Tag Archives: UC Libraries

UC Libraries welcomes Rachael Elrod as the new associate dean of research and instruction

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rachael elrod

On June 15 Rachael Elrod, PhD, joined the University of Cincinnati Libraries as associate dean for research and instruction. Rachael comes to UC from the University of Florida’s George Smathers Libraries where she most recently served as the associate chair of departmental libraries and the director of the Education Library. Prior to the University of Florida, she served in roles at the Military College of South Carolina, University of Louisville and Louisville Free Public Library. Her scholarly record includes over 25 peer-reviewed publications and several book chapters on research topics ranging from supporting neurodivergent students, censorship and collection development. In addition to this scholarship, Rachael has been successful in obtaining over $1.3M in external funding as a part of her career. She has won numerous awards and honors, the most recent being the Distinguished Education and Behavioral Sciences Librarian Award from the Education and Behavioral Sciences Section from ALA, which will be delivered in 2026.

As associate dean of research and instruction, Rachael will collaborate with librarians and staff to develop a vision for instructional and research services at UC Libraries. As a part of that work, she will lead the overall strategy and direction of instruction and research services. Rachael will lead key initiatives in the UC Libraries Strategic Plan and will collaborate with leaders across campus to build and strengthen partnerships. With the other associate deans, she will work with librarians and staff to maximize expertise and create a cohesive user experience.

UC Libraries Welcome Sarah True, CECH Library Services Supervisor

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UC Libraries is happy to welcome Sarah True as the new CECH Library Services Supervisor.

In this role, Sarah will manage fulfillment activities at the library’s info desk, supervise, hire and train student associates and lead CECH programming and engagement efforts. Part of these programming efforts will include preparing physical exhibits, displays and promotional materials that highlight CECH Library’s services and collections. She will also oversee all aspects of physical collections processing and access, including receiving and preparing new materials for users, preparing preservation requests and library collections management.

Sarah comes to us from the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library system, where she was most recently the Supervisor of Youth Services at the Price Hill Branch. Her experiences with children and youth collections have given her a passion for literacy, specifically as it relates to dyslexia and other learning differences. In her free time, Sarah enjoys yoga, spending time outdoors and knitting, and is excited to be a part of the UC Libraries community.

Welcome, Sarah!

Sarah True

Alfred Gong papers at the Archives and Rare Books Library

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Today the Archives and Rare Books Library is highlighting one of our German-Americana Collections, the Alfred Gong papers. The finding aid can be viewed online at the Alfred Gong papers.

Alfred Gong (1920-1981) 

Gong, who was named Alfred Liquornik at birth, was born on August 14, 1920, in Chernivtsi, Romania (which is now part of the Ukraine) and attended the University of Chernivtsi. His education was cut short due to Soviet and then German occupation during World War II in which he was forced into the Jewish ghetto established in Chernivtsi and later the ghetto in Mogilev-Podolsk. Gong spent 1941-1944 in forced labor camps before he was able to escape to Bucharest, Romania, with forged papers. In 1946, he moved to Vienna, Austria, and finished his education at the University of Vienna. While in Vienna, Gong organized poetry readings and published poetry in newspapers.

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UC Libraries Welcome Kiersten Linkey, Coordinator for the Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry

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UC Libraries would like to welcome Kiersten Linkey as the Coordinator for the Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry. In this role, Kiersten will be primarily responsible for all aspects of museum operations, including public services, daily operations, project support and care for various collections. In addition, she will provide general support and backup at the Science Library. Kiersten’s role will eventually play a part in helping the Oesper Museum maintain regular operating hours – a key to growing impact and awareness for its various collections.

Kiersten graduated from Miami University in 2024 with a bachelor’s in History. During her time there, she worked at the Walter Havighurst Special Collections Library, where she discovered her passion for library work. After graduating, she went on to become a Collections Librarian at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museum in Fremont, Ohio. Additionally, she is pursuing her MLIS degree from Indiana University Indianapolis and is currently nearing completion. In her free time, she loves to read, go on runs and visit local ice cream parlors.

Welcome, Kiersten!

Kiersten Linkey

UC Libraries closed July 3rd

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In celebration of Independence Day on Saturday, July 4, UC Libraries will be closed on Friday, July 3. Normal hours for all library locations will resume on Monday, July 6. 

We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. 

Independence Day, July 4

Read Source to learn about the news, events, people and happenings of 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, looks back at the accomplishments of the most recent academic year while also looking head to the fall semester. We celebrate the many accomplishments of the UC Libraries faculty and staff, the 2026 UC Open Research Day and announce the 2026 Zero Textbook Cost Grant cohort. Two collections are highlighted in this issue: The Werner H. Von Rosentiel papers and the Oesper History of Chemistry collection while the Winkler Center display illuminates Covington, Kentucky as the “X-Ray City.” This issue of Source concludes with a year in photos.

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.

Tips to filter out retracted articles from systematic reviews

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Fabricated citations have increased dramatically recently and have sparked debates about how to address this problem within scholarly publishing. When these citations are discovered, those articles frequently get retracted. However, there is a time lag.

So what’s a librarian or researcher to do? How can we keep retracted articles out of our literature searches?

Quarterly rate of fabricated references per 10 000 papers in PubMed Central from January, 2023, to February, 2026
Rate of fabricated references per 10 000 papers in PubMed Central January, 2023- February, 2026, as cited in Topaz M et al. (2026) The Lancet, 407, 1779-1781

At this year’s Medical Library Association conference, I learned about a strategy in a paper session entitled, “Identifying Retractions in Systematic Review Searching” by Caitlin J. Bakker et al. In their presentation, the authors describe a multistep process to identify retracted papers using the citation manager Zotero and the LibKey Nomad browser extension paired with Covidence, the systematic review screening software.

image of retracted item flagged within Zotero's citation manager
Image of a retracted citation flagged in Zotero, from zotero.org

Zotero has a built-in feature, which automatically flags retracted articles at the item level using data from Retraction Watch. The presenters recommend running database searches and importing citations first into Zotero, followed by Covidence during title and abstract screening. They use this process first at the outset; again prior to data extraction and finally, before submitting manuscripts for publication.

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Give peace a chance: the Center for Peace Education records at ARB 

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Informational pamphlet for the Center for Peace Education non profit
Informational brochure, undated. From the Center for Peace Education records at the Archives and Rare Books Library

For 30 years Cincinnati and suburban school children were given the opportunity to learn about peer mediation, conflict management, cooperative discipline, bias awareness, and diversity through the efforts of the non-profit organization Center for Peace Education.  

The Archives and Rare Books Library is excited to announce that the Center for Peace Education (CPE) finding aid is now available to view online at the Center for Peace Education records.  

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From Nazi Germany to the United States: The Werner H. Von Rosenstiel papers at ARB 

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Does the name Werner H. Von Rosenstiel ring a bell? If you have been inside the University of Cincinnati’s Arts & Sciences Hall, it just might. The Werner H. Von Rosenstiel Reading Room is named after a former student who donated his library to the University in 2001. His papers were later donated to the University’s Department of History by Von Rosenstiel’s daughter and were transferred to the Archives and Rare Books Library in 2024 as a part of the German-Americana collection so that the collection could be organized and made accessible for research.  

Photograph of an older Von Rosenstiel sitting at his desk looking down at a piece of paper he is writing on. From 1964
Von Rosenstiel at his desk, 1964. From the Werner H. Von Rosenstiel papers at the Archives and Rare Books Library

ARB is celebrating the publication of the finding aid for the Werner H. Von Rosenstiel papers which can now be accessed online.

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