Special Collections in University Libraries

1. The Roman Frontier in Wales by V. E. Nash-Williams
2. Todesfuge by Paul Celan (papercuts by Mischa Kuball)
3. Catalogue of 9842 Stars, or, All Stars Very Conspicuous to the Naked Eye, for the Epoch of 1900 by Thomas William Backhouse

ANSWER: They are all part of the special collections at University Libraries.

A primary factor in evaluating the quality of an academic research library is the size and scope of its collections of books, journals, electronic resources, and other materials. At the University of Cincinnati, our libraries contain 3 million volumes with many of these items belonging to our outstanding special collections.

Among the holdings at University Libraries are a number of rare collections that help to set us apart from other libraries. They are historic and of significant value to UC students and faculty, as well as to scholars and historians throughout the United States and the world.

Among these special collections are:

• The world-renowned John Miller Burnam Classical Library with nearly 215,000 volumes focused on all aspects of the ancient Greek and Roman world, making it one of the largest collections of Classical Studies in the world.
• The German-Americana Collection, which is comprised of 10,000 volumes, making it one of the largest and most comprehensive holdings of materials related to German-American history, literature, and culture in the world.
• A history of astronomy collection, which was developed in conjunction with the Cincinnati Observatory, the first professional observatory in the United States.
• A substantial collection of materials on Paul Celan, one of the major German poets of the 20th century.
• Large and distinctive collections of Welsh and Gaelic history, culture, literature, and language.
• The Oesper Collection of Rare Books and Portraits in the History of Chemistry with more than 10,000 books and journals, making it one of the largest in the Midwest.
• The score library and archives of the Dale Warland Singers, which is regarded as one of the premier collections of contemporary choral works in the country

In some cases these collections were donated by generous scholars and library supporters. In other instances they were purchased using library funds or donor contributions. Donor gifts have also been used to help process, preserve, and restore materials in our special collections.

An outright gift of cash or stock or a planned gift, such as a bequest or a charitable gift annuity, can assist us in the processing, cataloging, perserving, conserving, and digitizing of these outstanding special collections.

For more information on library giving opportunities or to make a contribution, please access the Information/Giving section at <www.libraries.uc.edu> or the University Libraries section at <www.giveto.uc.edu>, use the pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope enclosed in this issue of Source, or contact Peggy Wolf in the Development Office at (513) 556-0055.

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