2010 olio Collections • Services • People • Places summer f First Impressions Dear Friends, Services – develop and refi ne user-centered services which integrate Thank you for the warm reception that has libraries and library faculty and staff into been extended to me on my return to Ohio environments where users work and interact State as Director of University Libraries. I wanted to share my impressions about the Collections – Manage the evolution of Libraries with you. the Libraries’ information resources to match the needs and behaviors of users, and to So many things are going well at the OSU refl ect changing technologies and practices in Libraries. We have an extremely hard- publishing, research and teaching working, dedicated, and innovative faculty and staff who are committed to the success Library as place – Enhance the of our students and faculty. The renovation Libraries’ place as a cultural, social and of the Thompson Library is stunning and has intellectual magnet – a gathering place been validated by student response to and for cultivating intellectual inquiry and the use of its services and facilities. Our number development of critical thinking skills, of visitors is four times what it was when promoting academic discourse, and compared to the data prior to the renovation. fostering lifelong learning and knowledge The opening of the new Ohio Union in late enhancement March has had no impact on our number of visitors – in fact the number continues Infrastructure including human to grow. In addition, the Science and resources – Foster a supportive, respectful Engineering Library has seen no reduction and diverse work environment that utilizes in traffi c with the opening of the Thompson and develops the best talents of the Libraries’ Library. The library as place is thriving. faculty and staff Our LibQUAL survey results – a national 2 These themes will result in specifi c strategies Carol Pitts Diedrichs, Director of University Libraries library survey which measures library success and initiatives that will guide our efforts for along four areas – are impressive. We are the next 12 to 24 months. at or above the average for all Association for Research Libraries (the top 125 research My fi nal fi rst impression involves the strong libraries in the US and Canada). These survey support we enjoy from you – our donors and results were collected before the opening of friends. So much of our success rests on your the Thompson Library so I expect our next help and investment. Given the state of the iteration will refl ect user satisfaction with the economy and public funding, your support renovated space. has never been more important than it is inside today. We know that OSU Libraries’ faculty As we look to build on these successes, we and staff make a difference in the lives of our are creating a new strategic plan focused students, our faculty and the citizens of Ohio. around four strategic themes: Festival of Cartoon Art 2 But we cannot maintain this important work without you! Your generosity and continued Schulz Challenge 3 support is always greatly appreciated but has become even more important in these Honors for Libraries’ Staff 5 diffi cult fi nancial times. Cold Cases 6 Teaching Award Winners 7 Friends of OSUL News 8 Thompson Woodwork 9 Sunday Funnies 10 2010 FESTIVAL OF CARTOON The Ohio State University ART Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum The 10th triennial Festival of Cartoon Art will take place at The Ohio State University October 14-17 October 14-17, 2010. The Festival is a unique celebration of cartoons and comics, and The Festival will feature a special tribute The Festival is limited to 275 participants. their creators. This year’s panel to Jay Kennedy, late editor in chief Registration, available online for the fi rst presenters include: of King Features Syndicate. Kennedy time, will be $125. Members of the National was a comics collector and scholar who Cartoonists Society and the Association of bequeathed his extraordinary collection of American Editorial Cartoonists will be able underground comics to the library. Panelists to register at the reduced rate of $100. The Steve Breen include Brendan Burford, Bill Griffi th, Matt registration fee for students and seniors Groening and Patrick McDonnell. citizens aged 65 and over will be $25 (ID will be required). The registration fee Roz Chast In addition, a special event with Art includes admission to the academic pre- Spiegelman will take place on Sunday, conference, all Festival of Cartoon Art Forum Tony Cochran October 17, as part of his residency at the presentations, receptions and special events, Wexner Center for the Arts. complimentary copies of the catalogues for the Billy Ireland and Krazy Kat exhibitions, Jan Eliot Two cartoon exhibitions will be on display morning refreshments on both Forum days, during the Festival. A retrospective of the and a souvenir tote bag. Matt Groening work of Billy Ireland, Columbus Dispatch cartoonist from 1898-1935, will be held in The Festival will be co-sponsored by the & Tom Gammill the Exhibition Gallery of the Thompson Wexner Center for the Arts. It is also made 2 Library. Scenes of “My Infi nt-hood: possible by the generous support of the Celebrating the Birth of Krazy Kat” will be National Cartoonists Society Foundation, Dave Kellett exhibited in the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library King Features Syndicate, Milton Caniff & Museum Reading Room Gallery. Endowment, Mark J. Cohen and Rose Marie Paul Levitz McDaniel Endowment, and Mary F. Gau and The Festival will once again include an Kevin Wolf. academic pre-conference, co-sponsored Dan Piraro by Project Narrative of The Ohio State University Department of English and the Popular Culture Program of the College Jen Sorensen of Arts and Sciences. The pre-conference will take place on Thursday, October 14 at James Sturm the Ohio Union. That evening, all Festival participants are invited to celebrate the 100th birthday of Krazy Kat at a special Michael Tisserand exhibition reception and birthday party. The reception will be co-sponsored by the Great Gene Luen Yang Lakes Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society. George Herriman. Krazy Kat, February 11, 1970. Los Angeles Examiner. San Francisco Academy of Comic Art Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (for the exhibition Scenes of My Infi nt-hood: Celebrating the Birth of Krazy Kat curated by Jenny Robb and Jared Gardner) Additional information is available on the 2010 Festival of Cartoon Art website, cartoons.osu.edu/fca2010/ Friends of the Libraries Answer the Schulz Challenge The Friends of the OSU Libraries has pledged “We are very grateful to Jean Schulz for her $400,000 toward the new home of the Billy generous gift, and for her challenge which will Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. encourage everyone who cares about cartoon art to become involved in our project,” said The Friends’ Board made the pledge at its July Cartoon Library and Museum Curator Lucy meeting. The pledge came in response to a Shelton Caswell. “The new Cartoon Museum challenge from Jean Schulz, widow of “Pea- and Library will be a place of learning and nuts” creator Charles M. Schulz. enjoyment for the public and scholars alike.” Mrs. Schulz has given $1 million to support the Located at a highly visible location along High renovation of Sullivant Hall, the future loca- Street and adjacent to the Wexner Center for tion of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and the Arts, the historic Sullivant Hall is in dire Museum. She also issued a challenge; need of repair. The planned renovation will she will provide a matching gift of provide 40,000 gross square feet of space for $2.5 million if Ohio State raises the the new Cartoon Library and Museum that will same amount from other sources, include a spacious reading room for research- making the total impact of her gift ers, three museum-quality galleries, and $6 million. expanded storage with state-of-the-art envi- ronmental and security controls. A dedicated In remarks at the Friends’ Board of ground-level entry will allow for easy access Directors meeting, University Libraries to the new facility. The addition of exhibition Director Carol Diedrichs said that the proj- galleries dedicated to cartoon art will facilitate ect was her top fundraising priority. She public display of the Library’s extraordinary collection. “The new Cartoon Museum and Library will be a place of learning and enjoyment for the public and scholars alike.” encouraged the Friends to take advantage of The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum the Schulz Challenge to double their dona- at Ohio State is one of the most admired and tion to the project. Thanks to the challenge, sought-after caretakers of legacy collections. PEANUTS © Peanuts Worldwide, LLC 3 the Friends gift of $400,000 will grow to an Thousands of donors have contributed to $800,000 contribution. the collection. In 1992, the Robert Roy Metz Collection of 83,034 original cartoons by 113 “By helping to underwrite a state-of-the-art cartoonists was donated by United Media, and facility for the University’s renowned Billy in 2007, the entire collection of the Internation- Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, Jean al Museum of Cartoon Art (IMCA), numbering Schulz advances the work of students, faculty, more than 200,000 originals, was transferred and scholars and deepens our understand- to the Cartoon Libraryand Museum. With the ing of the importance of the genre,” said Ohio addition of the IMCA’s collection, the Cartoon State President E. Gordon Gee. “Her gift is an Library and Museum now houses more than especially fi tting way to honor the remarkable 400,000 works of original cartoon and comics creative legacy of her late husband.” art, 35,000 books, 51,000 serial titles, 2,800 Library Director, Carol linear feet of manuscript materials, and 2.5 Pitts Diedrichs (right) with million comic strip clippings and newspaper Jean Schulz and Snoopy pages.