Celebrate National Library Week with UCBA Library

Posted on April 20, 2026 by Michelle Leonard

Happy National Library Week, UCBA! The theme for this year’s celebration of libraries is “Find Your Joy!”.

This week, we invite our campus community to take a moment to think about where they find library joy, whether that comes through discovery, learning, creativity, or connection. National Library Week is a time to recognize the important role academic libraries play in teaching, research, and lifelong learning. From scholarly collections and digital resources to technology and expert support, the library remains at the heart of our campus.

To celebrate, we are hosting a variety of fun events and activities throughout the week. Be sure to check out the message monitors inside and outside the library, where we have curated some of our most joyful library moments from over the years.

Monday – Thursday Events

Find Joy in Unexpected Places: Students are invited to explore the library and keep an eye out for a hidden gifts of joy. Each day, one small squishable surprise with a National Library Week message of encouragement will be tucked away somewhere in the library. Finders keepers!
Guess the Bookworms: How many gummy bookworms are cozied up in the jar? Students can stop by the library and submit their best guess through Thursday this week. We’ll review guesses on Friday and the student with the closest guess wins the entire jar of bookworms!
Book Blooms Display: Fresh reads for a new season! Browse our spring book display, check out a book, and grab a treat to enjoy along the way.

Wednesday | 12 pm – 2 pm

Spring Fling: Visit our table at the Student Life and Success Spring Fling for freebies, treats, and a chance to say hello.

Thursday | 2 pm – 3 pm

Coffee, Cookies & Community: Books in the Nook Finale: Faculty, staff, and students are invited to stop by to enjoy coffee and cookies, and take a moment to recharge in the library’s wellness space or anywhere in the library. This gathering also marks the final Books in The Nook event of the semester and is a perfect opportunity to reflect and connect as the semester wraps up.
Thursday is also Take Action for Libraries Day, a time to rally support and show appreciation for libraries and the work they do.

Students and staffed reading and relaxing in the Nook — Faculty, staff and students enjoying the Books in the Nook silent reading party.

We hope to see you around the library this week. We also encourage you to show some love to your local public libraries. We are truly fortunate to have such an outstanding library system in the greater Cincinnati area.

Thanks, and see you in the library!

UCBA Library Joy Abounds

Photo collage of UCBA Library faculty, staff, students and visitors expressing joy in the UCBA Library.

Three library staff members holding their spin art.

Langsam Library offering extended hours during exams

Posted on April 17, 2026 by Melissa Cox Norris

Need a place to study for exams? Working late on a class project? The Walter C. Langsam Library has extended building hours beginning Sunday, April 19 through exams. Sunday – Thursday, the building is open until 3am. The Desk@Langsam will maintain regular hours. The Exam hours are listed on the Libraries website.

Good luck, Bearcats, on exams!

The Preservation Lab will display “Preservation of all shapes and sizes” at their annual open house Thursday, April 30

Posted on April 9, 2026 by Melissa Cox Norris

Join us for the Annual Preservation Lab Open House, Thursday, April 30, 2-4pm, 300 level of the Walter Langsam Library. “Preservation of all shapes and sizes” will include tours of the lab, demonstrations of projects and treatments, cookies, bookmarks and stickers!

Want a sneak peek of the work of the Preservation Lab? Stop by Langsam Library’s 4th floor on Tuesday, April 21, 10-11:30am and Thursday, April 23, 2-3:30pm to learn about housing complex materials and relax with a hands-on activity.

Formed in 2012, the Preservation Lab is a book and paper conservation lab. The Preservation Lab provides the full suite of preservation services to the University of Cincinnati Libraries and, for a fee, to other cultural heritage institutions. The Preservation Lab’s expertise is in book and paper conservation, with services available in general circulating materials repair, single-item conservation treatment, housing, exhibition prep, and preservation consulting.

The Preservation Lab Open House is free and open to all to attend. Those driving to campus can park in the Woodside Drive/Library Garage or Campus Green Garage off of Martin Luther King Drive.

RDS announces UC Open Research Day and the Undergraduate Research Summer Learning Community

Posted on April 6, 2026 by Melissa Cox Norris

UC Libraries provides access to a wide range of Research Data and GIS services and resources for the campus community. Informationists and librarians assist researchers in managing and preserving research data, finding and acquiring external data and in utilizing GIS techniques and software. Research and Data Services (RDS) announces two programs this summer to engage with research experts — UC Open Research Day on May 27 and the Undergraduate Research Summer Learning Community running June 3 through July 22.

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Introducing the renovated CECH Library Reading Room

Posted on April 2, 2026 by Melissa Cox Norris

Join us for a Grand Opening Celebration

CECH Library Reading Room Grand Opening Celebration
Tuesday, April 21
2:30-4:30pm (brief remarks at 3pm)
400 Level of Teachers-Dyer Complex, 2610 University Circle

The start of spring semester saw the opening of the CECH Library Reading Room. Located on the 400 level of the Teachers-Dyer Complex, and totaling more than 3,000 square feet, the reading room is accessible via the staircase in the CECH Library or directly with a Bearcat ID. It offers a variety of seating, library collections and a reservable study room (400B) with adaptive lighting and study and focus tools.

At the Grand Opening Celebration, tour the space, enjoy refreshments, hear remarks from UC Libraries and CECH and enjoy the refreshed space. At 3:30pm, venture downstairs to the 3rd floor CECH MakerLab for an informal showcase of innovative Making and STEAM kit projects created as part of the School of Education’s digital pedagogical support initiative.

The Grand Opening Celebration is open to all, so bring a colleague and a friend.

And the winners are…results of the 2026 International Edible Books Festival

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Melissa Cox Norris

The University of Cincinnati Libraries celebrated the International Edible Books Festival on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. The event marked the 25th year of UC Libraries participating in Edible Books — and it was a momentous occasion!

extra yarn edible book — Best Student Entry – Ellie Alfieri, Extra Yarn

This year, saw an impressive 24 entries from students, librarians and staff, along with family, friends and retirees. There are few restrictions in creating an edible book – namely that the creation be edible and have something to do with a book. Today’s entries covered all genres – from fiction to non-fiction, animals, food, classics, contemporary titles and more.

Contemporary fiction Seared on the Heart, The Song of Achilles, Holes, The Names, Intermezzo, along with classics Frankenstein and The Tell-Tale Heart were well represented. Non-fiction titles Feeding Ghosts, The Hidden Lives of Trees and Dirt: The Scoop on Soil were sure to educate and delight.

And the winners are…results of the 2026 International Edible Books Festival

Numerous children’s books made people smile with The Hundred Dresses, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Do You Have a Hat?, Great Sharky Shark, Extra Yarn and The Day the Crayons Quit.

Food-themed titles I am Grateful for Chicken Pot Pie (which was a virtual entry), Cakes and Ale, Triceramisu and Amaze! Rocky Road Cookies were delicious.

This year also saw two sets of identical entries — the fan-favorite Heated Rivalry and the popular book about to be a film Remarkably Bright Creatures.

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New exhibit highlights Cincinnati’s Foodshed

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Melissa Cox Norris

Two exhibits on display on the 4th and 5th floor lobbies of the Walter C. Langsam Library feature the work of Cincinnati’s Foodshed: An Art Atlas, a visually stunning and thought-provoking exploration through the past, present and future of the Cincinnati Tristate region’s food economy. The exhibit features timelines and storymaps to celebrate the people, innovations and businesses that have shaped the local food movement.

Food mapping is one way to analyze data and share stories of how the physical environment intersects with the lived experience of food access. The exhibit displays maps created in partnership with neighborhood associations and by walking the area.

rivers, canals & commerce graphic from the exhibit

The exhibit promotes the availability of UC Libraries Research & Data Services – informationists and librarians that can assist researchers in managing and preserving research data, finding and acquiring external data, and in utilizing GIS techniques and software. People wanting to create their own map or work with spatial data and need assistance, can work with GIS research consultants available to help.

A bibliography of related UC Libraries resources is available for takeout at the exhibit for people who want to learn more about the topics covered in the exhibit.

Cincinnati’s Foodshed: An Art Atlas was written by Alan Wight, PhD. The exhibit was curated by Alan Wight and Amy Koshoffer, assistant director of RDS. It was designed by Reece Guthier, communication design co-op student.

The Langsam exhibits correspond with a similar exhibit on display in the Karl J. Schlachter and Robert A. Deshon Library for Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP). Cincinnati’s Foodshed: Art, Ecology and Community features a selection of works from the book. The exhibit is on display at the entrance to the library.

Celebrate National Poetry Month with a poetry reading April 8, 4:30pm in Langsam Library

Posted on March 25, 2026 by Melissa Cox Norris

The University of Cincinnati Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room announce the next roster of poets for Poetry Stacked, a semi-regular poetry reading series held in the 6th floor east stacks of the Walter C. Langsam Library.

At the next event, scheduled for Wednesday, April 8 at 4:30pm, Amy Lemmon, UC alumna along with five undergraduate student poets: Madison Crock, Grace Harsh, Nate Murphy, Iris Rokvić and Madeline Schrand.

Amy Lemmon is the author of the poetry collections Saint Nobody (Red Hen Press) and The Miracles (C&R Press) and coauthor, with Denise Duhamel, of the chapbooks ABBA: The Poems (Coconut Books) and Enjoy Hot or Iced: Poems in Conversation and a Conversation (Slapering Hol Press, 2011). Her poems and essays have appeared in The Best American Poetry, Rolling Stone, Prairie Schooner, The Hopkins Review, The Cincinnati Review, The Journal, Marginalia, and many other magazines and anthologies. Recipient of fellowships from the Constance Saltonstall Foundation, Sewanee Writers’ Workshop, and Antioch Writers’ Workshop, Amy is Professor of English at the Fashion Institute of Technology-SUNY, where she teaches writing, literature, and creativity studies. She has performed her poetry widely including the KGB Bar-Lit series, the Montevallo Literary Festival, and the New York Public Library. She lives in Astoria, Queens.

Celebrate National Poetry Month with a poetry reading April 8, 4:30pm in Langsam Library

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April 20th Lunch & Learn to discuss scientist Leland Clark, Jr. and inventions that save lives

Posted on March 23, 2026 by Melissa Cox Norris

Join the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions and the Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry for a Lunch & Learn about inventions that save lives. Scheduled for Monday, April 20, at noon in the Science Library’s Intersect Space (240 Braunstein Hall), Bill Heineman, distinguished research professor emeritus in chemistry, will speak on Leland Clark, Jr. – his life and legacy as a scientist and inventor.

Leland Clark, Jr. has been widely acknowledged as one of the founders of biosensors. His inventions are numerous and highly impactful. He invented the first blood-oxygen sensor, glucose sensor and made fundamental progress on the heart-lung machine. He served as a professor of research pediatrics and head of the division of neurophysiology at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Research Foundation from 1968 until retirement in 1991.Clark’s achievements led to numerous honors, including special recognition as the “Father of Biosensors” at the 1992 World Congress on Biosensors and the National Academy of Engineering’s prestigious Fritz and Delores Russ Prize, an award that recognizes bioengineering achievement, in 2005. Heineman, accepted the Russ Prize on Leland Clark’s behalf, co-authored his obituary published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics and was a friend and colleague. Clark’s papers are housed in the Winkler R. Center History of the Health Professions.

The Lunch & Learn is open to all to attend. A pizza lunch will be provided.

DaVInCi@Langsam Open House April 2

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Melissa Cox Norris

Designed to support collaboration in research and teaching, the Data Visualization and Interaction (DaVInCi@Langsam) space, offers a large display screen and specialized software to allow everyone in the room to share content and interact. It is a collaborative environment that brings data into focus to generate insights, communicate findings and make better decisions.

The space creates an atmosphere where students and faculty build a community of visual thinkers at the University of Cincinnati to solve today’s biggest challenges.

DaVInCi@Langsam is a collaboration between the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the University of Cincinnati Libraries and is located in room 418 of the Walter C. Langsam Library. Join us Thursday, April 2, 2026, 9:30-11:30am at an open house to learn more about the space. Enjoy refreshments, see tech demos and learn how to reserve the space.