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Re-introducing The Preservation Lab
Formed in 2012, the Preservation Lab is a book and paper conservation lab that began as a collaboration between the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library to provide preservation services to the two partner institutions. Beginning in 2025, the Preservation Lab expanded its mission to provide expertise and services to the larger cultural heritage community, moving to a regional lab model. Under this new model, the Preservation Lab is now entirely managed, staffed and equipped by the University of Cincinnati. “The Preservation Lab is a point of pride for UC Libraries,” said Liz Kiscaden, dean and university librarian. “We are fortunate to have a lab of…
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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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Photo Documentation in the Preservation Lab
By Jessica Ebert, Conservation Technician in the Preservation Lab As the lead photographic documentation technician for the Preservation Lab, one of my primary responsibilities is creating visual representations of the conservation treatments performed, and housing created, in the Lab. This generally means capturing the condition of the object before treatment, anticipating how it will change once treatment is completed, and then capturing that transformation. We refer to this as before/after photography. The goal is to represent the object, with all its imperfections, accurately. Therefore, little modification is made to the captured before/after (and sometimes during) images. This allows the transition between the before image and its corresponding after image to…
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‘Preserving the Past for the Future’ Exhibit Showcases Work of Preservation Lab
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. The exhibit “Preserving the Past for the Future,” currently on display on Langsam Library’s 5th floor lobby, showcases the work done by the Preservation Lab on a selection of…
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Across languages and borders: International collaborations at Oesper
By Mark Chalmers, Science & Engineering Librarian and Curator of the Oesper Collections The Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry, housed at the University of Cincinnati, are local in their physical setting but global in their reach. While the work of curating these materials involves preservation, description, stewardship and access, their broader significance often emerges through collaboration, particularly when scholars and organizations beyond the United States engage with them in new and exciting ways. Two recently completed international partnerships highlight how historical materials from the Oesper Collections continue to circulate, finding new audiences and new contexts across languages and borders. Reconnecting Greco-Egyptian texts through translation One such collaboration centers…
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Collaboration brings increased digital access to rare manuscripts
By Sidney Gao, Interim Head of Digital Initiatives, and Chris Harter, University Archivist and Head of the Archives and Rare Books Library In the late 15th or early 16th century a nun sat at a desk in the Neukloster bei Buxtehude convent in Lower Saxony carefully adding the final decorative touches to a handwritten prayer book complete with rubicated initials and figural illustrations. One of those illustrations portrays a nun gazing at Mary and the infant Jesus in what may be a bit of self-portraiture by the nun. The book, known today as Meditationes et Orationes with the shelfmark Ms. 2, is comprised of 341 leaves written in a clear…
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Expand Our Impact: An interview with frequent library collaborator Christopher Platts
Christopher Platts, assistant professor of art history, is a frequent collaborator with the Libraries. His work with the DAAP Library, Archives and Rare Books Library and the Preservation Lab, is a perfect example of how we’re achieving our Expand Our Impact Strategic Direction through enhanced UC and external partnerships and collaborations. Following is an interview with Christopher about some of his projects and research focus. How long have you been at the university and what is your research/teaching focus? I have been at the University of Cincinnati since autumn 2021, when I moved from the east coast (Connecticut). I teach in the art history and museum studies programs in the…
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1800s Cincinnati Industrial Exposition Posters available online
For nearly 200 years, the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) has held strong ties to the industrial progress of Cincinnati and the region. The Ohio Mechanics Institute (OMI), founded in 1828, is one of CEAS’ source institutions and provided vital technical education during the early development of the city. In partnership with Cincinnati, OMI sponsored the famed Cincinnati Industrial Expositions in the mid to late 1800s. These “Expos” showcased technical innovation and artistic achievement from across the U.S. In 1879, Cincinnati’s famed Music Hall was built as a permanent home for the growing and popular Expos, which were promoted through large and richly illustrated posters. Recently, the posters were…
