Mozart in the Library: Act III

Ever wonder what people are playing while they are practicing the keyboards in Langsam and CCM Libraries? Jay Sinnard, manager of the Student Technology Resources Center, did so he asked one student if he could listen in.

Shayan Assani, 3rd year Bio-Medics Engineering

I think we can all agree he is very talented. Another selection…

A collaboration between UC Libraries and the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), the keyboards are open to anyone wanting to play on a first come-first served basis, but bring your own headphone as they are required.

UC Libraries Names Ratio Architects, Inc. for Creation of Facilities Master Plan

The University of Cincinnati Libraries have contracted with the outside firm RATIO Architects, Inc., on the creation of the Libraries Master Plan. An international architectural firm, Ratio has extensive experience designing for academic libraries including the University of Illinois-Urbana, Purdue University, and Saint Louis University among others. For more on Ratio, visit their website at http://www.ratiodesign.com/.

In creating a long-term vision for library spaces, Ratio Architects will conduct a comprehensive look and needs assessment for library facilities as expressed by employees, users, and other invested parties. The Master Planning process takes 12-18 months, and the final suggestions will span the next 5-15 years. Continue reading →

‘Preserving the Past for the Future’ Exhibit Showcases Preservation Lab

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 →

Langsam Display Informs about Sexual Assault Awareness Month

A display on the 4th floor of Langsam Library organized by the Gender-Based Violence Student Education and Outreach (GBVSEO) Team and UC Libraries includes library materials that inform about Sexual Assault Awareness month.

The GBVSEO Team’s mission is to create a safer campus culture by preventing gender-based violence and supporting survivors through education and outreach. The SAAM display in the library does just that! The display encourages students to educate themselves on the issue by taking out a wide variety of books on the topic. The display also directs students to online resources including films about rape culture. Most importantly, the display includes resources for survivors and information about all of the support services on campus for students who have experienced gender-based violence, which includes sexual assault, stalking, and intimate partner violence.

While the GBVSEO Team has many programs planned for SAAM, we feel that the library display plays a particularly important role in our awareness campaign. Sometimes students don’t feel comfortable stopping by a tabling event to get information, but the library display allows them to engage with the material and pick up resources with more anonymity. The display is also located in an area of campus that has high traffic. We hope that students who pass by the display, even if they do not choose to engage with the material, become aware that this month is SAAM.

The Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) library display was organized and designed by Susan Banoun and Mikaila Corday of UC Libraries and the Gender-Based Violence Student Education and Outreach Team, which includes members from the Women’s Center, LGBTQ Center, Student Wellness Center, and the Women Helping Women On-Campus Advocates.

By Erin R. Mulligan, Gender Based Violence Prevention Education Coordinator, University of Cincinnati Women’s Center.

Mozart in the Library: Act II

Ever wonder what people are playing while they are practicing the keyboard in Langsam and CCM Libraries? Jay Sinnard, manager of the Student Technology Resources Center, did so he asked one student if he could listen in.

Eliza Walsh, Spanish major.

Can you identify what she’s playing? Bach? Beethoven?

Provost Technology Innovation Award to Fund Data Visualization across Disciplines

The Provost Technology Innovation Award will fund visualization technology for faculty and students to communicate knowledge in graphical form.

Vendor supplied photograph of a data visualization wall.

The Office of the Provost has provided more than $1.3 million in funding to collaborating departments and groups across UC, helping each of them push the university community to new academic heights. UC Libraries, partnering with the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, the Carl H. Lindner College of Business and IT@UC was one of four Technology Innovation Award recipients recently announced with the successful proposal “Data Visualization Across Disciplines: Digital Literacy for the University of Cincinnati’s Third Century.” These partners will work together to invest in the development of an interdisciplinary undergraduate certificate in data visualization; training students to communicate complex data by placing it in a visual context. This cross-college program will incorporate coursework designed and team-taught by faculty, blending multiple perspectives on data visualization to a wide range of students. Data visualization is an emerging art and science that has changed people’s relationship with information. It harnesses new technologies to communicate knowledge in graphical form by merging aesthetic form with analytical function to present large and complex datasets in an intuitive and human-interpretable fashion.

From the Provost Office Announcement – As the University of Cincinnati moves toward its Bicentennial in 2019, the Office of the Provost supports academic and technological innovation keeping our university’s educational mission core to what we do and who we are at UC. This is the drive behind the Provost Technology Innovation Awards program, which funds projects developed by faculty and students who collaborate between colleges and discrete disciplines to support interdisciplinary projects that turn original ideas into reality. “At UC we have a strong, shared commitment to the continued modernization of the learning experience,” says Interim UC Provost Peter Landgren. “It is a pleasure to see the spirit of partnership change and improve the academic journey at the university through collaborative ideas like the ones funded through this program.”

Continue 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

Continue reading →

Register Now for the Second Annual UC DATA Day

The University of Cincinnati Libraries and IT@UC announce the 2nd annual UC DATA Day. Scheduled for Thursday, March 23 from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. in TUC 400 ABC (see directions), UC DATA Day 2017 will feature a full schedule of engaging events. All events are free and include lunch and an afternoon reception. The public is welcome.

Registration is now open at bit.ly/UCDataDay. Seats are limited, so register early. Continue reading →

Digital Humanities Expert to Speak March 6 & 7 in Langsam Library

UC Libraries, in partnership with the College of Arts and Sciences, welcomes visiting scholar Roopika Risam as the next expert in the Digital Humanities Speaker Series, March 6 & 7 in Langsam Library.

Risam, an assistant professor of English at Salem State University, 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.

Monday, March 6

Keynote: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story: The Stakes of Digital Cultural Memory, Langsam 480
Lunch: (all welcome) – 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., Outside Langsam 462
Hands-On Session (laptop recommended): 1:30 to 3 p.m. – Archiving Social Justice with Omeka, Langsam 462

Tuesday, March 7

Session Three: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Digital Labor across Global North and South, Langsam 480

Continue reading →

Check Out the Latest Issue of Source

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

This latest issue of Source includes interviews with Dean Xuemao Wang about creating a Master Plan for library spaces as well as with May Chang about her role in the newly created position of library chief technology officer. Other articles include the announcement of a gift from the John Hauck Foundation for the digitization of Dr. Albert B. Sabin’s lab notebooks, the installation of two new exhibits of World War I illustrated sheet music, a listing of Spring events in UC Libraries, an update on recent staff accomplishments and a donor spotlight of Marjorie Motch. Read these articles and more.

Source is available 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.