Journeys: Treasures from the Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
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1 2 Journeys: Treasures from The Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library Exhibition Gallery August 22, 2009-January 3, 2010 3 Journeys This exhibition celebrates the reopening of the William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library after its major three-year renovation. It was organized by Jenny Robb with invaluable assistance from Harry Campbell, Tamar Chute, and Gayle Strege. Special thanks to Predrag Matejic, who provided the theme of the exhibition. We are grateful to President E. Gordon Gee, former Libraries Director Joseph Branin, Libraries Interim Director Raimund Goerler, Libraries Communication Coordinator Larry Allen, Libraries Designer Pam McClung, the members of the Ohio State University Libraries Exhibits Committee and the curators and staff of the Special Collections for their contributions to the exhibition and the catalogue. Design by Pam McClung Photography by Harry Campbell © The Ohio State University Libraries 2009 4 Preface The Special Collections of The Ohio umes about the courage of the man. State University Libraries have long The marginal notes made by Samuel been a source of immense pride. It is Beckett in his journal expand our particularly appropriate that this ex- understanding of the writer’s physical hibition’s treasures, carefully gathered and intellectual path, as well as his and protected through the years, can remarkable creative endeavors. now be displayed for all to see in a splendidly reconfi gured library. As we refl ect on the journeys repre- sented within this exhibition, some The holdings enumerated in this cata- having lasted thousands of years, logue serve as tangible conservators others having traversed thousands of of our past and provide a prologue for miles, we gain insights into the bits our future. From a medieval manu- and pieces that together have formed script to a pioneering Antarctic ex- our civilization. The Ohio State Uni- plorer’s weather log, from early comic versity is proud to be entrusted with strips to haute couture gowns, the ten their care and will pass on their legacy Special Collections represented here to those who follow. provide a window on our history…on some of the forces and infl uences that This magnifi cent library stands as a have shaped who we are today. manifestation of the spirit that is The Ohio State University. It is the reposi- Being privy to these objects — many tory for our collective memory, and it of which are deeply personal in nature is the heart and soul of our University. — engages the imagination and en- riches our understanding of the people behind them. The creased leather helmet worn by John Glenn as a young pilot in World War II speaks vol- E. Gordon Gee President The Ohio State University 5 SpecialOSU’s Experience Collections and the Research Library: As the largest university in the United others to read the work and thus such Why do research libraries, such as Libraries exist to be used, not hid- States, it seems fi tting that the special documents offer unusual insights into The Ohio State University, undertake den. Their presence on the fi rst fl oor collections of The Ohio State Univer- an event, action, or personality. programs of special collections? In of the Thompson Library points to sity Libraries have extraordinary range 2003, the Association of Research OSU’s goal of not only bringing atten- and diversity. In chronological range, At OSU, special collections are the Libraries, which represents the larg- tion to the distinctive nature of special they extend from the medieval era to Cartoon Library and Museum, the est libraries in the United States and collections but also of promoting and yesterday. Formats include manu- Ohio Congressional Archives (includ- Canada, answered: encouraging their use. scripts, rare books, fi lms, works of art, ing the John Glenn Archives), the and even items of clothing. Increas- Hilandar Research Library of medieval Scholarly research depends ulti- Like the collections themselves, those ingly, special collections include born Slavic Manuscripts, the OSU Archives, mately on the availability of primary who use special collections have been digital as well as traditional media. the Byrd Polar Archival Program, Rare sources. Research libraries preserve both many and diverse. In class- Books and Manuscripts/ Charvat Col- and provide such primary resources rooms, in lectures, in tours, and in Special collections have at least two lection of American Fiction, and the as part of their fundamental mission. solitary research, students and fac- characteristics that separate them Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Manuscripts or printed books or other ulty draw on the collections to learn, from other library materials. First, Theatre Research Institute Library. In artifacts or objects “born digital” are explain, and draw new insights that many items are rare and even unique, addition the Medical Heritage Center, tangible marks of prior cultures, liter- challenge and excite. Most curators and therefore stand out from the which is part of OSU’s Prior Health ary growth and development, and teach classes themselves and engage mass-produced books and journals Sciences Library, and the Historic turning points in history. They are the their students with primary sources. that populate all libraries. Thus, Costume and Textile Museum are means by which scholars document, items in special collections may have special collections and partners of the investigate and interpret all our histo- Exhibits and lectures that feature unusual monetary value as well as be- OSU Libraries. ries and cultures. special collections enrich and heighten ing irreplaceable. the educational experience at OSU. Special collections are the work of However, simply having special col- The exhibit gallery in the Thompson A second characteristic of special col- many. Curators fi nd and acquire lections alone is not enough. Only by Library and the display space near lections is that they are often primary items that fi t research and teaching integrating them into the research, it— as well as other sites on campus— objects in research. To say this an- needs; most collections arrive as dona- teaching, and service missions of enrich special events that celebrate a other way, special collections pro- tions, often after years of negotiation. the University do special collections theme or anniversary or even a newly vide trustworthy evidence— primary Conservators provide special care and have the fullest measure of value. acquired collection. Increasingly, documents—necessary for scholarly rescue unique or rare items that have In fact, the words “hidden treasure” such exhibits are digital in format and investigation and cultural understand- suffered from time and use. More when applied to special collections available to many on the Web. ing. They were created at the time often than not, catalogers and techni- are misleading and even offensive historical events took place and may cal staffs must describe materials for to those who care for special collec- take the form of letters, manuscripts, which, because of their uniqueness, tions. Although protected with special diaries, journals, or memories. Some- bibliographic records do not exist security, primary materials at OSU times, the author did not intend for already. 6 Special collections are a bridge that The development, preservation, sup- connects the University to the global port, stewardship and dissemina- community of scholarship. Students tion of major special collections thus and professors from most of the con- becomes both a characteristic of the tinents (save Antarctica) have come to true research library, and an obligation OSU to use them; many more write or assumed by all members of the As- call to inquire about documentation. sociation of Research Libraries. Special Meanwhile, items from OSU’s Special Collections represent not only the heart Collections tour the world as part of of an ARL library’s mission, but one exhibits in public museums and other of the critical identifi ers of a research research libraries that draw attention library. to the treasures of the University. Finally, special collections have brought both recognition and fi nancial support to the OSU Libraries and the Univer- sity. Private foundations and public agencies — such as the Getty Foun- Raimund E. Goerler, dation the Delmas Foundation, the Interim Director of The Ohio State National Endowment for the Humani- University Libraries/Assistant Director ties, and the National Science Founda- for Special Collections and Archives tion —have recognized the signifi cance of OSU’s special collections with grants. Even more important have been the gifts from private donors of both collec- tions and money to strengthen pro- grams. The Association of Research Librar- ies summarized well the signifi cance of special collections as well as the perspective of The Ohio State University Libraries when it declared: 7 Journeys: Treasures from The Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections A journey is not only the physical educational journey that is so much movement of a person or object a part of this institution of higher The Special Collections of the through time and space, but the learning. University Libraries celebrate the metamorphosis that the person or opening of the Thompson Library object undergoes. Even an object’s The exhibition also examines gallery with this selection of their creation is a journey, a process of the ways different societies and treasures, a representative few of the movement and transformation over cultures commemorate milestones thousands of unique and rare artifacts the course of many, sometimes on the journey through life: births, in our collections that have journeyed countless hours. Starting as graduations, marriages, awards, from near and far to their present inspiration, formed using mundane and even death. Some items refl ect homes. Here they are preserved and materials such as pencil and ink, the intellectual or spiritual journeys cared for, and they will, with their parchment, paper, cloth, wood, of their creators and owners.