Tune into the Preservation Lab’s Instagram feed the entire week before Halloween (Oct. 25-29), where they will share five of the scariest “preservation horrors” that they encounter in their work. It’s bound to be a fun but frightening week that you won’t want to miss!
Join The Preservation Lab April 26-30 as they celebrate the American Library Association’s (ALA) Preservation Week, “Preservation in Action.” More information, including a schedule of the week’s events, is available on the Preservation’s blog.
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:
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.
The University of Cincinnati Libraries is seeking a digital imaging coordinator (a 3-year, renewable position). Within the University of Cincinnati’s Preservation Services and Lab, the person in this position coordinates the UC Libraries’ digital imaging projects and workflows, ensuring successful project completion; operates and maintains digitization equipment and software; creates imaging workflows, including image quality controls, digital conversion and production reports. The digital imaging coordinator will work in a learning environment within a highly collaborative library atmosphere to increase and enrich online access to the UC Libraries’ collection of rare and unique materials.
For more information and to apply, please visit http://bit.ly/2KMmipn.
It’s spring in Cincinnati, which means two things – the epic weather battle between winter and summer (snow yesterday, 71 degrees Fahrenheit tomorrow) and the annual Preservation Week Lab Open House!
This year marks the lab’s 7th year of participation in this national event, an American Libraries Association initiative aimed at raising “awareness of the role libraries and other cultural institutions play in providing ongoing preservation education and information.” Our event is open to the public – come one, come all!
The Open House will include a behind the scenes tour of the lab, a peek at amazing collection items being preserved for our parent institutions – the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County and the University of Cincinnati Libraries, and of course a new bookmark.
This year our theme highlights the versatility and artistry of the book, from a complex composite object such as a scrapbook to a simple one-page zine. We’ll also touch on the evolution of the book form, from cuneiform to artist’s book. As is our tradition, we’ll set up “stations” were visitors can roam, explore, and learn at their own pace.
We are looking forward to see you all on, Thursday, April 26th, 1:30-3:00 pm, 300 Langsam Library. And yes, there will be cookies!
Just in time for Preservation Week (April 23-29), a new exhibit, “Preserving the Past… for the Future,” showcases the services and mission of the Preservation Lab.
Beginning in January of 2012, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County (PLCH) and University of Cincinnati Libraries (UCL) began a long-term collaboration to provide conservation and preservation treatments in an equally-managed, staffed, and equipped preservation lab situated in UC’s Walter C. Langsam Library. Employees from both PLCH and UCL work on the general circulating and rare/special collections of each institution.
The exhibit, located on the 4th floor of Langsam Library, showcases the work of the lab as well as educates about the difference between preservation and conservation, what makes an item a “special collection,” and the techniques and tools used in the care of collections. The exhibit also features both before and after images of the treatment done to the objects and explains the process. The exhibit was curated by Holly Prochaska, preservation librarian, Ashleigh Schieszer, lab conservator, and Jessica Ebert, conservation technician, and was designed by Jessica Burhans, communications co-op design student. Continue reading
Open to the public! For more about the Preservation Lab, read their blog.
In celebration of National Preservation Week, the Preservation Lab will host its annual open house on April 29 from 1:30-3:30pm.
Located on the 300 level of Langsam Library, the Preservation Lab preserves and conserves the collections of UC Libraries and the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. At the open house, lab staff will demo some of the techniques and equipment used to repair and protect materials, as well as showcase some of their recent projects. In addition to the usual fun, this year visitors to the Preservation Lab will have an opportunity to make their own sheet of paper with plant fibers beaten with a Hollander beater.
We hope to see you then!
This post was originally published on the UC Magazine website.
UC Graduate Samuel Ochiel Obura is greeted on campus by Richard Harknett, head of UC’s political science department, 48 years after Mr. Obura finished his degree requirements. photo/Joseph Fuqua II.
By: John Bach
Samuel Obura Stands during the ceremony when recognized by UC President Santa Ono. photo/Joseph Fuqua II
Samuel Ochiel Obura’s journey to today’s commencement ceremony at the University of Cincinnati took him nearly 8,000 miles and 48 years.
A native of Kenya, Obura finished his master’s degree requirements in political science at UC in 1967. But due to an upheaval at the African Students Association, which helped sponsor his education, he had to cut short his pursuit of a doctorate degree to leave campus and return to Africa or risk losing his return ticket to his wife and children in east Africa.
Obura, then 34, had already spent several years away from his young family back home to pursue his bachelor’s degree in Canada followed by his master’s at UC.
Though he would go on to a long and successful career as a government official in Kenya, Obura left Cincinnati in such a rush that he never even took his trunk full of books, or —even more disheartening — the dissertation he had written on the “Constitutional Development in Kenya.” His thesis had been sent away for binding when he departed, so he was forced to leave it behind and would spend the next half century longing for the important document.
In January of 2012, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County (PLCH) and the University of Cincinnati Libraries (UCL) began a long-term collaboration to provide conservation and preservation treatments in an equally-managed, staffed and equipped preservation lab located in UC’s Walter C. Langsam Library.
Employees from both PLCH and UCL work on the general circulating and rare/special collections of each institution. The division of labor for all work performed by the Preservation Lab is divided evenly between UCL and PLCH and is tracked using a weighted point system.
A new exhibit, “Preserving the Past for the Future,” showcases the work done by the Preservation Lab on some rare/special items from both PLCH and UCL. Items in the exhibit range from photo albums to bridge reports to scrapbooks. The exhibit demonstrates both before and after images of the treatment done to the objects and explains the process. The exhibit was curated by Jessica Ebert, conservation technician, and designed by Amanda Jackson, communications co-op design student. The online exhibit was created by Lisa Haitz, web developer.
Below is the exhibit in its entirety. The physical exhibit is currently on display on Langsam Library’s 5th floor lobby.