Gatherings, 2014 Fall

OHIO UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES Fall 2014 Sherry DiBari From the Dean of the Libraries MINING THE CORNELIUS RYAN ANYWHERE, ANYTIME: COLLECTION ACCESSING LIBRARIES’ MATERIALS PG 8 FINDING PARALLELS PG 5 IN THE FADING INK elebrating anniversaries is such C PG 2 an important part of our culture because MEET they underscore the value we place on TERRY MOORE heritage and tradition. Anniversaries PG 14 speak to our impulse to acknowledge the things that endure. Few places CLUES FROM AN embody those acknowledgements more AMERICAN than a library—the keeper of things LETTER that endure. As the offi cial custodian of PG 11 the University’s history and the keeper of scholarly records, no other entity on LISTENING TO OUR campus is more immersed in the history STUDENTS of Ohio University than the Libraries. PG 16 OUR DONORS A LASTING LEGACY PG 20 This year marks the 200th anniversary of Ohio University Libraries. It was on PG 18 June 15, 1814 that the Board of Trustees fi rst named their collection of books the “Library of Ohio University,” codifi ed a Credits list of seven rules for its use, and later Dean of Libraries: appointed the fi rst librarian. Scott Seaman Editor: In the 200 years since its founding, Kate Mason, coordinator of communications and assistant to the dean Ohio University Libraries is now Co-Editor: Jen Doyle, graduate communications assistant ranked as one of the top 100 research Design: libraries in North America with print University Communications and Marketing collections of over 3 million volumes Photography: and, ranked by holdings, is the 65th Sherry Dibari, graduate photography assistant largest library in North America. It’s an Tyler Stabile, graduate photography assistant Patrick Traylor, graduate photography assistant extraordinary accomplishment achieved Contributing Writers: by generations of librarians, faculty, Kelly Broughton, Jen Doyle, Kate Mason, Doug Partusch and Scott Seaman administrators, staff and donors. With special help from Rob Dakin and Carrie Preston About the cover: Scott Seaman, The University Libraries’ world-renowned Cornelius Ryan Collection is comprised of nearly Dean of Ohio University Libraries 21,000 primary source materials relating to World War II, including extensive interviews, documents, photographs, Dictaphone and reel-to-tape recordings, scrapbooks, videos, fi lms and correspondence from servicemen, offi cials and civilians of diverse nationalities. Compiled by best-selling author and journalist Cornelius Ryan while researching his iconic novels, which Patrick Traylor include “The Longest Day” and “A Bridge Too Far,” the collection is regularly accessed by researchers, journalists and historians from around the globe. 1 Ohio University is an affi rmative action institution. Printed on recycled paper. ©2014 Ohio University. All rights reserved. UCM#1442-???M “Through the Vernon R. & Marion Alden “Aside from cloning myself, I cannot imagine Library endowment, and in partnership with anyone more qualifi ed,” she said. Abrahamson the Honors Tutorial College, the University has experience working in colonial Latin Libraries has been able to fund a number American archives in Mexico and is able to of undergraduate research experiences that read some of the basic paleography—which, emphasize just that kind of research,” he said. as the photo may indicate, is no small feat. Abrahamson is thrilled to have been chosen “Reading the paleography is tough,” as Clouse’s apprentice, and is especially Abrahamson said. “A lot of the words are interested in learning more about early rather ‘loopy’ or convoluted, and words modern Spain because of its impact on written in ink fade over the course of colonial Latin America, her area of study. 500 years.” Clouse is equally thrilled to have her. Finding Parallels in the Fading Ink By Jen Doyle Imagine a hospital full of patients cared the Ohio University Libraries’ Dr. Vernon R. and for by an educated staff using state-of-the-art Marion Alden fund. medical technology. They are using the apprenticeship funding Now, imagine those same patients in a to analyze historical malpractice suits— hospital in 16th century Spain. Doctors use specifi cally, over 100 microfi lm canisters of stethoscopes, rudimentary surgical tools, Spanish medical malpractice criminal cases and poultices of fat and dung to care for spanning the 15th to 17th centuries. Several them in facilities that lack an ounce of hundred cases are represented in Clouse’s antibacterial soap. personal collection, and according to Clouse, a medical history specialist, they have never You might expect a few medical been documented for academic study. malpractice suits. Working with primary source material like Enter Dr. Michele Clouse, associate professor Clouse’s collection is an invaluable learning of history, and Hannah Abrahamson, Honors experience, said Scott Seaman, dean of Stabile Tyler The 16th century Spanish document, “Archivo de la Chancilleria Real de Valladolid Seccion de Tutorial Spanish senior, winners of the Honors University Libraries. Reales Ejectuorias 845-7,” details a malpractice suit brought against a barber-surgeon in the city Tutorial College Apprenticeship sponsored by of Valladolid in 1542. 2 3 Tyler Stabile Tyler (From left) Hannah Abrahamson, a senior in Spanish, and Dr. Michele Clouse, an associate professor specializing in the history of medicine, look at documents that they will analyze during Abrahamson’s Honors Tutorial College Research Apprenticeship. She expects the handwriting to be one of the of treatment, and ideas about medical most challenging components of the project. practitioners’ obligations to cure from the Fortunately, the Libraries can be of some help. court cases. Changing perceptions of 21st century public health care, Clouse said, “The microfilm readers we have are so are comparable to the political climate fabulous,” Clouse said. With the Libraries’ surrounding medical care in mid-16th century microfilm readers, she is able to create Spain. She is excited to create a searchable digital, searchable and easily transportable database from which she can discern common copies of the film. She rests easier knowing patterns and perhaps contemporary parallels. her microfilms are backed up electronically, and the zoom function enables her to take “Sometimes you feel like you’re in a modern a much closer look at the court cases—and public health care debate,” Clouse said about ultimately, the sentiments preceding our own the cases. “It’s a little disconcerting to realize expectations of medical care today. that those debates have not changed in 500 years.” Clouse hopes to extract opinions about perceived rights to medical care, expectations Stabile Tyler 4 5 “The science, technical and medical databases In addition to supporting student and faculty ohio University Libraries took can be very expensive,” said Janet Hulm, research, the Libraries serves as a Federal approximately 200 years to collect three assistant dean for collections and digital Depository for the Sixth Congressional District million volumes. The acquisition of its first initiatives. “But they are absolutely critical.” since 1886. It recently purchased over 500,000 million electronic volumes, however, was an electronic volumes and official government entirely different story — that endeavor took Ohio University science faculty would agree. documents. just a few years. The databases are springboards for progress, and access to these resources is routine in the “The United States federal government is the Which is to say: times are changing quickly, life of an academic scientist. single largest publisher in the world,” said Scott and the Libraries is at the cusp of those Seaman, dean of University Libraries. “Because changes. In a world where the ubiquity of OHIO Professor Stephen C. Bergmeier, head it’s such a broad range of topics and because so digital information can be overwhelming, of a medicinal chemistry research group that often the government documents are linked to the OHIO community relies on the Libraries strives to advance the design and synthesis policy decisions, it’s crucial to have that content to select, organize, and navigate information of new therapeutics for cancer and infectious available to the public.” more than ever. The Libraries’ digital disease, reported regularly using Science collections present incredible opportunities for Citation Index Expanded, a massive index of Access to existing information is crucial to the advancements in scholarship — opportunities scientific journal literature and conference creation of new intelligence, and the Libraries that OHIO students and faculty are utilizing in proceedings, to search for studies relevant to plays an essential role in that process. Whatever big ways. his grant writing. information you seek, wherever you are, Ohio University Libraries can help you find it. Accessibility of those digital collections is “The research that we do has the potential key. As such, the team that negotiates the to help provide new drugs to address serious human health issues,” Bergmeier said. To date, Libraries’ purchase of 90,000 electronic Stabile Tyler resources from outside vendors works to (From left) Laufica Appiah, a junior in chemistry, he has co-invented nine patents. ensure that once a resource is acquired, it is and Sabatina Gyamfi, a freshman in applied electronically accessible to current students, nutrition, study on the second floor of Alden Library while preparing for finals on Monday, faculty and staff from anywhere in the world. December 9, 2013. Kevin Haworth, author and OHIO assistant “Being able to access the Library remotely professor of English, noted that instant access allows for a really organic, flexible creative to the Libraries’ resources can be paramount process,” he said. “I get to just follow my to creativity and innovation. curiosity in a way that I would not be able to otherwise.” Haworth regularly connected to the Libraries from San Francisco and Tel Aviv while writing his books, and took comfort in knowing he was always just a login away from reliable information when inspiration struck. In no uncertain terms, access to quality information is an investment. OHIO Libraries’ (Previous page) Dr.

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