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Select Special Collections Holding Libraries
Special Collections
- Archives and Rare Books Library - acquires and provides access to special materials for research and instructional use by the local community and the scholarly world. It is responsible for the Rare Book Collection of the University Archives, Records Management Program, the German-Americana Collection, and archival collections that are grouped primarily in the Urban Studies Collection and the Ohio Network Collection.
- German-Americana Collection - one of the nation's largest collections of books, pamphlets, documents, journals, newspapers and manuscripts pertaining to German-American history, literature and culture..
- Kalman L. Levitan Collection of Miniature Books - consists of some 356 miniature books, pamphlets, keepsakes, and playing cards. Languages include English, Hebrew, Latin, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Maori, Spanish, Japanese, French, and Yiddish. More information about the collection is available online in Source, University Libraries newsletter.
- Rare Books - represents the range of the written word from early manuscripts and incunabula to modern first editions and fine press books.
- University Archives - comprises the largest portion of the library's holdings and documents the history and activities of the University of Cincinnati from its origins in the Cincinnati College, founded in 1819.
- Urban Studies - documents the development of the city in 20th and 21st-century America, particularly in Greater Cincinnati, which serves as a case study area.
- CCM Library Special Collections - collections in the College-Conservatory of Music Library such as the "Dale Warland Singers Collection" of scores and recordings and "The Wurlitzer Collection" of chamber music and "The Walter A. Aiken Collection" of song books both housed in the Archives and Rare Books Library.
- Classics Library Rare Books Collection - collection of early editions of ancient Greek authors published prior to 1800.
- DAAP Library Special Collections - a diverse collection of non-circulating objects and materials, comprising of items that are rare, fragile, aged, out-of-print, limited editions, finely bound and otherwise difficult to locate and/or purchase.
- Artists' Books - The growing core and focus of this collection is on historically significant works of book art by artists such as Sol LeWitt, Edward Ruscha, Dieter Roth, and many others. The collection also comprises several hundred hand-crafted books, many of which serve as excellent examples of fine binding and book illustration and reflect the artistic movements of the 1970s and 1980s.
- Emile Mâle Collection - This collection consists of over 1000 books from the personal library of noted French art historian, Emile Mâle. The materials in this collection focus on French Gothic Art and Architecture and the influence of Eastern European iconography on it. Most of the publications are written in the French language and reflect Mâle's significant contributions to 20th-century art history.
- Noel Martin Collection - includes selections from the personal library of honored and renowned local designer, Noel Martin (1922-2009). Broadly speaking, the collection focus is on the various elements of design. Specifically, the collection comprises books and pamphlets on logo design; graphic design; font, typeface, and typography; typesetting, printing, and lithography; and innovative uses of paper. Noel Martin designed a remarkable collection of catalogs, bulletins, invitations, and announcements for the Cincinnati Art Museum, was an instructor at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, and worked as a freelance designer.
- Digital Collections - includes digitized special collections material from various UC Libraries.
- Elliston Poetry Room - 20th-century poetry collection of over 10,000 books, magazines, records, and recordings housed in Langsam Library.
- Science and Engineering Libraries
- Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions - a medical archive, library, and exhibit facility that encourages visitors and researchers to explore the Cincinnati area's rich medical and health history and to discover the people who have contributed to important advances in medicine, nursing, and pharmaceutical sciences.
- Reben Dimond Mussey Collection - A collection of books, serials and pamphlets which reflect a 19th-century medical library
- David A Tucker, Jr. Collection – The personal library of Dr. David Tucker who was the Professor of History of the College of Medicine for over twenty years. The collection consists of rare and historical materials from the 15th-century through the early 20th-century.
- Hospital records - Cincinnati General Hospital: patient records, indexes to patients records, and death records from 1837-1977 (some years are missing). Also available are some records from the Jewish Hospital, Seton Hospital, and Dunham Hospital
- Archives - These materials comprise the largest portion of the Winkler Center’s holdings and consists of the personal papers of such well-known health sciences figures as Albert B. Sabin, Henry R. Heimlich, Elwood Jensen and Leland Clark.
- Cantagalli Collection - A 109-piece set of ceramic jars, replicating a 15th-century apothecary shop, produced by the Cantagalli kiln in Florence, Italy, for the 1899 Paris International Exposition.
- Oral History Collection - Oral history video recordings of interviews with important physicians, scientists, and other health professionals in Cincinnati medical history, e.g. Deans of the College of Medicine, Department Chairmen, Researchers, Faculty, etc.
- Medical Instruments - Collection of over 1000 medical instruments and equipment from 19th-century. Also catalogs of medical instruments from leading manufacturers in 19th and early 20th-century.
- Law Library Special Collections
- The Cincinnati Law Library Collection - Consists of approximately 18,000 volumes of law and legal history. The collection is particularly strong in the areas of constitutional history and early English law. Of note are numerous early printings of the various laws and constitutions of American colonies, states, and territories and also multiple 18th-century volumes with accounts of English trials. The majority of the collection consists of scholarly, out of print books on English and American legal history. These include numerous classics in the field. The books have been individually selected and function together as a whole to provide a comprehensive academic research library. Cataloging and classification of the collection is ongoing and the Law Library is collaborating with William S. Hein & Co to digitize many of the rare titles contained within the collection.
- Personal Papers of William J. Butler and Judge Nathaniel R. Jones
- The Ohio Merit Plan Papers
