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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…
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A Note from the Dean: Celebrating Special Collections
In this edition of Source we highlight some of the University of Cincinnati Libraries’ newest endeavors in digital collections. From the latest version of the university’s digital repository, Scholar@UC, to a new archive space for special collections, to our recent membership in the large-scale collaborative repository HathiTrust, UC Libraries has made great strides in increasing our digital footprint and exploring new ways to enhance our user’s scholarship and the ways they can access and utilize our collections. As the materials in our collections become more accessible online, our rare and special collections become even more valuable to the identities of our libraries and the university. Each of UC Libraries’ 10…
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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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Dr. Mont Rogers Reid Surgical Films Digitized
By Gino Pasi, Archivist and Curator for the Winkler Center The Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions concluded a year-long project funded by the National Film Preservation Foundation. Partnering with Colorlab, a full-service motion picture film lab in Rockville, Maryland, the Winkler Center digitized three rare 16-mm films depicting surgeries performed by renowned surgeon Dr. Mont Rogers Reid in the mid-1930s. In addition to their digitization, the films were cleaned, restored, re-plasticized and rehoused by Colorlab. Thirteen films of Reid’s were found in UC’s Department of Surgery, but only three were salvageable as many were on Kodacolor acetate, a film type known for its rapid…
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Marge & Charles J. Schott Foundation Endows UC Libraries’ German-Americana Collection
Cincinnati has a rich German heritage. At one time, about 75 percent of people living in Over-the-Rhine were of German descent. This fascinating local history is available to the community, students and scholars through the University of Cincinnati Libraries. The German-Americana Special Collection within UC’s Archives and Rare Books Library located in Blegen Library chronicles local, as well as national, German heritage. Thanks to a generous $250,000 endowment from the Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation, this gift will be named the Charlotte and Edward Unnewehr Fund for the German-Americana Special Collection. The Unnewehrs, parents to the late Marge Schott, were active in the vibrant German community and their early…
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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…
