought for the people against tyranny. The dashing Zorro not only became America’s first superhero—he influenced the creation of Batman and other cape crusaders in years to come.

Join us to learn about Zorro’s Hispanic legacy and why, without him, we wouldn’t have today’s superhero universe.

Who:  Dr. Mauricio Espinoza, Assistant Professor of Spanish and Latin American Literature

When: Wednesday, October 23, 2 PM-3:30 PM

Where: Walter C. Langsam Library Digital Commons (by the Triceracopter)

New Library Exhibit Showcases Artful Books

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“Artful Books,” on display now through the end of fall semester on the 4th and 5th floor lobbies of the Walter C. Langsam Library, features books created by members of the Cincinnati Book Arts Society (CBAS) inspired by and in celebration of UC and UC Libraries.

Earlier this year, CBAS members visited the Archives and Rare Books Library where they researched and reviewed various collections for inspiration – the results of which are now on display in two cases with over 15 artists’ books covering a wide range of subjects, forms and mediums. Select highlights of the exhibit include:

shooting star artist book

Jan Thomas, “Shooting Star”

Jan Thomas, “Shooting Star.” In 1952, Marian Spencer, along with her sons, was not permitted at segregated Coney Island, Ohio, Amusement Park. This singular event became the catalyst for a life of public service as a civil rights advocate, community leader and champion.

Marguerite and Doug Katchen, "Bearcats and the Past,"

Marguerite and Doug Katchen, “Bearcats and the Past”

Marguerite and Doug Katchen, “Bearcats and the Past.” Bearcats have been symbols of UC at least since the early 20th century. Wooden plagues of the map of Ohio were used as pages on which was described a brief history of the University of Cincinnati and on which were displayed Bearcat and Ohio patches.

queen's icons artist book

Beth Belknap Brann, “Queen’s Icons”

Beth Belknap Brann, “Queen’s Icons.” This hand-drawn book is a celebration of Cincinnati’s architectural gems of the late 19th century. It was inspired by the historic photo archives in UC’s Archives and Rare Books Library.

Smruti Deoghare, “200 Years of Red, Black (and White)

Smruti Deoghare, “200 Years of Red, Black (and White),” the University of Cincinnati colors are more than just college colors. This bold palette of tricolor represents unity in diversity. Over the last 200 years, the University has provided education to people from all walks of life and colors – red, black, white, and all shades in between. The artist feels Tangeman University Center is the ideal architectural symbol of inclusivity on campus.

A brochure describing all of the books on display is available at the exhibit and online.

“Artful Books” was curated by Jessica Ebert, conservation technician in the Preservation Lab and CBAS member, and was designed by Michelle Matevia, communication design co-op student.

The Cincinnati Books Arts Society began in 1998 and is a non-profit organization comprised of professional and amateur book artists, paper artists and creators. Their membership includes bookbinders, print makers, paper marblers, book artists, archivists, conservation professionals and book enthusiasts interested in learning more about books and how they are created. Interested in learning more about CBAS? Check out their website and follow them on Facebook (Cincinnati Book Arts Society).

First Wave Feminism-Is it Still Relevant?

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By Erica Bock, Archives and Rare Books Library Intern

Anne Bradstreet from The Poems of Mrs. Anne BradstreetMany of us remember being forced to read the poetry of Anne Bradstreet in high school or even college. And most of us read summaries online or in SparkNotes so we could still get an “A” without having to spend the time to decipher certain poetry. In high school, I was that person too.

However, when a college professor assigned us the week’s reading, I actually took the time to read Bradstreet’s works. Maybe it was because of lack of anything else to do. Or maybe I just really liked the professor’s approach to teaching. Regardless, I delved into the world of Bradstreet and I was both inspired and pleasantly surprised.

This free thinking first wave feminist started to inspire my life. And in particular, I took to her poem, “The Four Elements”. Bradstreet observed the world around her. And I began to realize what could happen if I too decided to become more aware of the world around me. Bradstreet reminded me that there is beauty in the natural chaos of life. And though everyone is different, we can use our differences to our advantage. Continue reading →

Albert Sabin Notebook Digitization Project Closing Events

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Karen Torghele and Larry Anderson field questions from the audience after their presentation

Thursday evening, October 10, 2019, the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions hosted the first in a series of lectures that will bring to a close a multi-year project to digitize portions of Albert B. Sabin’s laboratory notebooks. The project was funded by The John Hauck Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, John W. Hauck, Narley L. Haley, Co-Trustees. Over the course of two years the Winkler Center saw to the digitization of over 40 notebooks consisting of approximately 6000 pages. These notebooks were all uploaded to the University of Cincinnati’s online repository, Scholar@UC and are all keyword searchable PDFs. We know this will be an incredible boon to Sabin and polio history researchers, and virologists worldwide.

The gift to the Winkler Center also allowed the repository to revamp its Hauck Center for the Albert B. Sabin Archives online exhibit and website. The new site will roll out the week of October 14-18 and is now more accessible to a wider and diverse array of users than ever before.

Presenters at the October 10th event, Karen Torghele and Larry Anderson MD, combined stories of Sabin’s early academic career with examples of his meticulous research skills and how the former fed the latter. Dr. Anderson showed two sections of Sabin’s notebooks where Sabin identified for the first time the virus strains that would go into his oral polio vaccine a few years later. What a moment!

A reception followed the presentation along with the opening of Sabin and Chumakov Surmounting the Impossible: Cold War Collaboration in the Defeat of Polio, an exhibit detailing the life-long friendship and professional comradery of Albert B. Sabin and Mikail Petrovich Chumakov.  It was Sabin’s work with Soviet scientist Chumakov that led to the oral polio vaccine’s first use and success in the Soviet Union. It was only from that success that the vaccine was approved and distributed in the United States.

Over the next several weeks the Winkler Center will host three more Sabin related lectures. These will all be held in the Stanley J. Lucas MD Boardroom between 12 and 1PM. A light lunch will be provided. See below for speakers, dates, and presentation titles.

Dr. David Bernstein

Thursday, October 17, 2019

12-1PM, Stanley J. Lucas Boardroom

Dr. David Bernstein: Developing a Vaccine from Sabin to Rotarix

Dr. David Bernstein has been at CCHMC for over 35 years and rose through the ranks of assistant, associate and full professor to become the infectious disease division director in 2000. His tenure as division director saw a rapid rise in research, training and clinical care. Dr. Bernstein’s interest is primarily in the field of vaccinology and virology. Over the past 30 years he has contributed to the development of several vaccines; most notable rotavirus, norovirus, herpes viruses and influenza and he has published over 300 manuscripts in this field. The rotavirus vaccine now marketed as Rotarix around the world was first developed by Dr. Bernstein and his colleague Dr. Richard Ward. He has also been actively involved in the clinical evaluation of vaccines for several STIs including HSV, CMV, and HPV, agents of bioterrorism including small pox and anthrax, and many childhood vaccines. He has been the PI of one of the NIH funded Vaccine Treatment Evaluation Units (VTEUs) for over 15 years and has led several large studies in adolescents. His international recognition as a vaccinologist has contributed to the outstanding reputation of the Infectious Diseases Division of CCHMC.

Dr. Paul Spearman

Thursday, October 31, 2019

12-1PM, Stanley J. Lucas Boardroom

Dr. Paul Spearman: Ebola Virus Outbreaks and Current Vaccine Approaches

Paul Spearman, MD is the Albert B. Sabin Professor and Director of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. His laboratory studies fundamental aspects of HIV biology and develops new vaccines for human pathogens. HIV assembly processes are a major focus of the laboratory, including the trafficking of the HIV envelope glycoprotein and its interaction with essential host factors. A related project studies how HIV interacts with macrophages and microglia. Dr. Spearman and his colleagues in the CCHMC Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU) are engaged in the design and performance of clinical trials for new vaccines in adults and children, with a special interest in employing cutting-edge technologies to define innate and adaptive immune responses to vaccines. Dr. Spearman is currently leading trials for Ebola and avian influenza vaccine development.

Dr. Spearman serves on the Board of Scientific Counselors for NCI, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee for the FDA, and is President of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS). Beyond his research interests, Dr. Spearman is a Pediatric ID clinician and enjoys caring for children and mentoring future leaders in Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Robert Frenck

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

12-1PM Stanley J. Lucas Boardroom

Dr. Robert W. Frenck, Jr.: Vaccines and the Ongoing Legacy of Dr. Sabin: An Ounce of Prevention is Better Than a Pound of Cure!

Robert W Frenck, Jr, M.D. is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Executive Chair of the IRB at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr Frenck received his BA from the University of Calif at San Diego and his M.D. from the Univ of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSC). He completed a pediatric residency at the National Naval Medical Center and a fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UTHSC. Dr Frenck has been a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Infectious Diseases (Red Book Committee) as well as on the Executive Committee of the AAP Section on Infectious Diseases (SOID) and Chair of the SOID Education Committee. He has published over 100 articles in the peer reviewed literature with a focus on infectious diseases and vaccines.

 

We are again indebted to The Hauck Foundation for this generous gift that has funded not only a digitization project and website face-lift, but also this incredible lecture series. Please plan to attend one of the remaining events they are sure to be intellectually stimulating and thoughtful discussions.

 

 

UC Clermont Exhibit Explores Historic Angles of Modern Architecture

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Collecting Space and Form Exhibit

Collecting Space and Form Exhibit

Modernist architecture is on full display at UC Clermont College now through Dec. 13 as part of “Collecting Space and Form: Ideas of the Modern,” featuring exhibits from the Robert A. Deshon and Karl J. Schlachter Library for Design, Art, Architecture and Planning at the University of Cincinnati’s Uptown campus.

In the mid-20th-century, Cincinnati architects created buildings and planning of local, national and international importance. Cincinnati played a significant, but largely unrecognized, role in the introduction of International Style Modernist architecture to the United States.

The DAAP library has been collecting and archiving drawings, photographs and other materials related to Cincinnati Modernist architecture since 2008. This exhibit focuses specifically on Cincinnati Modernist architect Woodie Garber, who had an important though sometimes tense relationship with the University. In the late 1960s-70s, Garber created a master plan and designed several buildings for UC. Two of his buildings were built: the Sander Hall dormitory complex and Procter Hall for the College of Nursing and Health. Sander Hall dormitory was demolished (though its adjacent cafeteria building survives, repurposed for new uses) and Procter Hall has been re-clad and remodeled. Garber also interacted with UC by employing many DAAP architecture students as cooperative education interns in his office and hiring some after their graduation.

Further emphasizing the breadth of UC’s collection are artists’ books from the DAAP Library focusing on the link between art and language. This selection of modern works from UC’s vast collection links the ideas of space and form, from the archival aspects of architecture, to the collecting of the three-dimensional as it meets in the two-dimensional within artists’ books.

The show was curated by Patrick Snadon, UC professor emeritus, design and architectural historian; Elizabeth Meyer, DAAP librarian; and Carla Cesare, assistant professor of art history.

The Park National Bank Art Gallery is located in the Snyder Building on the UC Clermont College campus in Batavia at 4200 Clermont College Drive. Gallery summer hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. For more than 20 years, the spacious 1,000-square-foot gallery has offered visual art exhibits open to UC Clermont students, faculty, staff and the general public.

Student Research Consultant’s experience at the XSEDE Big Data Workshop

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Zhiyuan Yao is a Geography PhD candidate and a student research consultant in the Research Labs@ GMP, in the Geology-Math-Physics Library.  She is a GIS expert in the UC Libraries Research & Data Services Team and can help you with your GIS and other research data questions.  Below she describes her recent experience attending the XSEDE workshop on Big Data.

The Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE) is an NSF-funded virtual organization that integrates and coordinates the sharing of supercomputers with researchers nationally to support science. It has five computer resource infrastructures located across the nations, and Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC) is a part of it. PSC offers workshops from time to time through the year and aims to promote advanced data analysis among a variety of research fields using its supercomputer, Bridges. Thanks to IT@UC Research & Development, Innovation and Partnerships, who cooperates with PSC to offer the free workshop to UC community. The workshop is one of many events in the Data & Computational Science Series funded by the Provost Office.  I was glad to attend the Big Data workshop and give you a glimpse of the informative workshop.

The Big Data workshop was held on Oct 1st to Oct 2nd, from 11: 00 AM to 5: 30 PM. The workshop was well organized and followed a working flow: introducing background information, providing examples, and doing exercises. I really appreciated the background information introduced in this workshop, since it provided a holistic view of this workshop which was friendly to beginners. Besides, this workshop talked about several programs for big data analysis, such as Hadoop and Spark, and Tensorflow. The Big data workshop is one of PSC HPC workshop series, such as MPI, OpenMP, OpenACC, et al. If you are interested in one of these workshops, you can check if IT@UC offers this workshop at Workshops & Trainings in Faculty OneStop.

lunch options at the XSEDE workshop

Besides the free knowledge, you also have free lunch! IT@UC Research & Development, Innovation and Partnerships offered the yummy lunch through the Data & Computational Science Series funded by the Provost Office. If you are interested in learning things about high performance computing, please come and take advantage of the free resources and the yummy lunch!

 

The next XSEDE event is coming up soon:

XSEDE Monthly HPC Workshop: OpenMP

Tuesday November 5, 2019 – 11:00am to 5:00pm
Langsam Library Room 475

Arlene Johnson to Head New Collection Development Services and Engagement Department

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arlene johnsonThe University of Cincinnati Libraries announce a new strategic endeavor and department aimed at creating a holistic strategy for collections and the services provided for them. Effective Oct. 1, the new department is called Collection Development Services and Engagement and is to be led by senior librarian Arlene Johnson.

In her new role, Arlene will be responsible for:

  • development of a collections development services strategy for UC Libraries.
  • oversight and day-to-day management of all UC Libraries resource sharing activities.
  • development of services and strategies for remote storage of physical collections.
  • continuation as the selector and liaison to the Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures Department.

The goals of this new initiative and department are to create a sustainable collection development services approach by looking across all disciplines at UC Libraries, understanding OhioLINK and other nationwide and international trends in resource sharing and ensuring that long-term remote storage needs will meet and exceed users’ expectations. Over the next six months, Arlene will work collaboratively with College and Departmental Library heads, liaison/selector faculty librarians and content management faculty and staff to perform an environmental scan of current best practices, as well as national research trends and approaches, so as to identify and articulate a series of recommendations to the UC Libraries community for feedback, development and implementation.

Arlene has 19 years of service and scholarship with UC Libraries, serving previously as co-director of the Digital Scholarship Center and before that head of the Libraries’ Circulation and Multimedia Services Department.

“Arlene brings an outstanding skill-set and experiences to lead this important strategic endeavor,” said Brad Warren, associate dean of public services for UC Libraries. “Her understanding of the role of the liaison coupled with the changing landscape of scholarship and the unique needs of the academic community, make her the ideal choice to head up this new department.”

“I would like to thank Arlene for her recent work with the Digital Scholarship Center,” said Xuemao Wang, vice provost of digital scholarship and dean and university librarian. “She played an instrumental role in introducing the concept of digital humanities to both UC Libraries and to our colleagues at the university, as well as in the early establishment of the Digital Scholarship Center.”

Congratulations to Arlene on her new position and responsibilities!

October Book of the Month

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No Visible Bruises bookcover

We call it domestic violence. We call it private violence. Sometimes we call it intimate terrorism. But whatever we call it, we generally do not believe it has anything at all to do with us, despite the World Health Organization deeming it a “global epidemic.” In America, domestic violence accounts for 15 percent of all violent crime, and yet it remains locked in silence, even as its tendrils reach unseen into so many of our most pressing national issues, from our economy to our education system, from mass shootings to mass incarceration to #MeToo. We still have not taken the true measure of this problem.

In No Visible Bruises, journalist Rachel Louise Snyder gives context for what we don’t know we’re seeing. She frames this urgent and immersive account of the scale of domestic violence in our country around key stories that explode the common myths—that if things were bad enough, victims would just leave; that a violent person cannot become nonviolent; that shelter is an adequate response; and most insidiously that violence inside the home is a private matter, sealed from the public sphere and disconnected from other forms of violence. Through the stories of victims, perpetrators, law enforcement, and reform movements from across the country, Snyder explores the real roots of private violence, its far-reaching consequences for society, and what it will take to truly address it.

Is it checked out?

No worries, we have more titles on the subject.

Framing the Victim : Domestic Violence, Media, and Social Problems – HN59.2 .B468 2004

Violent Partners : a Breakthrough Plan for Ending the Cycle of Abuse – HV6626.2 .M58 2008

Teen Dating Violence : How Peers Affect Risk & Protective Factors – ebook

 By Christian Boyles

Presenting the Albert B. Sabin Research Notebook Digitization Project Lecture Series

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albert sabinDr. Albert B. Sabin, developer of the oral polio vaccine, donated his complete correspondence, laboratory materials, manuscripts, awards and medals to the University of Cincinnati. His papers document both the development and testing of the oral polio vaccine and the growth of virology as a discipline.

In 1995, the John Hauck Foundation helped the Cincinnati Medical Heritage Center (now the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions) establish the Hauck Center for the Albert B. Sabin Archives. An initial gift provided funds for an archivist to organize and preserve Dr. Sabin’s collection. Later, the Hauck Foundation provided the Winkler Center with two additional donations that helped with the construction of the Winkler Center’s new home and the building of the John Hauck Foundation Gallery in the space.

Recently, selections of the Albert B. Sabin Papers Laboratory Notebooks were digitized with another gift from the John Hauck Foundation. The digitized materials were added to UC’s online repository, Scholar@UC available at https://scholar.uc.edu/ (search “Sabin Notebooks”). The physical collection of laboratory notebooks holds the entirety of Sabin’s laboratory work during his time at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Research Foundation and the University of Cincinnati (1935 to 1969), including his service to the United States during World War II.

To close and celebrate this most recent project, the Winkler Center will produce a series of lectures dealing with Sabin, his research and the field of virology. Continue reading →