Tag Archives: CECH Library Blog

CECH Library’s study room was designed for you!

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As part of the 4th floor renovation, CECH Library reimagined the study room located in 400B to be a space where learners of all kinds can be successful. The room includes a shelf of study and focus tools, part of the Study & Focus Tools Collection (STFC), for your use while in the space.

In addition to the enhancements below, wall art was added to space to make it more inviting and colorful.

Choose your own lighting

The room’s overhead lights are on a dimmer switch so you can adjust the brightness to your preferences. Not a fan of fluorescent lighting? There is also a floor lamp. The lamp has three LED lamp heads that operate independently. Each lamp head can be adjusted for both brightness and color temperature.

Supporting your focus

Our study room has its own set of SFTC items, available to anyone using the space. This includes a variety of fidgets, a weighted lap pad, blue light glasses, a small timer, and more! These items are designated to live in the study room. If you are interested in borrowing an item from the library, check out the shelf of SFTC items on CECH Library’s 3rd floor, by the board games and stairs.

Volume controls

Enjoy our private study room with the right amount of noise for you. The SFTC shelf has sound-blocking headphones and a white noise machine. The white noise machine has 30 sounds and a sleep timer.

Get comfortable

Study is hard work so you should at least be comfortable. Our space has a comfortable armchair in addition to a round table with four chairs on wheels. Feeling antsy? Try standing on the wobble board! It might even help you think.

The study room is available by reservation only. Make a reservation on 25Live and check in at the CECH Library front desk at the time of your reservation. Hope to see you soon!

Madeleine Gaiser, CECH Library.

New Collection Alert: CECH Library Study & Focus Tools

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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.

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CECH Library Annual Highlights, AY25

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CECH Library staff have produced a Microsoft Sway presentation with stories, key data, and proud achievements from academic year 2024-25. We hope you’ll enjoy reviewing library happenings from the past year as much as we did!

As always, feel free to reach out directly with any feedback, ideas, or questions.

Team CECH Library
Katie Foran-Mulcahy, Madeleine Gaiser + Rachel Hoople

UC Libraries Source Newsletter Highlights CECH MakerLab Revitalization

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We’re thrilled to share that the CECH Library MakerLab was recently profiled in the latest issue of Source, UC Libraries’ quarterly newsletter.

The article, titled “Re-Making the MakerLab: A Year of Creative Collaboration in the CECH Library,” explores the exciting transformation of the MakerLab over the past year. It highlights the partnership between UC Libraries and the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH), which has led to a revitalized space for hands-on learning.

We invite you to read the article and learn more about the journey and vision behind the MakerLab’s evolution. And as always, we welcome your questions, feedback, or ideas for collaboration. Let’s chat — reach us at cechlibrary@uc.edu.

Announcement of MakerLab Workshops, Fall 2025

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The CECH Library is excited to unveil our Fall 2025 MakerLab Workshop Series – a hands-on, creative lineup designed to spark innovation and empower makers of all skill levels.

Whether you’re a seasoned crafter or just curious about the tools and tech available in the MakerLab, we’ve got something for everyone. This fall, our workshops will cover a variety of topics, including Cricut Design Space (and the Cricut Maker 3), sticker making, use of the xTool laser, and 3D printing and Tinkercad basics.

Make it a great day,
Katie Foran-Mulcahy, Head
CECH Library

Level Up Your Research with CECH Library Workshops

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From the CECH Library, welcome back for another great school year!

The CECH Library will be offering a variety of virtual and in-person workshops this fall. Register for workshops via Faculty OneStop using the links below.

  • Keep your sources organized and your citations pristine with Zotero, a free citation management tool. Zotero boasts desktop and web functionality as well as collaboration features. Come to a Zotero workshop to learn more.
  • Need a research refresher? Been out of school for a few years and your research skills feel a little rusty? Join us at our research skills refresher workshop.
  • Did you notice that the UC Libraries homepage looks a little different? Want to learn the ins-and-outs of our new search bar? Get all your questions answered at our Secrets of OneSearch workshop.
  • Interested in pursuing a systematic review? Are you a student or researcher in the social sciences? Learn everything you need to know about systematic reviews at this social sciences-focused workshop.

Checkout CECH Library’s workshop offerings and all UC Libraries’ workshops on Faculty OneStop. Hope to see you soon.

Welcome back! Love, CECH Library

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Hard to believe we’re here already, again. Summer went by VERY quickly this year. From all of us here in CECH Library, welcome back! We’ve been hard at work this summer and have so enjoyed reconnecting with our amazing students this week.  Here are a few high-level updates about summer projects and support opportunities in the semester ahead.

The renovation of our 4th floor reading room is still in progress and slated to re-open by spring 2026. For the most up-to-date information on our reading room, check out the 4th floor renovation page on our website. You’ll also find an up-to-date photo gallery where you can view the project in progress.

Your CECH librarians are eager to support you via library instruction and research assistance. Reach out to your CECH librarian liaison for details and support. This fall we are offering a variety of virtual and in-person workshops on topics such as systematic reviews, research skills, and citation management. A complete listing of workshops and registration details are available via Faculty OneStop.

Those who have our UC Libraries website bookmarked may notice a new search box and majorly improved discovery tool, now known as OneSearch. Use it to search for articles, books, and nearly everything else that UC holds in its print and electronic collections. All CECH Library staff are eager to assist you with OneSearch, and don’t miss this excellent suite of support resources in the CECH Knowledge Base from librarian Madeleine Gaiser.

Lastly, our MakerLab is operational and staffed with two MakerLab Assistants Monday-Thursday from 1-5pm.  Drop in anytime our library is open to use self-service tools, or visit during MakerLab Assistant hours to get help with advanced tools, including the laser cutter/engraver, sticker printer, and 3D printer. And stay tuned – fall semester MakerLab workshop offerings will be announced soon.

All best,
Katie, Madeleine + Rachel (CECH Library staff)

Renovation Alert: CECH Library 4th Floor

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We’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.

Architectural rendering of planned improvements to the CECH Library reading room.

What’s coming:

  • Reconfigured layout for enhanced study, collaboration, and events
  • Modern study tables with integrated power and lighting
  • Comfortable seating, refreshed study room, new carpet, and paint
  • A thoughtful blend of modern design and the existing classic architectural elements

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

ERIC Updates, May 2025

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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.

Further Reading

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 

CECH voted!

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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:

March Madness

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!

Large yellow poster showing a voting bracket with books and their movie adaptation.
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