Tag Archives: Library News

Langsam Library exhibits installed in honor of Black History Month pay tribute to trailblazers and display the enormous loss in the Middle Passage

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On display in the Walter C. Langsam Library are two new exhibits created and installed for Black History Month. The first pays tribute to Cincinnati African American Medical Trailblazers – Lucy Oxley and O’dell Owens. The second exhibit displays the enormous loss of life in The Middle Passage.

Cincinnati African American Medical Trailblazers

On display on the 4th floor lobby of Langsam Library, this exhibit features materials from the collections of UC Libraries about Lucy Oxley, MD, the first person of color to receive a medical degree from the UC College of Medicine, and O’dell Owens, renowned physician, former Hamilton County coroner and the first African American to sit on the board of the University of Cincinnati.

cincinnati african american medical trailblazers

The Middle Passage

On the 5th floor lobby of Langsam Library is a large map depicting the Middle Passage, which commonly refers to the experience of enslaved African people as they traveled across the Atlantic Basin to the Americas during the transatlantic slave trade. Illness, insanity, hunger, dehydration, torture, revolt, suicide and ship wreck led to the death of ~1.8 million Africans at sea during their Middle Passage.

The exhibit corresponds with the Uncommon Read of the book “Slavery at Sea: Terror, Sex, and Sickness in the Middle Passage” by Sowande’ M. Mustakeem. A Lunch and Learn with the author is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 23 from 12:30-2pm in the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library’s Stanley J. Lucas M.D. Boardroom (E005HA). Register to attend the Lunch and Learn.

the middle passage graphic

Both exhibits were curated by UC Libraries faculty and staff: Meshia Anderson, Susan Banoun, Sidney Gao, Tiffany Grant, Gino Pasi and June Taylor-Slaughter. It was designed by UC Libraries communications design co-op Jakob Elliott.

Aja Bettencourt-McCarthy joins UC Libraries as Science & Engineering Global Services Librarian

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Aja Bettencourt-McCarthyAja Bettencourt-McCarthy joined the University of Cincinnati Libraries on February 1, 2023 as the science & engineering global services librarian.

Aja holds an MLIS degree from University of Washington and Bachelor’s degrees (French, community and regional development) from the University of California, Davis.

Aja may be a familiar face to many as she comes to UC Libraries from the Faculty Enrichment Center, located in the Walter C. Langsam Library, where she was the manager of special projects and programs.  Aja brings a wealth of experience in science and engineering academic librarianship, including previous positions in instruction and public services. Prior to arriving at UC, Aja was the STEM instruction librarian at the University of Kentucky (UK). Before UK, she worked as instruction coordinator / head of public services at the Oregon Institute of Technology’s Library.

Welcome, Aja to UC Libraries!

Announcing the 2021/22 UC Libraries Annual Progress Report: A Year of New Beginnings…

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annual progress report header

Announcing the 2021-22 University of Cincinnati Libraries Annual Progress Report: A Year of New Beginnings…a year that saw the broad return of students, faculty and staff to campus for fall semester. The transition from virtual to in-person was an extensive process as library spaces were re-evaluated to allow for a safe return to working and studying on campus. We welcomed students, faculty and staff back to campus with refreshed spaces, enhanced safety protocols for social distancing and a revived appreciation for working together in person.

The year also saw the announcement of our renewed Strategic Framework: NEXT Directions. The University of Cincinnati’s NEXT Lives Here Strategic Directions focus on the core areas of Academic Excellence, Urban Impact and the Innovation Agenda in order to engage people and ideas – and to transform the world. The University of Cincinnati Libraries is key to what’s NEXT.

In this Annual Report, we look back at the top News & Events, applaud Staff Accomplishments & Milestones and look at the Libraries By the Numbers and Financially.

While we celebrate the accomplishments of the past academic year, we also continue to move forward in pursuit of our vision of being the globally engaged, intellectual commons of the university – positioning ourselves as the hub of collaboration, digital innovation and scholarly endeavor on campus and beyond. I invite you to be a part of our journey – a journey led by our Guiding Principles of Investment in our People; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; and Digital Transformation.

The Annual Progress Report is available online via Sway. Happy Reading!

Join UC Libraries’ RESPECT group in reading and discussing “Slavery at Sea”

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slavery at sea book coverThe University of Cincinnati Libraries Racial Equity Support & Programming to Educate the Community Team (RESPECT) and the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library are hosting a book discussion and Lunch and Learn with Sowande’ M. Mustakeem, author of “Slavery at Sea: Terror, Sex, and Sickness in the Middle Passage” on Thursday, Feb. 23 from 12:30-2pm in the Health Sciences Library’s Stanley J. Lucas M.D. Boardroom (E005HA). Register to attend the Lunch and Learn.

How to get the book:

“Slavery at Sea” Book Giveaway

RESPECT has purchased 20 copies of “Slavery at Sea” to give away free to the first 20 individuals who request a copy via the form.

OR Unlimited e-book access to “Slavery at Sea”

UC Libraries has acquired unlimited e-book access to “Slavery at Sea” for those wishing to read the book online. It can be accessed via the Library Catalog.

Join us for weekly Book Discussion Chats

RESPECT will sponsor weekly opportunities to discuss “Slavery at Sea.” These discussions will take place virtually via Zoom and will be held Thursday, February 2nd, 9th and 16th from 11am – noon. Register to attend one or more of the sessions.

RESPECT’s “Slavery and Sea” book discussions and Lunch and Learn are part of a larger Un-Common Read event being held throughout the university in celebration of Black History Month.

slavery at sea flyer

Erin Smith joins UC Libraries as collections acquisitions data specialist

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erin smithErin Smith has joined the University of Cincinnati Libraries as the collections acquisitions data specialist in the Content Services Team. She started her position on January 17, 2023.

In this role, Erin will work closely with subject selectors and other Content Services staff to acquire material necessary to support the learning, instruction and research mission of UC Libraries. In addition, Erin will provide support for data analysis and functional aspects of acquisitions.

Erin worked previously at Northern Kentucky University Steely Library, with ten years of experience working in library acquisitions, and recently obtained her M.S. in Library Science from the University of Kentucky.

Welcome, Erin!

UC Libraries closed Monday, Jan. 16 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

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Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. from LIFE Magazine

UC Libraries will be closed Monday, Jan. 16 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.The Libraries will resume normal hours on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

Want to read up on Martin Luther King, Jr., his impact and legacy, and how you can make a difference? Check out these library resources and the Racial Justice Resources for Activists, Advocates and Allies Research Guide.

Upcoming Lunch & Learn to explore the painting The Crucible of God: Art and Science in the Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch

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the garden of earthly delights paintingThe Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions announces its next Lunch and Learn scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 19 from 12-1 PM in the Stanley J. Lucas MD Boardroom (E005HA), Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library. The Lunch & Learn will also be live streamed via Zoom for those who cannot attend in person.

The lecture, titled, The Crucible of God: Art and Science in the Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch will be presented by Laurinda Dixon, PhD, a specialist in northern European Renaissance art. Currently retired, she served as the William F. Tolley Distinguished Professor of Teaching in the Humanities at Syracuse University. Her scholarship considers the intersection of art and science – particularly alchemy, medicine, astrology and music – from the 15th though the 19th centuries. She has lectured widely in both the USA and Europe, and is the author of many articles, reviews and 11 books, including Perilous Chastity: Women and Illness in Pre-Enlightenment Art and Medicine (1995), Bosch (2003) and The Dark Side of Genius: The Melancholic Persona in Art, ca.1500-1700 (2013). Laurinda holds a PhD in art history from Boston University, as well as a degree in piano performance from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She currently resides in Cincinnati.

Hieronymus Bosch (c1450-1516) was a Dutch artist whose paintings contain fantastical illustrations of religious concepts and narratives. His most acclaimed works consist of triptych altarpieces, including The Garden of Earthly Delights.

Please register for this event. For those attending in-person, light refreshments will be available.

Join us Wednesday, Feb. 1 for an afternoon of poetry

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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, Feb. 1 at 4:30pm, three poets will read original works.

feb 1 poetsSimone Savannah, PhD is the author of Uses of My Body (Barrow Street 2020), the winner of the Barrow Street Poetry Book Prize chosen by Jericho Brown. She is also the author of Like Kansas (Big Lucks 2018). Her work has been published in Apogee, The Fem, Powder Keg, GlitterMob, Shade Journal, BreakBeat Poets, and several other journals and anthologies. She has received nominations for Best New Poets and Best of the Net. Simone is originally from Columbus, Ohio. She earned her MEd and BA from Ohio University. She holds a PhD in creative writing from the University of Kansas. She is currently the 2021-23 Taft Research Center Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Cincinnati.

Yalie Saweda Kamara is a Sierra Leonean-American writer, educator and researcher from Oakland, California. Selected as the 2022-23 Cincinnati and Mercantile Library Poet Laureate (2-year term), she is the editor of the anthology What You Need to Know About Me: Young Writers on Their Experience of Immigration (The Hawkins Project, 2022) and the author of A Brief Biography of My Name (African Poetry Book Fund/Akashic Books, 2018) and When the Living Sing (Ledge Mule Press, 2017). She has been a finalist for the National Poetry Series competition and the Brunel International African Poetry Prize and a semifinalist for the Cave Canem Poetry Prize. She earned a PhD in creative writing and English literature from the University of Cincinnati, an MFA in creative writing from Indiana University, Bloomington and an MA in French culture and civilization from Middlebury College. Yalie currently resides in Cincinnati where she works as the director of creative youth leadership at WordPlay Cincy and is an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati. For more, visit her website: www.yaylala.com

Casey Harloe is a 4th year creative writing student at the University of Cincinnati. Her work has appeared in DIALOGIST, BRENDA, and Poets.org. She is a recipient of the Academy of American Poets Prize. She lives in Cincinnati. Continue reading →

Lauren Reder joins UC Libraries as a cataloger focusing on Classics and Modern Greek

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lauren rederLauren Reder joined the University of Cincinnati Libraries on Monday, Jan. 9 as a cataloger focusing on Classics and Modern Greek.

Lauren has been working in the Libraries’ Content Services Team in a full-time temporary capacity since November 2021. She holds an MSLIS degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a BA in classical languages and cultures from Wright State University, with minors in English and art history.

Her responsibilities in the eResources & Access team will focus on serving as the primary cataloger for the Classics/Modern Greek collection. She will additionally provide general cataloging support across all collections, complete quality control routines, participate in e-resource projects, trouble-shoot problems in discovery and access and create and manage team procedural manuals and online content that are being converted to LibGuides where appropriate.

Welcome, Lauren, to UC Libraries!

Winter Break hours for UC Libraries

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winter sceneWinter Break Hours for the University of Cincinnati Libraries began Monday, Dec. 12. All library locations will be CLOSED Friday, Dec. 23 through Monday, Jan. 2, except for the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library (HSL), which will be open noon-5pm, Dec. 27-30 and closed Dec. 23-26 and Dec. 31-Jan. 2.

A listing of all hours is available on the Libraries website as well as at each library location online and in person.

Have a relaxing and safe Winter Break. We look forward to seeing you in the New Year.