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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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The New Way(s) of Work
With the start of fall semester, UC Libraries re-opened library facilities to the UC community in a limited, phased approach to ensure social distancing. The priority remains to provide access to library resources to the extent possible while maintaining the health and safety of students, faculty and staff. At this time, all library locations but one are open; however, use and access looks very different from past semesters. With limited exceptions, there is no browsing of library materials in the stacks. The Click & Collect retrieval and pickup service, which allows users to request print library materials in the Library Catalog for pickup at designated locations, has been a well-used…
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Working with Library Student Workers in a Remote Environment
When UC Libraries closed its physical locations in mid-March in response to COVID-19, student supervisors transitioned quickly not just their own work online, but that of their library student workers. All interested and available library student workers were given the opportunity to finish spring semester working remotely. This provided them the opportunity to continue to earn an income, remain engaged with coworkers and to provide essential library services while they and learned new skills. The tasks the library student workers performed varied across departments depending on unit needs, priorities and opportunities. From shelving books to repairing books to helping users find the right books in the collection, library student work…
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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 Taft
The mission of the Preservation Lab is to preserve and conserve the collections of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County and the University of Cincinnati Libraries – a collaboration begun in January 2012 to provide conservation and preservation treatments in an equally managed, staffed and equipped preservation lab on the University of Cincinnati’s campus. A recent collaboration with the Archives and Rare Books Library on a collection of letters and artifacts pertaining to William Howard Taft demonstrates the valuable role the Lab takes in both preserving a collection for posterity while also making it available for study today. The work of the Preservation Lab varies depending on the…
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Langsam Library Exhibit Marks the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation
In 1517, Martin Luther wrote his 95 theses criticizing the practice of indulgences of the Catholic church. He was disturbed by the fact that the faithful were allowed to offer money as penance for their sins. The publication of the 95 theses is considered as the starting point of the Reformation, which marks its 500th anniversary on October 31, 1517, the date long assumed that Luther nailed his theses to the door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg. A new exhibit on display on the 4th floor lobby of the Walter C. Langsam Library, as well as on the 4th floor of the library, highlights the complex and multifaceted legacy…
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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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A View into Special Collections
By Steve Marine, Associate Dean of Digital Initiatives, Special Collections, Preservation and Grants UC Libraries’ special collections provide scholars, both local and global, access to rare books and other rare materials such as maps, pamphlets and journals, that are found in few other libraries. In addition, UC Libraries’ special collections consist of unique primary source materials such as the personal archives of notable people, photographs and historical artifacts and the official records of the university and many regional institutions. Such collections are sources for new discoveries and catalysts for novel research. UC Libraries’ flagship special collections location is the Archives and Rare Book Library located on the 8th floor of…
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