Join Us in Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month!

Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15th to October 15th to honor the contributions and influences of Hispanic and Latinx cultures on America. Please browse our materials on display on the 4th floor of the Walter C. Langsam Library all month and join us for presentations on Spanish and Hispano-Arabic culture.

On Thursday, September 27th, from 11:30am -12:30pm, professor Frederic Cadora and professor Grace Thome will present, “The Arabic Spice Road,” discussing how not only spices made their way to Europe from the Arab World, but also other goods—linguistic and cultural—that linked the two regions for centuries. The presentation serves as a sample of the course, “Hispano-Arabic Culture, Literature, Music, and Architecture/Art,” which will be offered in spring semester of 2019. Thyme pies and rolled grape leaves will be served to exemplify the delicious impact of Hispano-Arabic culture.

On Thursday, September 27th, from 2:00pm – 3:00pm, professor Maria-Paz Moreno will present, “Tasking Power: The Bittersweet History of Chocolate” about the fascinating history of chocolate and the origins of this food and the myths around it. This presentation serves as a sample of the course “Food and Culture of Spain,” which will also be offered in spring semester of 2019. You will get the chance to sample several kinds of chocolate and cacao beans from different parts of the world to experience the variety chocolate has to offer.

Sponsored by the University of Cincinnati Libraries, the presentations will be held in the Digital Commons space located in the back of the 4th floor of the Langsam Library. They are free and open to the entire UC community. We hope to see you there!

Exhibit Celebrates Leonard Bernstein at 100

Bernstein Centennial Celebration
Performer. Composer. Teacher.
These three descriptions of world-renowned musician Leonard Bernstein, who was born 100 years ago this year, are celebrated in a new exhibit on display on the 4th floor lobby of the Walter C. Langsam Library now through the end of the calendar year. The exhibit includes biographical and professional information about Bernstein, recordings, books and images. It corresponds with a display in the Albino Gorno Memorial (CCM) Library of additional Bernstein materials and recordings.

ccm displayThe exhibit was designed by UC Libraries communication co-op student Sophia Yu with assistance from co-op student Sam Kane. It was curated by Jenny Doctor, head of the CCM Library, and Paul Cauthen, assistant music librarian, and produced by Melissa Cox Norris, director of library communications.

For more about Leonard Bernstein, read the full exhibit text below by Jenny Doctor. Interested in attending a Leonard Bernstein Concert, visit https://ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/bernstein-festival.html, to learn about how CCM is celebrating Leonard Bernstein at 100! Continue reading

Join UC Libraries for “The Great American Read” and Vote for Your Favorite Novel

The Color Purple, Harry Potter, Gone Girl – is one of these your favorite novel? Did you enjoy or struggle reading The Grapes of Wrath, War and Peace or Heart of Darkness when assigned for class? Did you sneak read The Stand or Twilight when your teacher wasn’t looking? These favorite, or not-so-favorite, books are amongst the 100 best-loved novels up for consideration as “The Great American Read.”

The University of Cincinnati Libraries and CET are partnering to host three screenings of “The Great American Read,” 8-9 p.m., Tuesdays, Sept. 11 and 25 and Oct. 9 in the Digital Commons Space on the fourth floor of the Walter C. Langsam Library. The PBS series features some of the 100 best-loved novels with testimonials from celebrities, authors, notable Americans and book lovers across the country talking about their pick for “The Great American Read.” Fresh popcorn and refreshments will be served.

The themes of the three screenings will include:

  • Sept. 11 – The Great American Read Fall Kick-Off
    Join host Meredith Vieira in the search for America’s best-loved novel.
  • Sept. 25 – Heroes
    Take a journey with some literary heroes to examine what makes them complex and relatable.
  • Oct. 9 – What We Do For love
    Fall in love all over again with some of literature’s most beautiful romances.

 

RSVPs not required, but attendees are encouraged to mark “going” on the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/298457014220539/.

Can’t join us for the screenings? Visit “The Great American Read” at http://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/home/ to learn more and vote for your favorite novel.

Join Us for the 2018 Books by the Banks Poster Launch Featuring Artist Courttney Cooper

books by the banks poster launchUC Libraries is an organizing partner of Books by the Banks: Cincinnati Regional Book Festival. Join us for the 2018 Poster Launch on Thursday, Sept. 13 from 5-7pm at the Visionaries + Voices’ Visionarium at 3054 Madison Road in Oakley.

This year, Books by the Banks collaborated with Visionaries + Voices and artist Courttney Cooper on the creation of the poster art (a snippet of which is included on the invite at the top of this page). The launch will include refreshments, introductions by V+V and Books by the Banks, the poster reveal, and then remarks and a short Q&A with Courttney Cooper. Copies of the 2018 poster will be available for sale at the launch.

Courttney Cooper creates intensely detailed maps from his physical and psychological experiences in Cincinnati, Ohio. Using everyday materials of a Bic pen and re-purposed paper, Courttney methodically pieces fragments of his life experiences together. Established in 2003, Visionaries + Voices is a non-profit organization that provides exhibition opportunities, studio space, supplies and support to more than 125 visual artists with disabilities. V+V artists actively contribute to the greater arts community through creative, educational and strategic partnerships with local and regional artists, schools and business leaders. For more on Courttney Cooper and Visionaries + Voices, visit https://visionariesandvoices.com/courttney-cooper/.

The Books by the Banks festival is schedule for Saturday, October 20, 10am-5pm in the Duke Energy Center.

UC ‘Life of the Mind’ Series Accepting Nominations

Life of the Mind is an annual lecture series featuring interdisciplinary conversations with UC faculty from a variety of disciplines around a one-word theme. The fall lecture, scheduled for 3-5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, will focus on the theme of “next.”

Life of the Mind lectures feature one faculty member presenting his or her work and expertise in concert with the prescribed theme. The presentation is not simply a recitation of the presenter’s work, but promotes a point of view. A panel of three faculty members responds to and discusses the lecture from diverse perspectives, and a moderator encourages audience engagement.

The Life of the Mind Steering Committee seeks nominations for the featured UC faculty presenter. Each featured UC faculty presenter possesses:

  • Accomplished UC faculty member with national/international reputation.
  • Proven record of scholarship or creative works.
  • Recognized as an expert in their field of study, research or creation of works.
  • Experienced at presenting their work to an audience outside the classroom.
  • Excellent and engaging speaker able to relate to a non-specialist audience.
  • Provocative topic of study/research/creative work.

Continue reading

Native Voices: Keynote Presentation and Exhibit Opening

Suzanne Singer gives the keynote address to kick off the Native Voices exhibit.

On Thursday, July 26, Dr. Suzanne Singer launched the Native Voices exhibit opening giving her keynote presentation after introductions by Xuemao Wang, Dean, University of Cincinnati Libraries; Philip Diller, MD/PhD, Chair and Fred Lazarus Jr Endowed Professor of Family and Community Medicine; and Bleuzette Marshall, PhD, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion at UC. Dr. Singer is an Energy Systems and Thermal Analyst in the Computational Engineering Division at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, CA.  Her talk focused on the intersections between land, energy, and health in the Navajo community.

After the presentation attendees were encouraged to visit the exhibit and enjoy some of the catered hors d’oeuvres. In addition to the Native Voices exhibit, which is made up primarily of oral histories, a supplementary poster presentation also will run concurrently with the exhibit and be on display alongside the Native Voices listening stations. The posters are a capstone project from a UC Medical Botany class taught by Theresa M. Culley, Ph.D. and Eric Tepe, Ph.D during spring semester, 2018. The posters examine how Native Americans used indigenous plants to maintain health and hygiene.

Panels in the Native Voices: Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness exhibit.

Do try to attend one of the Native Voices lectures over the next several weeks. On Wednesday, August 8th, Madeleine Fix will present “Cincinnati’s Public Landing, the Measles, and Wyandot Removal.”  If you are unable to attend, stay turned for more recaps.

A schedule of the remaining lectures is available online. And thank you so much for your continued support of this exhibit and its additional programming.

In the carousel below, please enjoy some of the images taken at the keynote and exhibit opening.

UC Libraries’ Mark Konecny is Participating in Summit to Examine Affordable Learning Initiatives

Mark Konecny, scholarly communications and digital publishing strategist and a member of the OhioLINK Affordable Learning group, is an organizer of the Affordable Learning Summit at the University of Akron on Aug. 1 & 2. This summit is a gathering of Ohio institutions to share how faculty, library staff, instructional designers and administrators are addressing affordable learning initiatives.

In announcing the summit, Mark writes, “A recent Florida Virtual Survey of over 22,000 students found that 66.5% of students did not purchase the required textbook / course materials solely due to cost. Recently, Inside Higher Ed shared how the University of Georgia has saved students 3.2 million in textbook cost since 2013 by utilizing Open Educational Resources (OER). In addition, they found that switching to OER increased the number of A and A-minus grades students received by 5.50 percent and 7.73 percent, respectively. The number of students who withdrew or were awarded D or F grades (known as the DFW rate) fell by 2.68 percent.”

Mark is presenting a round table discussion with Kelly Broughton (Ohio University) on the integration of the library with press services. He is also participating in a panel discussion with Sean Kennedy (Ohio University) on authorship, discussing the following topics: how OER creators can partner with their local university press for assistance, issues with creating OERS, common stumbling points and realistic timetables for authoring.

“We know that not having the required course materials directly impacts student success, and the OhioLINK Affordable Learning Initiative is dedicated to addressing this problem,” said Mark.

To learn more, visit https://uakron.edu/affordablelearning/events/. The summit is being live tweeted with the hashtag #alohiosummit.

Visit the Exhibit “Native Voices: Native People’s Concepts of Health and Illness” on Display Now in the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library

Native Voices ExhibitNative Voices: Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness, a traveling exhibition to U.S. libraries, is on display now through August 30 on the main level of the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library.

Native Voices explores the interconnectedness of wellness, illness and cultural life for Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. Stories drawn from both the past and present examine how health for Native People is tied to community, the land and spirit.

Through interviews that can be listened to via iPads located throughout the display, Native People describe the impact of epidemics, federal legislation, the loss of land and the inhibition of culture on the health of Native individuals and communities today.

 

Related Events

suzanne singerIn association with the Native Voices exhibit, related events have been scheduled to explore the topic of Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness.

The first scheduled event is keynote speaker Suzanne L. Singer who will speak on Intersections of Energy and Wellness from 5-7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 26, in the CARE/Crawley Atrium (Medical Sciences Building, 231 Albert Sabin Way).

Throughout August, lectures that cover such topics as “The Contribution of Native Voices to Medicine through Botany,” “Breaking Bread: A Perspective of Fry Bread and Native Health” and “Preventing Tuberculosis while Regulating Indigenous Bodies” have been scheduled in the Stanley J. Lucas, MD, Board Room, E level of the Medical Sciences Building near the Kresge Circle.

A full schedule of events is listed online.

 

The U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) developed and produced Native Voices: Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness. The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office, in partnership with NLM, tours the exhibition to America’s libraries. Native Voices: Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness was displayed at the NLM in Bethesda, Maryland, from 2011 to 2015. To learn more and view content from the exhibition, visit http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And don’t miss the exhibit “The Kretschmer Collection of Native American Children’s Literature donated by Drs. Richard and Laura Kretschmer” on display on the 4th floor lobby of the Walter C. Langsam Library. The exhibit features children’s books with Native American themes, written and illustrated by Native Americans and donated by Drs. Richard and Laura Kretschmer and housed in the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services Library.

New Exhibit Features Children’s Books About and Created by Native Americans

Kretschmer Collection ExhibitOn display in the 4th floor lobby of the Walter C. Langsam Library, the exhibit “The Kretschmer Collection of Native American Children’s Literature donated by Drs. Richard and Laura Kretschmer” features children’s books with Native American themes, written and illustrated by Native Americans. The books are part of a collection of over 275 books donated by Drs. Richard and Laura Kretschmer and housed in the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH) Library.

Also included in the exhibit are Native American history and culture resources from the collections of UC Libraries. Included are movies, e-journals and online digital collections and databases.

The exhibit was designed by Sophia Xu, design student in the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning and UC Libraries’ Communications Department design co-op student, and curated by Cheryl Ghosh, head of the CECH Library. The exhibit is done in conjunction with the traveling exhibition “Native Voices: Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness,” on display in the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library July 23-August 30.

Ohio Digital Newspapers & Chronicling America Presentation in ARB on Thursday July 26

Come hear about Ohio’s digital newspaper project and learn how to freely access historic newspapers from around the country.

When:  Thursday July 26 from 11:00am-12:30pm

Where:  Archives and Rare Books Library, Seminar Room 814

Westliche Blatter mastheadDid you know that 90 Ohio newspapers including foreign language papers have been digitized and are now part of the Library of Congress’ free newspaper database Chronicling America?  Learn how to access the over 13 million pages of historic newspapers from 47 states and territories covering 1789-1963 on Chronicling America.  Jenni Salamon, Coordinator for the Ohio Digital Newspaper Program, and Bronwyn Benson, Quality Control Technician, from the Ohio History Connection will demonstrate basic and advanced search strategies and how to work with your results to find information about local, state, national and international events, people, places and culture. They will also provide a brief overview newspaper digitization process and an update on the digitization of Ohio’s foreign language newspapers.

The Colored Citizen mastheadTreasures from the Archives and Rare Books Library collections including items from the German Americana collection that complement the digitized newspapers will be available for viewing before and after the presentation.