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Special Collections in the DAAP Library
The Robert A. Deshon and Karl J. Schlachter Library for Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) has growing special collections comprised of artists’ books, architectural drawings and archives, handmade and fragile pop-up books, rare elephant folios and Cincinnati urban planning materials. The artists’ books collection contains several hundred one-of-kind, limited-edition, rare and hand-crafted books and objects. Related to artists’ books is the entire limited-edition ten-year run of objects from “the Thing Quarterly,” a periodical in the form of objects designed by artists, writers, designers, filmmakers and musicians. There is a collection of Mail art – art sent through the mail meant to be participatory, democratic and with a purpose to…
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Showcasing UC Libraries’ Innovation and Impact during the COVID-19 Pandemic
UC Libraries faculty and staff worked tirelessly through a time of great uncertainty. Much of the effort was highly visible, but important innovation and service happened behind the scenes. The need to document this effort, to collect these stories and to celebrate victories became apparent.
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Mark Twain and Huck Finn in Cincinnati
By Kevin Grace, University Archivist and Head of the Archives and Rare Books Library When the University of Cincinnati Libraries held its inaugural Adopt-A-Book Evening, “Hidden Treasures,” a year ago, one of the books exhibited for the event’s attendees was a first edition of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn housed in the Archives & Rare Books Library. Published in America in 1885 (and that date is part of this story), the book was intended to demonstrate “collection building” in UC Libraries fundraising rather than supporting the expenses of physical preservation, which was another designated category used for additional books on exhibit. While the Archives & Rare Books Library…
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Hidden Treasures: An Adopt-A-Book Evening Returns to UC Libraries
The University of Cincinnati Libraries is home to a diverse collection spanning 10 library locations and representing a wide variety of disciplines. Found within each of these collections are hidden treasures — books, manuscripts and other materials with unique histories and scholarly value. On Thursday, March 12, the University of Cincinnati Libraries will host its second Hidden Treasures: An Adopt-A-Book Evening event. Attendees will enjoy a program featuring What Makes A Rare Book Rare? from Kevin Grace, university archivist and head of the Archives & Rare Books Library, in addition to receiving a first look at this year’s new additions to the catalogue of adoptable materials. Hidden Treasures provides…
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Two Hundred Years of Curation
DAAP Galleries: The Dorothy W. and C. Lawson Reed, Jr. Gallery September 18-December 1 In celebration of the University of Cincinnati’s Bicentennial, the DAAP Galleries are pleased to present 200 Years of Curation. Over the course of the university’s history, the facilities, technologies and individuals have changed and evolved, often replaced by new faces and spaces. The records of these changes and how we have arrived at this moment remain within books, archives and the various collections of UC. On an occasion such as this, it seems only relevant to look to the past as we envision our future. In this unprecedented collaboration of five separate archives and collections from…
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University of Cincinnati Accepts New Additions to Neil Armstrong Commemorative Archives
The University of Cincinnati Libraries recently received an unexpected addition to the Neil Armstrong Commemorative Archives. Presented at UC College of Engineering & Applied Science’s The Next Giant Leap – a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing – these new documents and photos touch on several aspects of Mr. Armstrong’s professional life, including his work as an astronaut and his major transition from a NASA administrative position to faculty member at UC. We are thankful to Rick and Mark Armstrong for their thoughtful generosity and willingness to share these memories of their father to preserve his inimitable legacy. UC is honored to be stewards of these…
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James Landy and Shakespeare’s “Seven Ages of Man”
By Kevin Grace, University Archivist and Head of the Archives and Rare Books Library It is one of the most famous lines in literature: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” Shakespeare’s words from As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII, are spoken by his character, Jacques, a morose and melancholy man. The line, as part of Jacque’s speech, is so often invoked about life in the theater, about everyday life and about everyone’s cosmic role in an earthly existence that one almost expects to see it carved on public buildings and graffitied on alley walls. Beyond that opening line, however, is a…
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Hidden Treasures: An Adopt-A-Book Evening at UC Libraries
The University of Cincinnati Libraries is not only a center of discovery and education, but it also offers a unique window into the past. Special collections connect students, faculty and staff to historical and literary subjects in meaningful ways while also attracting top researchers and scholars with access to rare materials and resources. On Thursday, March 14, the University of Cincinnati Libraries will host its first fundraiser. Hidden Treasures: An Adopt-A-Book Evening will offer an in-depth look at some of the Libraries’ most precious materials. Hidden Treasures provides essential funding to support the preservation, acquisition and digitization of books, manuscripts and collections held by the region’s top-ranked research library. Generous…
