{"id":1520,"date":"2018-09-21T19:53:48","date_gmt":"2018-09-21T23:53:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/?p=1520"},"modified":"2018-09-25T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-09-25T13:00:00","slug":"uc-professors-unique-collection-finds-home-in-the-libraries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/uc-professors-unique-collection-finds-home-in-the-libraries\/","title":{"rendered":"UC Professors\u2019 Unique Collection Finds Home in the Libraries"},"content":{"rendered":"

Article courtesy the University of Cincinnati Foundation<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Kretschmer<\/a>
Laura and Richard Kretschmer stand in front of an exhibit of the books they donated to the CECH Library<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first time Richard Kretschmer stepped off a plane in New Mexico, he felt an immediate connection to the mountains. It was on this same trip, more than 40 years ago, that he also became interested in Native American culture. This quickly developed into a passion for Native American children\u2019s literature that his wife and fellow educator Laura grew to share. The now-retired UC professors\u2014Richard, professor emeritus in the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH), and Laura, professor emerita in the College of Allied Health Sciences\u2014began purchasing these rare and unique books during their travels in 1975.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were always drawn to these Native American books, and the next thing you know, we had 275!\u201d Richard laughs. \u201cThen I retired, and I made a decision that I needed to put the books where they would be used \u2014 the CECH Library. This year, we decided to make a gift to endow the special collection.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple\u2019s gift of the Kretschmer Collection of Native American Children\u2019s Literature will now have a permanent home in the CECH Library, and it will be supported in perpetuity through curation, restoration and preservation, and affiliated programming. This opportunity to cultivate the future of multicultural learning for UC students, faculty and the broader academic community appealed to the longtime advocates and educators on multiple levels.<\/p>\n

\u201cLaura and I are very much into supporting causes for people not in the mainstream,\u201d says Richard, who earned his bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in deaf education.<\/p>\n

Laura adds that Richard\u2019s affinity for helping others is rooted in his childhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis parents were the only deaf people in the very small town that he grew up in,\u201d she says. \u201cThey were the ultimate outsiders. So, I could understand his connection.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"art<\/a>\u201cAlso, the art in the books is exceptional and just draws you in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richard is enamored with Native American fables because they\u2019re a window into southwest Native American cultures and philosophies. One commonality he finds is a love of the land.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis strikes a very deep chord for me, coming from a farming community,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

When deciding on a new home for more than 40 years\u2019 worth of collecting these rare books and materials, the decision to donate the collection to the UC Libraries and endow it was an easy one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew if the collection would go to CECH, it would be made available to teachers and, hopefully, children,\u201d Richard says. \u201cI think education is a valuable tool for enlightening people and I would hope that this collection would be used for that purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

UC Libraries Dean and University Librarian Xuemao Wang says the collection will serve that exact purpose\u2014to enlighten future generations and empower further discovery.<\/p>\n

\"art<\/a>\u201cThe Native American collection donated by the Kretschmers provides a unique dimension to the library\u2019s offerings, highlighting the culture, artwork, myths and legends of the indigenous people of the Americas,\u201d says Wang. \u201cThe curation of this collection will provide a platform to elevate further these captivating civilizations and communities, and the invaluable stories that celebrate the history of their oral and written tales and traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richard jokes that there is another reason for gifting and endowing his collection.<\/p>\n

\u201cI now have a place to put new books,\u201d he laughs. \u201cbut Laura and I have an agreement, no more stuff in the house so we both have Kindles!<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

To learn how your gift can make a difference in UC Libraries, contact Christa Bernardo<\/strong>, director of development, (513) 556-0055, christa.bernardo@uc.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On display in the 4th floor lobby of the Walter C. Langsam Library July 9-September 14, 2018, the exhibit \u201cThe Kretschmer Collection of Native American Children\u2019s Literature donated by Drs. Richard and Laura Kretschmer\u201d featured children\u2019s books with Native American themes, written and illustrated by Native Americans. The books are part of a collection of over 275 books donated by Drs. Richard and Laura Kretschmer and housed in the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH) Library<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Also included in the exhibit were Native American history and culture resources from the collections of UC Libraries. Included were movies, e-journals and online digital collections and databases.<\/p>\n

The exhibit was designed by Sophia Xu, design student in the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning and UC Libraries\u2019 Communications Department design co-op student, and curated by Cheryl Ghosh, head of the CECH Library. The exhibit was done in conjunction with the traveling exhibition \u201cNative Voices: Native Peoples\u2019 Concepts of Health and Illness,\u201d<\/a> on display in the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library July 23-August 30.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Article courtesy the University of Cincinnati Foundation The first time Richard Kretschmer stepped off a plane in New Mexico, he felt an immediate connection to the mountains. It was on this same trip, more than 40 years ago, that he also became interested in Native American culture. This quickly developed into a passion for Native American children\u2019s literature that his wife and fellow educator Laura grew to share. The now-retired UC professors\u2014Richard, professor emeritus in the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH), and Laura, professor emerita in the College of Allied Health Sciences\u2014began purchasing these rare and unique books during their travels in 1975. \u201cWe were always drawn to these Native American books, and the next thing you know, we had 275!\u201d Richard laughs. \u201cThen I retired, and I made a decision that I needed to put the books where they would be used \u2014 the CECH Library. This year, we decided to make a gift to endow the special collection.\u201d The couple\u2019s gift of the Kretschmer Collection of Native American Children\u2019s Literature will now have a permanent home in the CECH Library, and it will be supported in perpetuity through curation, restoration and preservation, and affiliated programming. This opportunity to cultivate the future of multicultural learning for UC students, faculty and the broader academic community appealed to the longtime advocates and educators on multiple levels. \u201cLaura and I are very much into supporting causes for people not in the mainstream,\u201d says Richard, who earned his bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in deaf education. Laura adds that Richard\u2019s affinity for helping others is rooted in his childhood. \u201cHis parents were the only deaf people in the very small town that he grew up in,\u201d she says. \u201cThey were the ultimate outsiders. So, I could understand his connection.\u201d \u201cAlso, the art in the books is exceptional and just draws you in.\u201d Richard is enamored with Native American fables because they\u2019re a window into southwest Native American cultures and philosophies. One commonality he finds is a love of the land. \u201cThis strikes a very deep chord for me, coming from a farming community,\u201d he says. When deciding on a new home for more than 40 years\u2019 worth of collecting these rare books and materials, the decision to donate the collection to the UC Libraries and endow it was an easy one. \u201cI knew if the collection would go to CECH, it would be made available to teachers and, hopefully, children,\u201d Richard says. \u201cI think education is a valuable tool for enlightening people and I would hope that this collection would be used for that purpose.\u201d UC Libraries Dean and University Librarian Xuemao Wang says the collection will serve that exact purpose\u2014to enlighten future generations and empower further discovery. \u201cThe Native American collection donated by the Kretschmers provides a unique dimension to the library\u2019s offerings, highlighting the culture, artwork, myths and legends of the indigenous people of the Americas,\u201d says Wang. \u201cThe curation of this collection will provide a platform to elevate further these captivating civilizations and communities, and the invaluable stories that celebrate the history of their oral and written tales and traditions.\u201d Richard jokes that there is another reason for gifting and endowing his collection. \u201cI now have a place to put new books,\u201d he laughs. \u201cbut Laura and I have an agreement, no more stuff in the house so we both have Kindles! ******************************************* To learn how your gift can make a difference in UC Libraries, contact Christa Bernardo, director of development, (513) 556-0055, christa.bernardo@uc.edu. On display in the 4th floor lobby of the Walter C. Langsam Library July 9-September 14, 2018, the exhibit \u201cThe Kretschmer Collection of Native American Children\u2019s Literature donated by Drs. Richard and Laura Kretschmer\u201d featured children\u2019s books with Native American themes, written and illustrated by Native Americans. The books are part of a collection of over 275 books donated by Drs. Richard and Laura Kretschmer and housed in the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH) Library. Also included in the exhibit were Native American history and culture resources from the collections of UC Libraries. Included were movies, e-journals and online digital collections and databases. The exhibit was designed by Sophia Xu, design student in the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning and UC Libraries\u2019 Communications Department design co-op student, and curated by Cheryl Ghosh, head of the CECH Library. The exhibit was done in conjunction with the traveling exhibition \u201cNative Voices: Native Peoples\u2019 Concepts of Health and Illness,\u201d on display in the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library July 23-August 30.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1524,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,84],"tags":[59,54,67],"class_list":["post-1520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-volume-17","category-volume-17-issue-1","tag-cech-library","tag-collections","tag-development"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1520"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1569,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1520\/revisions\/1569"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}