Tag Archives: Library News

Archives and Rare Books Library receives national grant to process historic Cincinnati schools desegregation case records

Posted on by
national archives

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) awarded the University of Cincinnati’s Archives and Rare Books Library a $109,349 grant to support a project to complete archival processing of the records of the Cincinnati Branch of the NAACP related to the 1974 Bronson v. Cincinnati Board of Education, the city’s most significant legal case in the fight for school desegregation.

Filed in 1974, the Bronson case was not the first litigation to address segregation and discrimination in the Cincinnati Public Schools, but it was the first to create some accountability for the Cincinnati School Board. Housed in the Archives and Rare Books Library (ARB), the collection contains the Cincinnati Chapter of the NAACP’s records related to the case, including correspondence, court filings, background research on segregation in education in Cincinnati and Hamilton County, the conditions of schools, curriculum and how the Cincinnati Public Schools addressed the decree that was agreed upon as a result of the case.

“The year 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1974 filing of the Bronson v. Cincinnati Board of Education suit. This collection details a significant period in the history of the Cincinnati Public Schools and the history of education in Cincinnati,” said Chris Harter, university archivist and head of the Archives and Rare Books Library. “This collection will be useful to students, faculty and researchers interested in the history of public schools in not only Cincinnati but throughout the United States.”

The Cincinnati NAACP collection complements two significant ARB collections documenting African American leadership and civil rights activism in Cincinnati, both of which contain materials related to the Bronson case. These include the personal papers of Theodore Berry, Cincinnati’s first African American mayor and mayor at the time of the Bronson case, which were processed in 2015 with the assistance of an Archival Projects grant from NHPRC. In addition, the personal papers of NAACP member, and later chapter president, Marian Spencer were processed in 2017. While these collections contain some documentation of the Bronson case and provide insight into the role of two specific individuals in the NAACP’s activism, the records of the Cincinnati chapter of the NAACP will provide a view into the larger legal strategies, research and community activism involved with the court case.

ARB has hired project archivist Julianna Witt to organize the collection and create an online finding aid. Once fully processed, the Cincinnati NAACP Project records will be available for research through the online publication of a full-text searchable finding aid created using the ArchivesSpace collection management system. In consultation with the Cincinnati Branch of the NAACP and local scholars and activists, the University of Cincinnati will sponsor a public program related to the history of public education in Cincinnati and civic engagement. In addition, a public exhibition will be designed and installed focusing on the lead up to and results of the Bronson case.

“This project aligns with the larger strategic directions of the University of Cincinnati and the Libraries,” said Liz Kiscaden, dean and university librarian. “The University of Cincinnati’s Next Lives Here strategic directions make a commitment to our community, particularly Cincinnati’s local public schools. In addition, making this collection widely available meets our goal to enrich and curate library collections that enable intellectual endeavors and to expand the visibility of diverse perspectives and voices.”

The grant received by ARB is part of $4 million historical records project grants awarded as part of the National Archives grant program.

Cento as Form: Poetry found in the stacks

Posted on by

Join UC Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room for a hands-on discussion and workshop about creating Cento poetry.

Thursday, Nov. 14, 6:30pm

Elliston Poetry Room, 646 Langsam Library

Katie Foran-Mulcahy, librarian and head of the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services Library, will begin the event with an overview of library collections. She will instruct how to navigate the stacks and then give directions on how to proceed with a scavenger hunt to find resources to collect lines from various texts.

Dior Stephens, poet and PhD graduate student in the College of Arts and Sciences, will then lead participants in a workshop to create their own Cento poem. Dior will introduce the Cento form, its history and creative potential, and explain that participants can use lines from any genre of books they find in the stacks to create their own poems.

The event is free and open to all to attend. Come to learn about and create a Cento poem.

cento as form flyer

This special issue of the online newsletter, Source, announces the University of Cincinnati Libraries Strategic Plan, 2024-2027.

Featured

Posted on by
source graphic

Read Source, the online newsletter, to learn about the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries.

In this issue of Source, Liz Kiscaden, dean and university librarian, announces UC Libraries Strategic Plan, 2024-2027. This participatory and data-informed process to draft a Strategic Plan resulted in a renewed mission, Values and four Strategic Directions: Enrich Our Collections, Expand Our Impact, Strengthen Our Organization and Support Our Students.

This special issue of Source includes examples of how we’re already working to achieve the goals articulated in our Strategic Directions:

  • Enrich Our Collections. Social Activist with a press showcases recently acquired work of Amos Kennedy to the collections of the Archives and Rare Books Library.
  • Expand Our Impact. Read about Mac-Anthony Cobblah‘s, university librarian for the Sam Jonah Library at the University of Cape Coast, summer visit to UC Libraries, as well as an article about how three librarians from the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library launched a pilot 15-week Systematic Review cohort.
  • Strengthen Our Organization. UC Libraries is building its capacity by welcoming new leaders to UC Libraries – Jéanne Brooks & Brian Gray.
  • Support Our Students. Two recent UC collaborations – one with the UC Learning Commons to provide student and tutoring opportunities in Langsam Library and another with the Accessibility Resources Offices to revamp the Accessible Technology Space – are prime examples of how UC Libraries is working for students.

Read these articles, as well as past issues, on the website. To receive Source via e-mail, contact melissa.norris@uc.edu to be added to the mailing list.

Announcing GIS Day Wednesday, November 20

Posted on by
GIS day

Presented by UC’s Departments of Geography and GIS and UC Libraries, GIS Day will feature keynote speaker Trisha Brush, a GIS career panel, along with opportunities to network and learn.

Scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 11am-2pm in the Faculty Enrichment Center (Langsam Library 540E), GIS Day is free and open to all to attend. Registration is requested.

University of Cincinnati announces closure of University Press as of June 30, 2025

Posted on by

Following seven years of funding support, the University of Cincinnati (UC) has determined that the long-term financial sustainment of the University of Cincinnati Press is not feasible. Funding resources, including start-up funds, have been exhausted and the Press is not in a self-sustaining financial position. Therefore, the University of Cincinnati Press imprint will cease to operate June 30, 2025.

As of July 1, 2025, scholarly print and eBooks will be assigned to the University of Minnesota Press and published regional books, including the forthcoming Thinking About Ohio Series, will be assigned to the Ohio University Press. All inventory and fulfillment services will continue to be managed by Chicago Distribution Center.

The University of Cincinnati Libraries will continue to offer Library Publishing Services for UC faculty authors of open access books, journals and proceedings.

Dean and University Librarian Liz Kiscaden said, “closure of the Press does not diminish its success or impact in innovative scholarly and regional book publishing.” The University of Cincinnati Press was founded in 2017 and reported to the dean of the University of Cincinnati Libraries. It is a member of the Association of University Presses, Library Publisher Coalition and the Open Educational Network. Since its opening, the Press has published over 40 books, 30% in open access, seven academic journals, won nine academic, national and regional book awards and published the UC undergraduate student showcase annually. It was committed to publishing rigorous, peer-reviewed, leading scholarship in print, eBook and open access under the governance of a faculty advisory board.

An FAQ regarding details of the closure and availability of books as of July 1, 2025, will be available on the University of Cincinnati Press website.

UC Libraries names Brian Gray Associate Dean of Collections

Posted on by
brian gray

Brian Gray will join the University of Cincinnati Libraries on October 21, 2024 as associate dean of collections. In this role, he will join the Libraries’ senior leadership team to be a part of a continuing transformation, working to realize our mission and strategic directions. Gray will be responsible for managing general collections, preservation, special collections and archives within UC Libraries. In addition, he’ll serve as the senior administrator for the Archives & Rare Books Library, John Miller Burnam Classics Library and the Albino Gorno Memorial (CCM) Library.

Gray has an M.B.A in organizational development & leadership from Case Western Reserve University, a masters of library and information science from Kent State University with a focus on management, and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Akron. He comes to UC from Case Western Reserve University where he served as the collection strategies librarian. Previous roles include the team leader of research services, research services librarian of chemical and bio-molecular engineering and macro-molecular science, as well as head of reference.

“I look forward to working with Brian and welcome him to the UC community,” said Liz Kiscaden, dean and university librarian. “His experience and knowledge of OhioLINK, collection development, reference and research will make him a wonderful associate dean for collections especially as we embark on implementing our new strategic plan.”

Learn about Archives & Rare Books highlights at an Open House October 21st

Posted on by

The Archives & Rare Books (ARB) Library is hosting an Open House, Monday, Oct. 21 from 1-3:30pm on the 8th floor of Blegen Library.

open house graphic

Attendees to the Open House can enjoy refreshments and door prizes as they view collection highlights, recent acquisitions and “spooky” books. Library staff will be on hand to meet and greet and ARB’s growing digitization space will be available for viewing.

The Archives and Rare Books Library acquires, processes, preserves and provides access to the University’s Rare Books collection, University Archives, Local Government records, Urban Studies collection and German-Americana collection.

The Open House is free and open to all.

Staff Picks: Recommendations from the collections of UC Libraries

Posted on by

Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, a graphic novel, documentary and historical fiction can all be found in the Staff Picks exhibit on display on the 4th floor lobby of the Walter C. Langsam Library. Highlighting the collections of UC Libraries, the exhibit gives recommendations and blurbs from library staff and includes such titles as: “The Feather Thief,” “Being Human,” “Lincoln in the Bardo,” “Monarch,” “The Glass Hotel” and so much more.

staff picks book covers

A bibliography is available for pickup at the exhibit and displayed below.

Staff Picks was curated by Melissa Cox Norris, director of library communication, and designed by communications design co-op student Lexi Davis.

Happy Reading.

bibliography

Hosting an online meeting? Langsam Library has a Teams Room.

Posted on by

The Walter C. Langsam Library now offers a Teams Room that can be scheduled for online meetings. Located in Langsam 410, the room is outfitted with Teams Room technology designed to facilitate collaboration and video conferencing using Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Webex. 

group meeting in Teams room

Outside of the room, the Room Scheduling Panel shows the room’s availability and allows users to use a QR code to book the room for upcoming meetings. The resource name LANG410 can also be used when scheduling Teams, Zoom or Webex meetings via Outlook.

A Touchscreen Control Panel is placed on the meeting table for easy management of the room’s Teams meetings. It allows users to:

  • Start or join a meeting with one tap.
  • Adjust audio/video settings.
  • Share content or switch between cameras.

A high-quality wide-angle camera is positioned to capture the entire room.

The Rally Bar soundbar has a built-in microphone, speakers and a high-quality wide-angle camera positioned to capture the entire room. When more than one person is in the room, tracking cameras automatically focus on the person speaking.

The Langsam Teams Room is available for use by all UC faculty, staff and students. It is a collaboration between UC’s Digital Technology Solutions (DTS) and UC Libraries and is part of a university-wide initiative to increase collaboration spaces and provide consistent experiences.

More information can be obtained from the DTS knowledge base article on Microsoft Teams Rooms.

Join us in the CCM Library Wednesday, Oct. 23 for an afternoon of poetry and music

Posted on by

The University of Cincinnati Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room announce the poets and composers for the next Poetry Stacked, a semi-regular poetry reading series. This session is a collaboration with the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), and is the first off-site event, which will be held in the Albino Gorno Memorial (CCM) Library, 600 Blegen Library.

At the next event, scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 4:30pm, three poets will read their original work:

poetry stacked poets mauricio espinoza, brett price and lili alimohammadi
  • Brett Price is the author of “Ordinary Dissonance” (Midwestern Press, 2019).  He lives and writes in Cincinnati, OH, where he does various kinds of home renovation and handy-work, teaches at The Art Academy of Cincinnati, hosts readings occasionally at his house and plays in the band, The Actual Fuck.
  • Mauricio Espinoza, poet, translator and researcher. He is associate professor of Spanish and Latin American Literature at the University of Cincinnati. He holds a Ph.D. in Latin American Literatures and Cultures from The Ohio State University. He has published the poetry books “Nada más que silencio,” “Respiración de piedras,” which won the 2015 University of Costa Rica Press Poetry Prize; and “Pez de fieltro.” His poetry also appears in “The Wandering Song: Central American Writing in the United States” and in journals such as barzakh and Rio Grande Review.
  • L​ili Alimohammadi studies psychology and creative writing at UC, where they’re curatorial intern for the Elliston Poetry Collection and president of the undergraduate poetry club, Cincinnati Poetry Collective. They’ve received awards for their poetry, fiction, essays, paintings and textiles, and they edit the quarterly zine Braids.

This session of Poetry Stacked will also feature three composers who have created and will perform original musical pieces to accompany one of the poet’s readings:

  • John Stork has been a staff member of UC Libraries since 2000 and currently works primarily with interlibrary loan. After taking years of piano lessons in grade school, he picked up the guitar in high school, eventually attending CCM as a classical guitar performance major for three years. While he moved to other interests academically (graduating from UC with a degree in classics), he has kept playing for enjoyment and can be seen playing ‘non-classical’ guitar in the band Jack Burton Overdrive.
  • Siyuan Kang composes music inspired by folk songs and arts. Her work was performed in Toronto by Untitled Ensemble; piano solo work performed by Mingfei Li in Chicago in May. She holds a diploma from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and is now pursuing a DMA degree.
  • Andrew Strawn is an established young composer whose talent and dedication has already gained attention and respect within the musical community. His music is known for its romantic expression and highly polished orchestration, with topics often drawn from visual art and literature. He currently studies music composition at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) with Douglas Knehans, Michael Fiday, and Ellen Harrison; and saxophone performance with James Bunte and Carly Hood.
composers john stork, siyuan kang and andrew strawn
Continue reading →