A Newsletter Spring 2015, Issue No. 52 of the Library Oberlin College Library Perspectives ALAN BOYD TO SERVE AS INTERIM stanley king donates jazz collection DIRECTOR tanley King of New York City has donated a rich collection of jazz Smaterials to the Conservatory Library’s special collections. Included are magazines (with many rare French jazz magazines from the 1930s), correspondence, financial records for various touring bands in the 1940s, autographed playbills, jazz and blues sheet music, photographs, posters, concert programs, and various audio and video items as well as approximately 350 books on various jazz and blues topics. The collection is especially strong in objects related to Louis Armstrong, reflecting King’s fondness for early Dixieland jazz. Among its gems are a letter ALAN BOYD, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF from Armstrong to his first wife in the Sheet music from the King Collection LIBRARIES, will serve as Interim Director 1940s, years after they had divorced; a during the 2015-16 academic year, letter from Armstrong to Mezz Mezzrow a VHS copy of Satchmo the Great—a film following the retirement of Ray English discreetly asking him to bring marijuana on not commercially released that documents (see Perspectives, Fall 2014). Boyd joined the an upcoming European tour; an original Armstrong’s tours for the State Department library staff in 1981 as Senior Cataloger. He concert program for John Hammond’s in the 1950s. became Head of Cataloging and Library groundbreaking “Spirituals to Swing” The first portion of the King Systems in 1987 and Associate Director in concert at Carnegie Hall in the 1930s; and Collection was received in December 2014, 1992. continued on page 3 Because of the variety and scope of his current duties, which include library endowed fund honors ray english technical services and systems, digital riends of the Library President to enhance library programming, acquire initiatives, and budget management, Boyd Robert Longsworth announced at resources, and improve facilities and services. will delegate some of his responsibilities Fthe organization’s annual dinner in During English’s 25-year tenure as when he assumes the director’s role. November that the Friends Council had Azariah Smith Root Director of Libraries Reference and Instruction Librarian voted unanimously to establish the Friends (1990-2015) he often used discretionary Megan Mitchell, who has extensive of the Library/Ray English Endowed funds provided by individual donors to experience with library web technologies, Library Discretionary Fund. The fund subsidize important new initiatives and will take on the role of Digital Initiatives honors English for his outstanding efforts projects and to address the library’s highest- Coordinator. She will work with library in founding and promoting the Friends priority needs. Examples include start-up staff, faculty, and students on a wide range organization and will provide future library funding for integrating the library into of digital collections and projects, including directors with “no strings attached” income the college’s First Year Seminar Program, continued on page 13 continued on page 12 1 RECENT GIFTS friends of the library THE LIBRARY gratefully acknowledges the spring 2015 programs following significant planned gifts, monetary gifts, and gifts-in-kind. Exhibitions: • Norman ’56 and Barbro ’56 Jung have included the library in their estate plan. Princehorn: Oberlin’s Pioneer Photographer. An Emblematic Record of the Sioux at Glen Major monetary gifts have been received Island from: Monday, March 2–Sunday, March 22, Academic Commons, Mudd Center • Mimi Halpern ’60 for the Ray English Endowed Library Fund. An Exercise in Freedom: The Mail Art of Edgardo Antonio Vigo Monday, March 30–Friday, June 5, Academic Commons, Mudd Center • Lloyd Frank ’47 for an endowed library fund. Books by Reunion Class Authors • Donald Oresman ’46 for the Ray English Tuesday, May 19–Tuesday, May 26, Academic Commons, Mudd Center Endowed Library Fund. • Clyde Owan ’79 for the George A. and Lectures and Other Events: Susan P. Lanyi Endowed Library Book “Racial Reckoning: Prosecuting America’s Civil Rights Murders,” Talk by Renee Romano, Fund. Professor of History • Lucy Marks ’73 and Scott Sprinzen for Tuesday, February 24, 4:30 p.m., Moffett Auditorium, Mudd 050 the Friends of the Library and the Lucy Marks Endowed English and Classics Book “‘To Be And/Or Realized:’ Edgardo Antonio Vigo’s Artistic Practice,” Talk by Vanessa Fund. Davidson, Curator of Latin American Art, Phoenix Art Museum Wednesday, April 1, 4:30 p.m., Moffett Auditorium, Mudd 050 • Marjorie Henderson MAT ’70, retired Library Administrative Assistant, and “Imagined Empires: A History of Revolt in Egypt,” Talk by Zeinab Abul-Magd, Associate Norman Henderson, Emeritus Professor Professor of History of Psychology, for the Ray English Endowed Thursday, April 16, 4:30 p.m., Moffett Auditorium, Mudd 050 Library Fund and for the Frank Laycock Endowed Library Fund. “Visible Wars and the Ambivalences of Witnessing,” Talk by Wendy Kozol, Professor of • Theresa Brown ’78 and Bruce Regal Comparative American Studies ’78 for the Friends of the Library and the Monday, April 27, 4:30 p.m., Moffett Auditorium, Mudd 050 Archivist’s Gift Fund. Retirement Reception for Ray English • Robert Taylor and Ted Nowick, for the Wednesday, May 13, 4:30 p.m., Root Room, Carnegie purchase of a rare architectural history title for the Art Library’s special collections. Commencement/Reunion reception for Friends of the Library, alumni authors, former • Linda Grimm, Emerita Professor of library student assistants, alumni librarians, and anyone else who loves libraries and books Anthropology, and Robert Grimm, Saturday, May 23, 4:30–6:00 p.m., Azariah’s Café, Mudd Center Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, for the continued on page 12 friends council highlights THE FOLLOWING ARE HIGHLIGHTS of the the curriculum (see article on page 4). Library Perspectives Friends of the Library Council meeting held The Membership Committee reported Ray English Saturday, November 1, 2014. that regular Friends members (those who Cynthia Comer The financial report indicated that contribute directly to the Friends) as well Megan Mitchell 2013-14 membership contributions to the as total Friends members (which includes Alison Ricker Friends totaled $58,406, slightly above the all donors to the library) remained at high Editors average of recent years. Income included a levels. The Program Committee reported on planned gift in the amount of $46,000. The notable 2013-14 programs, plans for the fall A newsletter for users and Friends of ending fund balance was $78,786. 2014 semester, and possible annual dinner the Oberlin College Library, Library The Council approved the Acquisitions speakers. Perspectives is issued two times a year. Committee’s recommendation to spend The Council approved Friends graduate Printed from an endowed fund estab- $42,215 for new resources for special library school scholarships in the amount of lished by Benjamin and Emiko Custer. collections and to support subjects across $3,500 each for Charlotte Beers Plank ’11 continued on page 12 2 new friends life members 2014-2015 Friends Council THE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY awarded life memberships to Tracy Officers: Chevalier ’84 and Myrlin von Robert Longsworth, President Glahn ’48 at the organization’s Maxine Houck, Vice President annual dinner on November 1, Eric Carpenter, Secretary 2014. Members: Chevalier has pledged to John Elder '53 Sebastiaan Faber donate her papers related to Jack Glazier all of her published novels (see Herb Henke '53 Perspectives, Fall 2014). She is the Nick Jones author of seven historical novels, Stephanie Davis-Kahl ’94 including her modern classic Girl Gary Kornblith with a Pearl Earring. Her most Thelma Morris 54 ' recent work, The Last Runaway, Ray English, Robert Longsworth, Myrlin von Glahn, Anne McFarland '62 is set in pre-Civil War Ohio near and Alan Boyd Robert Taylor Oberlin. Ex-Officio and Appointed Members: The papers consist of hand- Perspectives, Fall 2014). The collection Scott Smith '79, Acquisitions written and computer-printed drafts, features her own original artworks and those Committee Chair research notebooks, print and electronic by leading calligraphers in the United States, Janice Zinser, Nominations correspondence, and wide-ranging research Britain, and Europe. Her gift also includes Committee Chair materials, such as photographs, illustrations, her personal library of books and periodicals Daniel Goulding, Program physical objects, articles, documents, and on calligraphy as well as archival materials Committee Chair maps. Papers related to Girl with a Pearl Ray English, Director of Libraries related to her compositions and her long and were Jessica Grim, Collection Earring Remarkable Creatures career as a calligrapher. Development Librarian received by the library in January 2015. The von Glahn collection is a superb Ed Vermue, Special Collections Von Glahn has given the library a addition to the library’s holdings related to Librarian valuable collection of calligraphic art (see the history and art of the book. • Sage Mitchell-Sparke, Student Representative friends research awards double degree student and Stanley King, continued from page 1 Bluford is a college senior. and additional shipments are expected in Achtenberg was nominated spring 2015. Jeremy Smith, Conservatory by James O’Leary, Frederick Special Collections Librarian and Curator R. Selch Assistant Professor of the James and Susan Neumann Jazz of Musicology, for her work Collection, hopes to have the collection “Firth, Hall, Pond & (Their processed, described in a finding guide, and Many) Co(mpanies),” a paper available for use by fall semester 2015. He written for Music History 337: also plans to exhibit some of the collection’s Introduction to Organology. highlights in the Conservatory Library and The goal of the assignment was on the digital exhibit monitors in the Kohl to provide a rich cultural context Building by that time. for a musical instrument—in Rebecca Achtenberg and Zachary Bluford King, now retired, was a textile designer this case a somewhat mysterious and manufacturer by profession.