A Newsletter of the IBRARY Library PERSPECTIVES NUMBER TWENTY-TWO FEBRUARY 2000 Oberlin Alumni Librarian Conference

Sixty-five alumni returned to dinner of the Friends of the Oberlin Conference panelists included Elliot Oberlin for the first Oberlin Alumni College Library. Yale University Li- Shelkrot ‘65, Director of the Free Li- Librarian Conference, which was held brarian Scott Bennett '60 was the key- brary of Philadelphia; Paula Matthews on campus November 13-14, 1999. note speaker. President Nancy Dye ‘72, Associate Director of the Bates Col- Participants came from as far away as presented welcoming remarks, touch- lege Library; Richard Rubin ‘71, Profes- California, Florida, Canada, and the ing on the values of librarianship and sor of Library and Information Science at United Kingdom and represented their link to Oberlin College values (see Kent State University; and Gordon B. Oberlin classes ranging from 1933 to page 2). Neavill ‘66, Professor of Library Science 2000. For many this was the first trip Topics explored at the conference at Wayne State University. back to Oberlin since graduation. included “The Importance of Libraries The response of participants to the The conference presented a unique for Society,” “The Oberlin College Li- conference was very enthusiastic, with opportunity for librarians from different brary Today,” “The Library of the Fu- one calling it “the most satisfying pro- types of libraries and library positions to ture: Exploiting the Power of Technol- fessional meeting” she had ever attended. come together to share perspectives on ogy while Preserving Humanistic Val- According to English, “We believe issues facing the profession and to re- ues,” and “How Oberlin Shaped My this event is the first of its kind held by any flect on how their common experience Career.” A pre-conference session on U.S. college or university. Oberlin has as graduates of Oberlin affected their “Careers in Librarianship” was held for produced an unusually large number of career choice and their work in the field. current Oberlin students. The confer- alumni who work in libraries, and it was a The conference was coordinated by ence concluded with a slide talk entitled wonderful experience to have so many of Molly Raphael ‘67, Director of the Dis- “A Light-Hearted Look at Oberlin Li- them return to our campus to get to know trict of Columbia Public Library, and brary History,” delivered by Director one another and share perspectives through was held in conjunction with the annual of Libraries Ray English. the conference discussions.” Page 2

President Dye's Welcoming Remarks at the Alumni Conference Welcome back to Oberlin! It is a pleasure for your College to host what Ray English tells me may well be the first conference of alumni librarians any- where. Oberlin is proud to have produced so many librarians! We hope that your interest in librarianship was sparked at least in part by your experiences here. I don’t need to tell you that Oberlin has long had a great library – the depth and breadth of our collections and the extent to which our library is embracing new library technologies continue to set Oberlin apart from virtually all of its peers. Given the vitality of our library and the nature of Oberlin, it doesn’t surprise helps open up new realms of imagina- giving them skills and tools that will us that so many of our graduates have tion and knowledge. enhance their learning throughout their chosen library careers. Oberlin’s val- I’m thinking of the librarian in a lives. ues and the values of librarianship have branch of the New York Public Library I’m thinking of those who build much in common. Yours is at once a in Queens, New York, who has worked library collections in colleges and uni- scholarly and a socially engaged profes- tirelessly to build collections of con- versities that enable faculty and stu- sion. As librarians you simultaneously temporary fiction and non-fiction works dents to advance research and know- foster the creation of new knowledge written in the many languages that her ledge in every area of human inquiry, and enhance the quality of life in your immigrant patrons read, and being pub- and those in public libraries who de- communities. Your positive impact on lished in the many nations from which velop collections that represent a wide individuals and on the broader society is they have come. variety of viewpoints on issues, encour- exceptionally strong. Let me give a few I’m thinking about the reference aging tolerance and openness to ideas. examples of what I mean: librarians here at Oberlin who are al- This College has always recognized I’m thinking of the children’s li- ways enthusiastic about introducing stu- that librarians change lives and advance brarian who encourages a love of books dents to the complex world of informa- knowledge. You build a more informed and reading in small children, and who tion that is now available to them and citizenry and improve our society in immeasurable ways. Librarianship, I think, is a very Oberlin kind of thing. This must surely be the most excit- ing time in the history of libraries to be a librarian. I hope that this conference will help you and your College come to an even greater appreciation of the hu- manistic values of librarianship and the remarkable social and technological pos- sibilities for libraries that the future holds.

Library Perspectives, a news- letter for users and Friends of the Oberlin College Library, is issued two times a year. Printed from an endowed fund established by Benjamin A. and Emiko Custer. Editors: Ray English, Jessica Grim, Ray English, Director of Libraries, with Conference Participants Richard and Megan Mitchell. Rubin, '71, Dawn Thistle '78, and Mary Rosenbloom '80

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The Five Colleges of Awarded Arthur Vining Mellon Grant for Information Literacy Davis Grant for

The Five Colleges of Ohio, a con- ulty, working in partnership with librar- New Science sortium whose members are The Col- ians, to focus on conceptualizing, pro- lege of Wooster, , ducing, and implementing projects that Library , Oberlin College, and integrate information literacy into new The Arthur Vining Davis Founda- , has been or existing courses. Projects that ad- tions have awarded Oberlin a grant in awarded a grant in the amount of dress the development of information the amount of $200,000 to support con- $475,000 from The Andrew W. Mellon literacy skills through the major course struction of the new science library. Foundation to strengthen the teaching sequence will be particularly encour- Scheduled to open in the fall of 2001, of information literacy. aged. the new library will be a central part of The three-year grant, called “Inte- Following these initial efforts at the College's new science center (see grating Information Literacy into the each of the five campuses, during the Perspectives, February 1999). Liberal Arts Curriculum,” will involve second and third years of the grant, there Dr. Jonathan T. Howe, Executive both collaborative efforts among the will be a series of workshops for faculty Director of the Foundations, made a five schools at a consortial level as well and librarians that will provide opportu- campus visit in July 1999 at the invita- as initiatives on each campus. The goal nities for participants to share resources, tion of Associate Vice President David of the grant is to increase students’ skills experiences, and ideas relating to the Love. Dr. Howe toured the present and capabilities in using library and projects they have developed. science library, viewed and discussed information resources. Its primary fo- According to Director of Libraries plans for the new library with Science cus involves building partnerships be- Ray English, who will direct the grant Librarian Alison Ricker, and met with tween faculty and librarians in order to project for the consortium, “The Mellon Director of Libraries Ray English, Presi- integrate information literacy into grant puts the Five Colleges of Ohio in dent Dye, and members of the science courses across the curriculum. a leading position among liberal arts faculty. Initiatives involving consortium- colleges in fostering the development of wide collaboration will include a spring students' information literacy skills, 2000 symposium for librarians involved which are an essential component of in instruction, creation of a Web site liberal arts education.” The grant project Friends of the Oberlin containing instructional resources and overall promises to be both ground- College Library core documents on information literacy, breaking and instructive, and, ultimately, Spring 2000 Programs and support for librarians’ participation of great benefit to the students enrolled in conferences and training institutes at all five institutions. Monday, March 20, 4:30 pm, relating to information literacy. For earlier articles related to infor- Mudd 050 Central to the initiatives on each of mation literacy, see the March 1997 and Jessica Grim, poet, former lit- the campuses will be a series of course February 1998 issues of Library Per- erary magazine editor, "Small development grants that will enable fac- spectives. Press: The Real American Litera- Recent Gifts ture" Monday, April 17, 4:30 pm, Hugh and Greta Pallister ‘41 have Jeanne Walker Anderegg ’55 has Mudd 050 made a major gift to the Art Library for donated two rare works on Scott McMillin, Associate current acquisitions, and they have also lichenography for Special Collections, Professor of English, "Our Pre- designated a portion of a charitable re- one of which is an 18th-century text. posterous Use of Literature: mainder trust for the Library. William Norris, Professor of So- Emerson and the Nature of Read- Joseph Elder ‘51, Professor of ciology, has donated a sizable number ing" Sociology at the University of Wiscon- of books and issues of sociology jour- sin-Madison, has donated 34 paintings nals. Saturday, May 27, 3:00 pm, from Mithila in the Bihar region of Charles Wells ’62, Professor King 106 northeast India. The paintings, which Emeritus of Mathematics at Case West- Commencement Weekend illustrate various aspects of Indian cul- ern Reserve University, has donated Program, talk by Barbara Wolanin ture, will support courses taught by Paula more than 200 volumes of books and '66, author of Constantino Richman, Irving E. Houck Professor of issues of journals in the field of math- Brumidi: Artist of the Capitol Religion; and Michael Fisher, Professor ematics. of History.

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Herbert Shore Awarded 1999-2000 Friends Friends Life Membership of the Library The Friends of the Library awarded ogy, the Arts, and Cultural Transforma- Council a life membership to Dr. Herbert Shore tion. Professor Shore’s gift includes at their annual dinner on November 13. rich collections of materials in the fields Carl Peterson, President Life membership is granted on a selec- of African studies; poetry, fiction and Terry Carlton, Vice President tive basis to individuals who have made creative writing; drama, film, televi- Nathan Haverstock, Secretary generous contributions to the Friends of sion and multimedia; folk life and folk Paul Erler '32 the Library. Carl Peterson, President of culture; as well as archival materials Carol Ganzel the Friends of the Library, announced related to his career. Samuel Goldberg the award. Dr. Shore announced the initial Erik Inglis '89 Dr. Shore, Emeritus Professor at portion of his gift at an Oberlin Confer- Norman Jung '56 the School of Theater of the University ence honoring Eduardo Chivambo Al McQueen '52 of Southern California, is giving the Mondlane, Class of 1953 and father of Gordon Neavill '66 Oberlin College Library and Oberlin Mozambique’s movement for indepen- Mary E. (Molly) Raphael '67 College Archives his entire professional dence from Portugal. Richard Rubin '71 library. The library includes books, All materials donated by Professor Dina Schoonmaker journals, and archival material related Shore will become part of the “Herbert Scott Smith '69 to his career as a poet, professor of Shore Collection in Honor of Eduardo Ginger Hargett '00 theater, artistic consultant, and Director Chivambo Mondlane.” of the UNESCO Program on Technol- Ex-Officio and Appointed Mem- bers:

New Acquisitions from the Gary Kornblith, Chair, Friends of the Library Faculty Library Committee Eric Carpenter, Collection At its November meeting, the major source for the study of medieval Development Librarian Friends of the Library Council autho- art history and musicology. Jessica Grim, Reference rized the use of Friends' funds to ac- Das Mittelalterliche Hausbuch Librarian quire a variety of resources to enhance (The Medieval Housebook), ed. by Ray English, Director of the Library’s collections. Purchases Christoph Waldburg Wolfegg et al. Libraries will include rare books, major reference Munich: Prestel Verlag, 1997. A full works, source materials for teaching color facsimile of a 15th century artist, This new index will provide much im- and research, and materials to support a the Housebook Master. An excellent proved access to these materials. new curricular area. The approximate source for the study of art history, book CIS US Congressional Committee cost of these acquisitions, which are illustration, and late medieval life in Prints Index (1830-1969). 5 vols. Con- described below, is $23,000. general. gressional Information Service, 1969. New Curricular Area: 19th and 20th- Baker, Cathleen A. By His Own A comprehensive index to background century Architectural History Labor: The Biography of Dard Hunter. and investigative reports issued by the The Art Department is adding new Red Hydra Press, 1999. 368 pages. Ltd. U.S. Congress in the form of Committee courses in 19th and 20th-century archi- ed. 155 press-numbered or lettered cop- Prints. tectural history and is recruiting a new ies. A fine addition to the Library’s Encyclopedia of Environmental tenure track faculty member with that collection on Dard Hunter, the leading Science and Engineering, ed. by James specialization. Funds will be used to American scholar and practitioner of Pfafflin and Edward N. Ziegler. 4th ed., purchase monographs, back runs of papermaking. rev. 2 vols. Gordon and Breach, 1998. periodicals, and art exhibition catalogs Major Reference Works A new edition of an encyclopedia that to support these new courses. Indexes of British Parliamentary covers all aspects of environmental en- First Editions and Rare Books Papers (CD-ROM). House of Com- gineering: water, air, and soil pollution, Libro del Maestro: Codice 65. mons, 1801-1944/45, House of Lords, medical and legal information, and cur- (The Book of the Master, Piacenza, 1801-1922. Sessional Index, General rent government regulations. Biblioteca Capitolare, Codex 65). (Subject) Index, Index of Names. To- Encyclopedia of Microbiology, ed. Piacenza: Tip. Le. Co. Editore, 1997. 3 kyo: Bunsei Shoin, 1997. The Library by Joshua Lederberg. 2nd ed., 4 vols. vols. A full facsimile reproduction of a owns a large portion of the Parliamen- Academic Press, 2000. Provides com- 12th century liturgical manuscript; a tary Papers for the nineteenth century. continued page 5

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Moving Images at Oberlin: the Library’s Video Collection From John Ford to Jean Luc the University of Califor- Goddard, Lina Wertmuller to Akira nia at Berkeley Kurosawa; whether you’re looking for Shakespeare Program, cul- documentary films or Hollywood flicks, minating in the perfor- opera productions or poetry readings, mance of one of chances are the Oberlin College Library Shakespeare’s greatest will have just the video for you. plays at the restored Globe The video collection at Oberlin, Theatre; Woodstock: which began in the early 1980s and now Three Days of Peace and includes over 3,000 titles, has expanded Music; The Yiddish Cin- greatly in recent years, primarily in re- ema: A Documentary Nar- sponse to the increased interest on the rated by David Mamet; part of Oberlin College faculty in the God is Angry, Says use of videos to support classroom teach- Farrakhan : Black Power ing. The video collection has thus de- 1996; and Still Killing us veloped around the curriculum, and pro- Softly: Advertising’s Image vides direct teaching support for a broad of Women. range of subjects and disciplines, from The video collection women’s studies to art to sociology. also contains over fifty Although great dramatic directors titles in the Lannan Liter- such as Hitchcock, Fellini, and Capra ary Videos series, which are well represented in the collection, are essentially video re- another interesting and perhaps surpris- cordings of poetry and fic- ing aspect of the collection is the num- tion readings by such im- ber of documentary films included. portant contemporary au- These films span a fascinating range of thors as Adrienne Rich, subjects, viewpoints, and ideologies. In- Alice Walker, Czeslaw cluded in the collection are titles such Milosz, Ernesto Cardenal, Robert growth and development of the Library’s as: My America, or, Honk if You Love Creeley, Joy Harjo, and Galway Kinnell. video collection reflects the very core of Buddha, in which the filmmaker “goes While videos in the collection are the changing and evolving curriculum on the road, a la Jack Kerouac, to record used primarily for classroom teaching at Oberlin. As a natural “next step” in the voices and personalities of Asian support, they are also employed for a the expansion of its collection of visual Americans everywhere from range of other projects, such as the study materials, the Library is now beginning Chinatown, New York to a debutante and learning of particular accents by to acquire materials in DVD format. ball in Anaheim, California;” theater production students, and the care- While videos cannot be checked out by Shakespeare’s Globe Restored: Learn- ful study by voice majors of famous students for use outside the Library, ing by Performance, which documents opera parts. they can be viewed in a number of eighteen months of planning, rehearsal, According to the Collection Devel- “viewing rooms” in the Main and Con- location work, and post-production by opment Librarian, Eric Carpenter, the servatory Libraries.

New Acquisitions. . .from page 4 prehensive coverage of microbiology Period, ed. Peter Kitson, et al. London: lery, 1999. A special, profusely illus- and related fields. Pickering & Chatto Publishers, 1999. trated edition that surveys nineteenth Seas at the Millennium: An Envi- A collection of writings on all aspects of and twentieth-century baskets of Japan, ronmental Evaluation, ed. by C. slavery by British Romantic authors, their place in history, and the elevation Sheppard, 3 vols. Pergamon Press, 1999. assembled from pamphlets, periodical of bamboo craft work to an art form. A new encyclopedia that covers all as- articles, and separately-published mono- Complete Collection of Famous pects of human interaction with the seas graphs. Includes works by major au- Treasures from the MOA Museum of and their biological and physical sys- thors, such as Blake, Coleridge, and Art. 2 vols. Kodansha, 1999. Catalog tems. Wordsworth, as well as lesser known of a rich, private museum collection in Source Materials to Support Teach- figures. Atami, Japan. Contains illustrations of ing and Research Japanese Bamboo Baskets: Mas- 328 important works of calligraphy, Slavery, Abolition, and Emancipa- terworks of Form and Texture. ed. by paintings, and various handicrafts. tion: Writings in the British Romantic Lloyd Cotsen et al. Paragon Book Gal- continued page 6

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The Friends of the Oberlin College Library provide significant support New Acquisitions. . .from for special acquisitions and programs that help the Library fulfill its funda- page 5 mental role in the academic life of the College. Collection of the Complete Works JOIN US. BE A FRIEND. of Sesshu (1420-1506), compiled by Members receive the Library Perspectives newsletter, invitations to Friends Nakamura Tanio. Kodansha, 1984. The programs, and other privileges. Most of all, Friends have the satisfaction of largest single volume collection of works supporting Oberlin’s outstanding Library. by an artist whom many critics consider Annual membership categories: $1 Student $5 Recent Graduate to be Japan’s greatest painter. Manuals, Tutors and Methodes for $30 Friend $40 Couple $50 Associate Woodwinds, Brass and Other Instru- $100 Sponsor $500 Patron $1000 Benefactor ments, 1730-1923. Two microfilm sets: Please return this coupon with your membership contribution to: Philip Bate Private Library Collection at Oxford University, England, and The Friends of the Oberlin College Library F. J. Fetis Collection of Music Tutors at Mudd Center, Oberlin, OH 44074 the Bibliotheque Royal Albert I, Brussel. Music tutors were issued by instrument Name: ______makers to promote the use of a new Street: ______system of keys or valves or to introduce City: ______new instruments. These tutors are a rich State: ______Zip Code: ______source of documentation for the study Please make checks payable to Oberlin College. of historical performance on early in- Friends contributions are tax deductible. struments.

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