As the author and designer of this web-exhibit, I’d like to tell you a little something about myself and my experience with the German-Americana collection here at The University of Cincinnati. I received my undergraduate degree in Modern Languages from Wright State University in 2007. While there, I studied German, French, and Russian, and have since begun independent study in Danish.
It has always been clear to me that I am at my happiest when I am either helping people learn or I am surrounded by books. My natural inclination, therefore, was to become a librarian and do both. I have now graduated from Kent State University with a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science.
As part of the MLIS program at Kent State, students are required either to write a research paper or complete a practicum in which the student completes a deliverable project for an organization of his or her choice to be graded by an advisor at Kent State. Being that I had no real experience to speak of in a library setting, I decided on the latter, and began searching for a library with a collection which interested me. It didn't take long after first hearing about the German-Americana Collection at the University of Cincinnati to decide that it was the place for me. The German-Americana Collection at UC is one of the premier collections of its type in the world, and combines my two greatest loves (besides my family, of course): rare books and the German language.
Kevin Grace, the head of the Archives and Rare Books Library, and I quickly found that my background in Germanic Studies was a good fit for a web-exhibit about German-American religious institutions in the Greater Cincinnati area. The project’s aim was to create a guide or tutorial to the local Germanic religious organizations, as well as create a larger web presence for the German-Americana collection.
Along the way I have discovered much about this wonderful city, its history and its people. As a recent transplant to the Cincinnati area, I knew very little about the city at the outset of this project, so I used photography, one of my many hobbies, as a jumping off point. Exploring the city’s sacred places with a camera was a truly magnificent experience. I have been all over Europe, seen some of the world’s most famous palaces, museums and galleries and taken pictures of them all, but I can say with absolute honesty that Cincinnati is home to some of the most beautiful buildings that I’ve ever seen.
The bulk of my research material for the exhibit came straight from the German-Americana Collection itself. Its comprehensive coverage of German history, particularly in the Cincinnati area, is staggering and the availability of primary sources made research much more interesting. (Parishioners coming to fisticuffs and controversies galore. Who knew?)
All in all I’ve a fantastic experience here and I must thank Kevin Grace for giving me this opportunity, as well as Dr. Allen E. Hye and Dr. Elfe Dona for inspiring me throughout my undergraduate career and beyond, and my best friend Elizabeth and my husband Thomas for their unwavering support and infallible ability to make me smile, no matter the circumstance. I hope you enjoy the tour!
