CECH Library is excited to announce that the new Study and Focus Tools Collection (SFTC) is available to the UC community. The collection is located on the 3rd floor of the CECH Library near the stairs and items can be checked out for one week.
The SFTC was created with your help through a survey and many of you have interacted with the collection at ‘sneak peek’ events in Spring 2025. With your help, we also named our fidget slugs: Gleeb, Glorb, and Grape Juice.
Continue readingWe’re excited to share that the 4th floor of the CECH Library will undergo a renovation beginning Tuesday, May 27. The space will be closed for the summer and is set to reopen at the start of the fall semester.
This transformation is designed to better support our students and academic community by creating a more dynamic, flexible, and welcoming environment.
What’s coming:
The main level (3rd floor) will remain open, and materials will still be accessible by request.
This project reflects our ongoing commitment to student success and innovation in academic spaces. Stay tuned for updates — and have a fantastic summer.
Katie Foran-Mulcahy (she/her)
Head, College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) Library
In March 2025, journal publishers received the following notice from ERIC. This information was also detailed in a prior LiBlog post in April:
The Department of Education is working with the Department of Government Efficiency to “reduce overall Federal spending” and “reallocate spending to promote efficiency” (EO 14222). As a result, the number of records added to the ERIC collection will be significantly reduced going forward. The number of actively cataloged sources will be reduced by approximately 45% starting April 24, 2025. Subject matter was not considered during the process to identify which sources would be made inactive. Please note that all records currently in ERIC will remain available.
On April 28, 2025, the acting director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) announced a contract renewal with the AEM Corporation and the continuation of ERIC. The announcement also stated that “no content has been removed or deleted from ERIC” but characterized the future as a “new phase” with a “refined scope”.
With a 50% cut to its annual budget, the future of ERIC remains uncertain. For up-to-date information on ERIC, see the ERIC Updates page of our Education Complete LibGuide.
Barshay, J. (2025, April 28). Education Department restarts online library ERIC. The Hechinger Report. https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-restart-eric-ed-library/
Fitzgerald, S. R., Weaver, K. D., & Droog, A. (2025). Selecting a specialized education database for literature reviews and evidence synthesis projects. Research Synthesis Methods, 16(1), 30–41. doi:10.1017/rsm.2024.11
This semester the CECH Library wanted to know your thoughts. You helped us name fidget slugs, determine the best book-to-screen adaptation, and even answered burning questions like ‘is water wet?’ Check out all the ways CECH Voted this Spring Semester:
Popular books battled it out throughout the month of March to determine: what is the best book-to-screen adaptation? With surprising early round eliminations of fan favorites like Holes and Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games claimed the prize, narrowly beating out Harry Potter. Disagree? Check back next March for the next round of CECH Library March Madness!
In March 2025, journal publishers received a notice from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) which stated:
The Department of Education is working with the Department of Government Efficiency to “reduce overall Federal spending” and “reallocate spending to promote efficiency” (EO 14222). As a result, the number of records added to the ERIC collection will be significantly reduced going forward. The number of actively cataloged sources will be reduced by approximately 45% starting April 24, 2025. Subject matter was not considered during the process to identify which sources would be made inactive. Please note that all records currently in ERIC will remain available.
ERIC is a core resource for education, social sciences, and engineering research, and UC Libraries is working hard to learn more about these announced changes. While this is currently an evolving situation, we do know the following:
Some things are still unclear, such as:
As soon as we have more information, we will provide updates via the Education Complete LibGuide’s ERIC Updates page. In the meantime, UC Libraries provides access to several education databases and we would be happy to work with you on your education research. As always, reach out to a librarian for support with your literature searching.
Join us Wednesday, April 2 from 3-5pm in the CECH Library for our 2nd annual Tech & MakerLab Playground.
This open-house style event will offer a variety of hands-on exploration opportunities with our MakerLab and STEAM Kits. Check out projects from Trends in Learning Technology Innovation students, play with robots, and see demos of our newest MakerLab equipment. We’ll also offer visitors a special sneak-peak of our new Study and Focus Tools Collection.
Light refreshments available courtesy of the CECH Dean’s Office.
We hope to see you at this fun event — celebrating the intersections of learning, tech, and creativity.
See you in the library!
On behalf of Team CECH Library,
k
Katie Foran-Mulcahy
Head, CECH Library
Sometimes the hardest part about studying is staying focused. Whether you’re antsy or someone’s phone call is more interesting than tomorrow’s exam, focusing on school work can be a challenge.
CECH Library is building a new Study and Focus Tools Collection (SFTC) to debut in Fall 2025. Checkout two great opportunities to get a sneak-peak of the collection and play with some awesome fidgets!
Wednesday, March 12 (10am-12pm):
Get a first look at the collection. We’ll be tabling in the Teachers-Dyer Complex lobby (3rd floor).
Thursday, March 13 (1-4pm):
Come to the CECH Library and visit our Fidget Petting Zoo. A table will be set up near the MakerLab.
Wednesday, April 2
(3-5pm):
See our fidgets and study tools during the Tech & MakerLab Playground in CECH Library.
After doing research and surveying library users, CECH Library selected 20 items to support students’ focus and study habits – white noise machines, sound muffs, fidgets, and more! These items will be available for anyone in the UC community to use and checkout beginning Fall 2025.
–Madeleine Gaiser, CECH Library
Did you know? The CECH Library services two book returns outside of the CECH Library to make book returns easier than ever!
The first is located just outside the CECH Library entrance on level 3 of the Teachers-Dyer Complex. This book return is serviced immediately upon opening and multiple times a day while the library is open.
The second book return is in the lobby of Edwards 1, next to the WEPA printer. This book return is serviced by CECH Library student employees and staff 2 times a week. Items returned to this book return are backdated upon check in to ensure overdue fines do not accrue between service.
Library books may be returned to any UC Libraries location during their open hours as well. Special collections such as mixed materials, equipment, and reserve items belonging to the CECH Library should be returned to the CECH Library Info Desk. If you are unsure about the return policy for your item, please call us at 513-556-1430.
Rachel Hoople
operations supervisor, CECH Library
Last semester, the CECH Library collaborated with the American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Studies Department to expand d/Deaf representation in their children’s and young adult literature collections. After working with ASL 2003 students to create a book selection framework, the ASL Club helped CECH librarians choose which books to add to the library’s collections in February 2024.
Now that we have these awesome books on our shelves, Elementary Education major Alice Somers shared an exciting update on how she’s using the collection in her kindergarten practicum classroom:
As an education student completing my kindergarten practicum, I have found myself in a Deaf & Hard of Hearing classroom. I have been able to take the books from this collaboration and bring it into a classroom where the students can see themselves in the literature around them. The students and teachers have shown great interest in the books, and are excited to utilize them throughout the school year!
Thanks for this great update, Alice! We love knowing that our children’s book collections are being used and enjoyed by children, especially in a way that is affirming of their lived experience.
Katie Foran-Mulcahy
Head, College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) Library
Alice Somers
CECH Library Student Employee
Elementary Education and Deaf Studies (CECH 2026)
CECH Spotlight highlights recommended books in the the UC College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) Library.
Imogen, Obviously / written by Becky Albertalli (2023)
“True belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world. Our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.” – Brene Brown
Becky Albertalli, most well known for her novel Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, has written multiple novels that explore different yet positive LGBTQ+ experiences. Her latest novel Imogen, Obviously, focuses on the lived experience of realizing one’s own identity. It follows Imogen Scott, a high school senior who is so sure that she’s straight, at least that’s what everyone tells her. It’s not until she visits her best friend at college, and begins meeting her friends (who all happen to be Queer) that Imogen begins to rethink her identity.
Albertalli intimately explores the process of self-acceptance, and the anxiety of feeling enough. Imogen, Obviously is a love letter to those who are on their journey of learning to understand their identity. This novel shouts, “You’re enough, you matter, you belong!” For the first time in a long time, I felt the power of seeing myself in the media.
This book is available for checkout in the CECH Library, as well as via the OhioLINK and Search Ohio lending networks.
Review by Alice Somers, CECH Library Student Assistant | Early Childhood Education and Deaf Studies, CECH 2026