Preservation and Exhibition: DAAP Library’s Teaching Collection and upcoming gallery talk on Dec. 5

Reprinted from the Preservation Lab blog

For the past six months, the Preservation Lab’s Jessica Ebert and Catarina Figueirinhas have been working with the Robert A. Deshon and Karl J. Schlachter Library for Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) on housing their Teaching art collection, including prior acquisition and newly acquired items. This collection consists of different art prints on paper, print plates and manuscript parchment leaves in need of long-term housing. In addition to housing, this collection is used for teaching in a classroom setting and for exhibition.

Most of the collection only requires simple matting systems, but some require more intricate matting systems such as the copper plate along with its print, a project mentioned in a previous blog post entitled How many magnets is too many magnets!?.

As some of the items of this collection were being prepared to go on exhibit, we had the opportunity to create mounts for other items, such as two parchment scrolls that were included in the exhibit. This was a fun project to work on, as it required us to create a support that would secure both scrolls, while providing an elegant solution for display.

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Celebrate Preservation Week May 4 at the Preservation Lab’s Open House

Join the Preservation Lab on Thursday, May 4th from 2pm-4pm to celebrate ALA’s Preservation Week. Their annual Open House is open to the public and gives visitors an insight into what the Preservation Lab does to serve the collections and communities of Cincinnati Public Library and the University of Cincinnati Libraries. This year they will be sharing some of their favorite projects, treatments, and equipment. There will also be some fun keepsakes and activities for visitors, including the chance to win a handmade book!

preservation lab open house flyer

The Preservation Lab is a collaboration between the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library and the University of Cincinnati. The Lab is a jointly staffed and funded hybrid book & paper lab, treating both circulating collections and special collections from both institutions. Come meet our staff, learn about conservation, and have some fun in the process.

The Lab is located on UC’s Main campus on the 300 level of the Walter C. Langsam Library, 2911 Woodside Drive. Information about parking on campus, both metered and garage parking, is available on UC’s website. Woodside Garage and Campus Green Garage are the garages closest to Langsam Library. There will be signs directing visitors to the Lab’s floor from the main level of Langsam Library (400 level), but assistance is available at The Desk @ Langsam.

To learn more about the Lab, subscribe to the Preservation Lab’s blog and follow them on Instagram –@thepreservationlab or subscribe to the Lab’s YouTube channel.

The Chemical Atlas – A gem from the Oesper Collections

Edward Livingston Youmans’ The Chemical Atlas was recently returned to its home in the Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry library after receiving conservation treatment from UC Libraries’ Preservation Lab. Youmans’ famous book features eye-catching illustrated and hand-colored plates that frequently motivate myself and others to display the item and engage visitors of the Oesper Collections with stunning visual depictions of the unseen world of chemical processes.

Edward Youmans was a renowned science communicator and popularizer in the 19th century United States. In the 1850’s, a reviewer called his Chemical Atlas “without exception, the best popular work in the English language” (Miles, 1964). When he was a young teen, he was afflicted by a disease of the eyes which grew more severe with time, leaving him nearly blind and suffering from frequent eye inflammation between the ages of 13 and 35. During these years, Youmans was unable to read, and learned as much as he could through the second-hand teaching of his sister, Eliza Youmans. His second-hand learning caused him to imagine and visualize chemistry concepts. As he overcame his misconceptions and worked to make his understanding more definite, he wanted to share his scheme for picturing atoms and their combinations. This led to him creating chemical charts which visually depicted atoms of different elements, binary compounds, and more as well as an accompanying book, Classbook of Chemisty. The Classbook of Chemistry was a huge success. “Brief, clear, and devoid of technicalities, it has an astounding and continuous sale; it was revised and sold more than 144,000 copies in its three editions. This was truly a remarkable record and would be envied even in these days of widespread chemical instruction” (Oesper, 1957). Continue reading

Read Source for the news, events, people and happenings in UC Libraries

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

In this issue of Source, we announce our updated Strategic Framework – NEXT Directions. We celebrate Mikaila Corday receiving the 2022 Marian Spencer Ambassador Award for Staff and meet OhioLINK Luminaries intern Marvin Jones. We look back at three recent big events – the Oesper Musuem’s receipt of National Landmark designation, the six-part lecture series The Illustrated Human: The Impact of Andreas Vesalius and the ever-popular International Edible Books Festival. Finally, we look forward to Preservation Week with a sneak peek of The Preservation Lab.

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.

Celebrate Preservation Week with a Sneak Peek into the Preservation Lab

In celebration of the American Library Association’s Preservation Week, join Preservation Lab staff as they chat about preservation, conservation and what the Lab does for the libraries. There will be materials and models on hand.

Thursday, April 21, 10-11am & 2-3pm, Walter C. Langsam Library 4th floor, next to the Desk@Langsam.

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“Off the Shelf and into the Lab” May 6th webinar to highlight medical history, preservation and the UC Libraries’ Adopt-A-Book program

Join the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions and the Cecil Striker Society for the History of Medicine, Thursday, May 6 at 7:00 p.m. for the 3rd lecture in the Cecil Striker Webinar series. Off the Shelf and into the Lab: Medical History, Preservation and the University of Cincinnati Libraries’ Adopt-A-Book Program will demonstrate how the work of the Preservation Lab protects Winkler Center collections and how those interested can support their work through the Libraries’ Adopt-a-Book program.

The webinar will be held on Zoom and the link available soon on the Winkler Center’s website at https://libraries.uc.edu/libraries/hsl/winkler-center/cecil-striker.html.

Speakers:

  • Christa Bernardo, director of development
  • Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer, conservator and co-manager of the Preservation Lab
  • Holly Prochaska, preservation librarian and co-manager of the Preservation Lab

cecil striker flyer

Originally formed in 1976, the Cecil Striker Society for the History of Medicine was called the Medical History Society. One month after its first meeting Dr. Striker died, prompting members to rename the organization the Cecil Striker Society. Its purpose is to promote and perpetuate an interest in the history of medicine and all related disciplines in the health care field.

Sidney Gao Joins UC Libraries as the Digital Imaging Coordinator

On Monday, Oct. 15, Sidney Gao joined UC Libraries as the new digital imaging coordinator in the Preservation Lab. Sidney comes to UC from UC San Diego (UCSD) where she has over four years of experience working in a digitization, imaging and preservation studio for Geisel Library. During this period, she perfected the ability to lead a production team in digitizing and archiving thousands of historical artifacts, documents, books and art pieces. As such, she has extensive experience in the application of various types of scanners and scanning techniques, as well as in image post-processing and various capturing software. Working in collaboration with UCSD Special Collections ensured her ability to handle rare and fragile objects, while simultaneously maintaining high digitization standards.

Welcome to UC Libraries, Sidney!

Bernstein, Shakespeare, Preservation Photographs and Dedicated Staff are All Featured in the Latest Issue of Source

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

In this edition of Source we celebrate Leonard Bernstein at 100 with news of an exhibit on display in the Walter C. Langsam Library. Dean Xuemao Wang writes about how the occasion of the university’s upcoming Bicentennial has led him to reflect on the contributions of four staff members retiring this fall. We announce two grants received by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine that will promote good data and good health.

University archivist and head of the Archives and Rare Books Library Kevin Grace teaches readers and students in his honors class about Extra-Illustrated Editions. Jessica Ebert, lead photographic technician in the Preservation Lab writes about her work creating visual representations of the conservation treatments performed, and housing created, in the Lab. Mike Braunlin of the John Miller Burnam Classics Library offers his experience and insights gained working in the library for 42 years. The UC Foundation writes about a unique collection gifted to the Libraries from two former professors. Lastly, the annual Books by the Banks: Cincinnati USA Books Festival, of which UC Libraries is an organizing partner, is announced in this issue.

Read these articles, as well as past issues, on the web at http://libapps.libraries.uc.edu/source/ and via e-mail. To receive Source via e-mail, contact melissa.norris@uc.edu to be added to the mailing list.