Ask a Student: UC Students Talk about Their Library Experiences

What inspires someone to write and publish a book? For Melissa Kramer, fourth-year UC journalism student and author of The Inclines of Cincinnati, it was a photo of an historic incline that she noticed in Price Hill Chili over ten years ago. From that came the idea to write about Cincinnati’s famous inclines.

In researching and writing her book, published in 2009 by Arcadia Press, Kramer tapped a wide range of resources and expertise from the UC Libraries:

Materials: From the Sanborn Historic Map collection Kramer found a map showing the incline station and the Lookout House at the top of Mount Auburn. Thus began her search for finding any physical remains of the inclines around Cincinnati. This map collection was produced by the Sanborn Fire Insurance Company and is available online through OhioLINK’s Digital Media Center. The maps provide large scale street plans of Ohio from 1867 to 1970 and are frequently used by researchers and historians.

Technical equipment: Kramer’s book contains over 200 historic images of Cincinnati during the time when streetcars were the primary mode of transportation. Kramer compiled these images from a variety of means and with help from the Libraries. From the Circulation and Multimedia Services Department at the Walter C. Langsam Library, Kramer checked out a digital camera to take photos of some of the remnants of the incline supporting structures that she discovered in various Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky neighborhoods. At the Robert A. Deshon and Karl J. Schlachter Library for Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), she used the scanners and large screen monitors for what she found was the most challenging part of her project, which was to meet the necessary image resolution requirements of the publisher. At the Student Technology Resources Center, she digitized a film from a personal collection showing the inclines and street cars that serviced the Clifton area.

Staff: Kramer tapped the expertise and knowledge of several library staff. During her internship at the Archives and Rare Books (ARB) Library, Kevin Grace, University Archivist and Head of the ARB Library, suggested that she publish her research with Arcadia Press. Tom White, Head of Acquisitions and Monographs, provided historic images from his personal collection. Elizabeth Meyer, Visual Resources Librarian in the DAAP Library, assisted Kramer with the technical details of scanning images.

As Kramer’s experience in researching and writing her book shows, when you think of libraries, think expansively. For her, the UC Libraries were a source of research and specialized collections; multimedia equipment such as digital cameras, camcorders and scanners; and a knowledgeable staff to help identify resources, assist with the use of technology, and share the journey that comes with research.

The Inclines of Cincinnati is available for check-out from UC Libraries or for purchase at local book stores and online at amazon.com.

Source Index