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Archives and Rare Books Library received national grant to process historic Cincinnati schools desegregation case records
By Christopher Harter, Julianna Witt and Melissa Cox Norris Last September, The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) awarded the University of Cincinnati’s Archives and Rare Books Library a $109,349 grant to support a project to complete archival processing of the records of the Cincinnati Branch of the NAACP related to the 1974 Bronson v. Cincinnati Board of Education, the city’s most significant legal case in the fight for school desegregation. Filed in 1974, the Bronson case was not the first litigation to address segregation and discrimination in the Cincinnati Public Schools, but it was the first to create some accountability for the Cincinnati School Board. Housed in the…
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Introducing the Carl Solway Gallery Archive
For over six decades, the Carl Solway Gallery stood as a cornerstone of Cincinnati’s modern and contemporary art scene. Throughout its history, the gallery promoted and maintained relationships with groundbreaking artists such as John Cage, Buckminster Fuller, Yoko Ono, Harry Bertoia, Helen Frankenthaler, Sam Gilliam, Ann Hamilton, Richard Hamilton, Charlotte Moorman, Claes Oldenburg, Nam June Paik, George Rickey, Mark Rothko, Saul Steinberg and Andy Warhol. Now, the gallery’s legacy is preserved in the Robert A. Deshon and Karl J. Schlachter Library for Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) Library and will soon be available for viewing and research. The archive includes artists’ letters, handwritten exhibition plans and checklists, gallery announcements…
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Exploring Historical Bindings: A Hands-On Workshop at UC’s Archives and Rare Books Library
By Catarina Figueirinhas In December 2024, the Preservation Lab, in collaboration with the Archives and Rare Books (ARB) Library, hosted Identifying and Describing Historical Binding Structures: A Stacks Appraisal Workshop. This two-day workshop, led by renowned bookbinding scholar and book conservator Julia Miller, provided participants with the opportunity to closely examine historical book structures, refine their descriptive vocabulary, and engage in discussions about historical book structures and cataloging practices. Hands-On Learning in Special Collections The workshop was designed to encourage deeper engagement with ARB’s special collections (manuscripts and incunabula) by fostering a hands-on approach to learning about historical bindings. Participants, including preservation lab staff, special collections librarians, and catalogers—worked directly…
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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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Open Access Publishing Opportunities @ UC
By Brian Gray, Ted Baldwin, Sharon Purtee, Mark Chalmers and Aja Bettencourt-McCarthy What is Open Access (OA)? Open access publishing grew out of a recognition that much scholarship – even work that was publicly funded – was inaccessible to the public as well as many scholars at small or less wealthy institutions due to high subscription costs. Between the mid 1980s and 2000, subscription journal costs rose dramatically, further catalyzing interest in exploring alternative models. As a result of these efforts, scholarly publishing has evolved to include a range of open access options. Open Access Types Description Gold Fully open access journal. An Article Publishing Charge (APC) is usually paid…
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Social activist with a press
Reprinted from a Sept. 30 LiBlog post by Chris Harter, university archivist and head of the Archives & Rare Books Library “I use letterpress printing, but I use it to disrupt the segregated realms of fine printing and artists’ books.”–excerpt from “My Manifesto” in the new book Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.: Citizen Printer To read Amos Kennedy’s manifesto is to glimpse into the passion and love that Kennedy holds for letterpress printing and his sincere belief in the power of the printing press. Kennedy is one of the leading practitioners of letterpress printing today, known mainly for his bold stylistic technique that foregrounds powerful messages against a colorful backdrop. He…
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Details of 1929 Ohio murder case in recent media spotlight
By Christopher Harter, University Archivist and Head of the Archives and Rare Books Library “Details of Scandalous Hix-Snook Murder Trial Lives on in UC Library.” This headline appeared atop a May 2024 Cincinnati Enquirer article by crime reporter and podcaster Amber Hunt, which detailed “a small, tattered booklet” preserved at the Archives and Rare Books Library that contained “the transcripts of one of Ohio’s most salacious 20th century trials.” The booklet, entitled “The Murder of Theora Hix. The Uncensored Testimony of Dr. Snook,” details the1929 murder trial of Dr. James Snook of Columbus, Ohio, who was accused of killing Theora Hix, a student at Ohio State University with whom he…
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Answering the call: A collection in the Winkler Center highlights UC medical personnel organized and staffed by a major European hospital during World War II
Reprinted from UC Magazine article published in April 2012 During the summer of 1941, before America entered World War II, the U.S. Army asked the University of Cincinnati to organize the 25th General Hospital as a major medical facility in the European theater. Staffing the hospital were 57 medical officers and 85 nurses, mostly affiliated with UC and Cincinnati General Hospital (now UC Health University Hospital), as well as 500 enlisted personnel, all of whom served with distinction in England, France and Belgium until the end of the war. At issue was an urgent need for doctors to serve in the armed forces while leaving enough physicians at home to…
