Volume 24
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Dean’s Note: A global library collaboration
Many universities establish partnerships with international universities for the purpose of collaboration on research and academic programs. The University of Cincinnati has established agreements with over 10 international universities, located on the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa. Given the nature of these agreements, there is not often engagement between the academic libraries, despite the unusually collaborative nature of our profession. Here at UC, the only strategic partnership that engaged our libraries previously was that with Chongqing University, where our librarians supported students participating in a joint co-op between the universities. This changed with an email from Mac-Anthony Cobblah, university librarian at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, who…
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Announcing the Science Library
By Ted Baldwin, Director, Science and Engineering Libraries During the summer and fall semesters of 2025, a significant university investment fueled the vibrant formation of a combined Science Library in Braunstein Hall. This thoughtfully transformed space creates a united hub of services, spaces, technology and specialized collections dedicated to supporting the teaching and research needs of the Natural Sciences departments within the College of Arts & Sciences. Although its collections focus on the sciences, the Science Library invites ALL to come and enjoy and make use of the revitalized space in the heart of UC’s campus. The Science Library boasts a new service desk, new carpeting, expanded and improved lighting,…
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Farewell to Crosley Towler, Langsam’s neighbor
UC’s Crosley Tower was built in 1969, predating the Walter C. Langsam Library, which was built in 1978 and would become Crosley’s immediate neighbor. Named after UC alumnus Paul Crosley, Jr., the 16-story Brutalist-style structure was designed by A.M. Kinney Associates and was notable for being one of the largest single-pour concrete structures in the U.S. at the time. This month demolition began on Crosley, necessitating the move this past summer of the Chemistry-Biology Library located in the connector between Crosley and Rieveschl Hall – a move that resulted in the consolidation of its collections with that of the Geology-Mathematics-Physics Library to create the newly remodeled Science Library. We bid…
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Introducing the renovated CECH Library Reading Room
The beginning of spring semester brought with it the opening of the renovated College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH) Library Reading Room. Located on the 4th floor of the Teachers-Dyer Complex, and totaling more than 3,000 square feet, the reading room is accessible via the staircase in the CECH Library or directly for those with a Bearcat ID. Bathed in natural light, the renovated reading room features flexible, soft seating arrangements in the room’s south and north ends and four large study tables with integrated lighting (coming soon) and power access. An inclusive, reservable study room (400B) features adaptive lighting and study and focus tools. Print collections…
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Prioritizing accessible spaces in the CECH Library
By Madeleine Gaiser, Online Learning & Instruction Librarian Since the fall of 2024, the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH) Library has worked towards making their spaces and collections more inclusive and accessible for all learners. Following the update of the Accessible Tech Space in Langsam in 2024, the Study & Focus Tools Collection (SFTC) was launched and the reservable study room (400B) was re-imagined with inclusive improvements as part of the Reading Room renovation. Small Swap with High Contrast Inspired by the keyboards in Langsam’s Accessible Tech Space, high-contrast computer keyboards were installed in the CECH Library Info Commons, one for Mac and another for Windows.…
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In support of Evidence Synthesis
By Lynn Warner, Research & Health Sciences Librarian, Melissa Previtera, Academic & Research Services Specialist, and Aja Bettencourt-McCarthy, Science-Engineering Global Services Librarian UC Libraries is excited to share information about our growing network dedicated to supporting evidence synthesis. What is Evidence Synthesis? Evidence synthesis is a name given to a wide range of advanced reviews – from systematic reviews to scoping reviews and bibliometric analyses. Evidence synthesis originated in the health sciences as a means of leveraging discoveries across a range of clinical trials to inform best practices. Since then, evidence synthesis methods have spread beyond the health sciences where they have been used to guide research and inform policies…
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New online exhibit displays effort to desegregate Cincinnati public schools
By Julianna Witt, assistant archivist, and Catherine Cubera, digital archivist On December 10th, 1973, the seven-member Board of the Cincinnati Public Schools adopted a resolution to end segregation of the city’s public school system — a resolution that would go unfulfilled and prompt a lawsuit by the Cincinnati branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). A new online exhibit created by the Archives and Rare Books Library (ARB) showcases the NAACP Bronson v. Board of Education of the City of Cincinnati records, and documents the library’s efforts to create a finding aid for the collection. The exhibit gives users the opportunity to learn more about the collection…
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Making history visible: Chemistry displays help transform Old Chem
By Mark Chalmers, Science and Engineering Librarian and Curator of the Oesper Collections The scavenger hunt clue was discovered by accident, tucked inside the sliding glass doors to one of the Old Chemistry building’s new display cases. The typed note read: “They don’t speak, but they’ve seen it all — Minds that sparked the rise and fall. Pasteur, Franklin, Cannizzaro too — Their faces cast in quiet view. Find the wall where legends stare, and history lingers in the air.” Someone had incorporated the busts of famous scientists —Pasteur, Franklin, Cannizzaro—into their puzzle, working the display’s content into the clue itself. The clue was confirmation that the year-long installation project…
