Volume 21
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Note from the Dean
How does that saying go about change? “The only constant in life is change.” We who work in academia know this to be very true – change, both enacted and exacted, is constant. Each year we see students graduate in the summer and then a whole new cohort of students begin at the university in the fall. We welcome new faculty and researchers to the library. We bring in new collections and update and create services and spaces to meet the changing needs of our diverse user group. This past year, serving as your interim dean, I’ve been both an active agent of and a witness to great changes in…
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Announcing Elizabeth Kiscaden as the next Dean and University Librarian
Elizabeth Kiscaden, MLIS, AHIP, has been named dean and university librarian of the University of Cincinnati Libraries, effective Aug. 14, pending approval by the UC Board of Trustees. Kiscaden currently serves as university librarian and assistant vice provost of library services at Creighton University. While at Creighton, she has worked to modernize legacy library systems and infrastructure to support an anytime, anywhere, any device philosophy and is overseeing the development of a single library enterprise, bringing together campus and health sciences libraries. “We conducted a national search for a new leader to guide the University of Cincinnati’s renowned libraries, and Elizabeth Kiscaden emerged at the top,” says Valerio Ferme, PhD,…
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A Medical Pioneer goes Digital
By Sidney Gao, Digital Collections Manager UC Libraries celebrates a new digital collection in honor of Dr. Lucy Orinthia Oxley, the first African American to graduate from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1935. The collection consists of photographs, memorabilia, awards, correspondence, newspaper clippings and a scrapbook documenting the personal life and professional career of Dr.Oxley, a beloved family medicine doctor and general practitioner in Cincinnati, Ohio. Not only does the collection celebrate Dr. Oxley’s accomplishments, but it itself is an accomplishment for the Libraries Digital Collections Team (DCT) as it is one of the first to be released with holistic accessibility standards, a milestone for the DCT…
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Supporting Library Student Workers
By Jenny Mackiewicz, Coordinator, Special Projects & Programs In 2014, the University of Cincinnati Libraries created a new fund to benefit our student workers, the UC Libraries Student Worker Scholarship Fund. The scholarship was established by then Library Faculty & Staff Campaign co-chairs Susan Banoun and Mikaila Corday. “We were looking for a way to reinvigorate giving by introducing a new fund everyone would be excited about donating to, our student workers,” says Mikaila. Students are a key component to UC Libraries success. Libraries have long been a top student employer on campus, and student workers are essential in keeping libraries up and running, the stacks filled with books and…
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Library Spotlight: The College of Engineering and Applied Science Library
Located at 850 Baldwin Hall, the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) Library provides access to in-depth research collections, inviting study and learning spaces, engaging technical workshops and expert assistance by librarians, staff and student assistants. CEAS Library History The CEAS Library represents the combined collections and services of two historic libraries: the College of Engineering and the Ohio Mechanics Institute / College of Applied Science. The library in the UC College of Engineering began as a departmental library in the college. A library in the Department of Civil Engineering was established sometime before 1897. In 1897, the Civil Engineering Department, along with its library, moved to the second…
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Poetry in the Stacks
This past academic year, people enthusiastically gathered in the stacks among the literature and poetry books to listen to poets perform their work. They heard from both experienced and published poets, as well as students of poetry just starting on their writing journey. Poetry Stacked, a semi-regular poetry reading series held in the 6th floor east stacks of the Walter C. Langsam Library, was organized by the University of Cincinnati Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room. The mission of Poetry Stacked is to celebrate poetry and raise awareness of the collections of both UC Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room. Each reading features a UC faculty member, student and community…
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Ask me anything
An interview with ChatGPT You’ve probably heard about the Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot, ChatGPT. Many people are using it as a source of information, to help them with their jobs, or as a personal assistant. Glen Horton, head of application development, recently interviewed the chatbot for UC Libraries to learn more about it and to get ChatGPT’s opinions about its potential role in libraries and academia. Anyone can go to https://chat.openai.com, sign up for a free account and begin using the service. Below is a transcript of Glen’s interview with ChatGPT. Some of its responses were shortened for brevity. UC Libraries: Lots of people have heard about ChatGPT, but please tell us…
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Library Stickers
Show your love of @uc_libraries with a library sticker. This spring, users were encouraged to visit a library information desk, request a sticker and then post an image of themselves with the sticker with #selfieforsticker tagging @uc_libraries. The stickers proved very popular and will be continued in the fall — with new designs! Visit a library for your sticker.
