Announcing the 2022-2023 UC Libraries Annual Report

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Beginning Anew

Announcing the 2022-2023 University of Cincinnati Libraries Annual Report. My tenure as dean and university librarian began in mid-August 2023, a time of great growth at the University of Cincinnati. I’ve spent these past six months learning as much as I can about the Libraries – how our mission to “empower discovery, stimulate learning and inspire the creation of knowledge by connecting students, faculty, researchers and scholars to dynamic data, information and resources” supports the university’s NEXT Lives Here Strategic Directions. Documents such as the Annual Report have been key to my education.

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. Under the leadership of interim dean and university librarian Lori Harris, we welcomed a significant number of new librarians and staff members who will provide essential library services and research support and help move the Libraries forward. We acquired, processed, preserved and made available collections used for research. We held events to bring people into the Libraries to interact with our facilities and collections. We created welcoming places – both virtual and in-person – for people to study, research and collaborate. And, we provided our expertise to the students, faculty and researchers who rely on UC Libraries for their academic pursuits.

Looking Forward

While we celebrate the accomplishments of the past academic year, we also continue to move forward and plan for the future. This past fall we began the process of developing an updated strategic plan with goals and initiatives that will continue to advance the mission of the University of Cincinnati. This plan will build upon the successes of UC Libraries and respond to the rapidly changing landscape of higher education, as well as the increasingly diverse needs of our students, faculty and researchers. The strategic plan will be completed this summer and will guide our work for the next three years. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, enjoy reading the 2022-2023 University of Cincinnati Libraries Annual Progress Report.

Liz Kiscaden,
Dean and University Librarian

Read Source, the online newsletter, to learn about 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, Liz Kiscaden, dean and university librarian, writes about Creating a shared vision for UC Libraries, and in an interview we learn more about her professional background, immediate goals for the new position and her early impressions of UC Libraries, as well as how she is having fun exploring Cincinnati.

We learn how Mikaila Corday did investigative work to catalog Japanese design books and the Digital Collections Team provides tips on how to digitize your home collections like a pro. We celebrate the return of the She-Wolf (Lupa) statue to Cincinnati and a new book published by the University of Cincinnati Press that focuses on the challenge for non-profits. We recap two recent events held in the Libraries: the Generational Summit and the Data & Poetry / Poetry & Data workshop.

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.

The University of Cincinnati Libraries Annual Progress Report, 2020-2021

Looking back as we plan our NEXT Directions.

This year’s Annual Progress Report covers July 2020 through June 2021. It was an exceptionally complicated time, during which we entered the second year of the pandemic, developed and adopted new digital resources to support remote learning and remote research and prepared for the transition back to campus for the 2021 fall semester.

In these unprecedented times, library faculty and staff continuously found ways to transform and elevate library services by bringing their experience, talents and dedication to the forefront so as to continue to fulfill our mission to “empower discovery, stimulate learning and inspire the creation of knowledge by connecting students, faculty, researchers and scholars to dynamic data, information and resources.” Continue reading

Read the University of Cincinnati Libraries 2017/18 Annual Progress Report

UC Libraries Progress ReportRead the University of Cincinnati Libraries 2017/18 Annual Progress Report where we ask the question: Have We Transformed Yet?

In this year’s annual Progress Report, we make note of the accomplishments of the previous year, as well as take a holistic view of UC Libraries since the Strategic Plan was launched five years ago. We celebrate the continued success of annual events that promote library collections and services, highlight milestones of major library initiatives and feature library spaces.

Integral to fulfilling the work of the Strategic Plan is the dedication of the faculty and staff of UC Libraries along with the investment of our donors. By highlighting the accomplishments of our hard-working staff and listing the current donors, both groups are recognized and celebrated in this Progress Report.

Finally, if all of the accomplishments listed in this report signal that we are at least on the road to transformation than we must ask ourselves the question…what’s next?

The Progress Report is available online at https://issuu.com/uclibraries/docs/uclannualprogressreport17_18.

Questions? Request a print copy? Email melissa.norris@uc.edu.

Happy Reading!

Dean’s Corner: A Deep Dive into DH/DS

Since UC Libraries announced the establishment of UC’s first Digital Scholarship Center (DSC) last September, the center’s co-directors Arlene Johnson and James Lee have been busy reaching out to the university community and laying groundwork. We sat down with both them and Dean Xuemao Wang to discuss their respective backgrounds in digital humanities/digital scholarship (DH/DS) and the early details of their plans for the DSC at the University of Cincinnati and UC Libraries.

Arlene Johnson introduces Dr. James Lee at his DH/DS talk

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Read UC Libraries Progress Report: Transforming Our Spaces

progress report coverRead the 2015/16 Progress Report: Transforming Our Spaces. In addition to providing an update on the news, events and stats from the previous academic year, the report focuses on the transformation of library spaces – both current and future. Renovations and changes to library spaces that will enable us to be recognized as the intellectual hub for students, faculty, researchers and scholars by providing engaging digital and physical environments, as well as powerful new tools and services that spark inquiry, support analysis and ignite discovery and scholarship as well as prepare emerging generations for lives of ongoing discovery.

The Progress Report is available online at https://issuu.com/uclibraries/docs/uclannualreport15_16.

Questions? Request a print copy? Email melissa.norris@uc.edu

Register Now for the Second Annual THATCamp University of Cincinnati 2016

THATCamp-Carousel-jpgJoin UC Libraries for THATCamp University of Cincinnati 2016, an unconference, which is an open meeting where humanists and technologists of all skill levels and interests gather to learn and to build together in sessions proposed on the spot.
THATCamp (The Humanities And Technology Camp) University of Cincinnati 2016 is free and open to all and will be held on the 4th floor of Langsam Library. The event will begin at noon on Monday, May 2, and conclude on Tuesday, May 3 at 4:30pm. Undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff, as well as scholars, archivists, museum professionals, developers and programmers, K-12 teachers and administrators from within and outside UC who have an involvement or interest in digital humanities are welcome and encouraged to attend. Sessions for THATCamp University of Cincinnati 2016 will be determined during the opening session on May 2; however, a preliminary schedule has been devised and posted online at http://ucincinnati2016.thatcamp.org/schedule/.    Continue reading

Dean’s Corner: Finding the Talent

Dean of University Libraries, Xuemao Wang

Dean of University Libraries, Xuemao Wang

Last month’s issue of UC Libraries’ newsletter Source featured two articles about the libraries’ process and progress in building capacity. Below is one of those articles in its entirety.

 

Finding the Talent: Building Capacity through Organizational Strategy and Partnerships with the Broader University Community

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UC Libraries Welcomes Digital Humanities Expert Constance Crompton

imageUC Libraries is thrilled to welcome to campus November 19 and 20 the next expert in the Digital Humanities Speaker Series ~ Dr. Constance Crompton, assistant professor of digital humanities and English, Department of Critical Studies, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at the University of British Columbia. She will present a series of talks and hands-on workshops, all free and open to the public, in the Walter C. Langsam Library. Participants are encouraged to come to any or all sessions that are of interest to them and to their work.

Thursday, November 19

  • Session #1: 1:30pm-2:30pm – Planning for Success: Project Management for the Digital Humanities… and Beyond! Langsam Library 480

Friday, November 20 (Participants are encouraged to bring laptops for the Friday sessions)

  • Session#2: 10-11:30am – Keynote – Making History: Collaboration, Collection and Creation in the Digital Humanities, Langsam Library 462
  • LUNCH: 11:30-12:30pm – Langsam Library 480
  • Session #3: 12:30-1:30pm –   What the Computer Doesn’t Know…:Representing Primary Source Documents in TEI (Overview of the Text Encoding Initiative Guidelines – see
    http://www.tei-c.org/index.xml for more information), Langsam Library 462
  • Session #4: 2-4pm –  Digital Humanities in the Classroom: Tools, Tips, and Tricks,  Langsam Library 462

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New Report Reviews Successful Global Digital Scholarship Programs

report coverA new report from Dean and University Librarian Xuemao Wang sheds light on the expertise required to support a robust and sustainable digital scholarship program.

In late 2012, the University of Cincinnati Libraries was awarded a Scholarly Communications and Information Technology Program planning grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to define and describe the key skills and competencies required to support a robust digital scholarship program. The project’s findings have now been published in a report titled “Building Expertise to Support Digital Scholarship: A Global Perspective.”
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