A Newsletter Fall 2017, Issue No. 57 of the Library Oberlin College Libraries Perspectives LIBRARY AND MUSEUM COLLABORATE clifford thompson to speak at friends ON MELLON FOUNDATION GRANT dinner SUPPORTED BY A $150,000 PLANNING CLIFFORD Press published his winning book of essays, GRANT awarded by the Andrew W. Mellon THOMPSON followed by Thompson’s memoir,Twin of Foundation, the libraries recently embarked ’85, recipient Blackness, in 2015. Thompson’s essays on on a series of new initiatives with the Allen of a Whiting books, film, jazz, and American identity Memorial Art Museum (AMAM). With the Writers’ have appeared in publications including aim of strengthening collaboration between Award for the Wall Street Journal, the Village Voice, the libraries and the museum, the grant will nonfiction the Threepenny Review, the Iowa Review, support a number of exciting developments. in 2013 for Commonweal, Film Quarterly, Cineaste, An intensive planning phase will lay the Love for Oxford American, the Los Angeles Review of groundwork for expanded organizational Sale and Books, and Black Issues Book Review. His first and curricular collaboration. An on-campus Other Essays, novel, Signifying Nothing, was published summit planned for June 2018 will bring will be the in 2009. In 2018 Other Press will publish together staff from leading libraries and featured his book J.D. & Me, part memoir and part museums at colleges and universities around Clifford Thompson ’85 speaker reflection on the work of Joan Didion. the country. at the Thompson is also a visual artist; one A goal of the project is to expand staff Friends of the Libraries annual dinner on of his paintings, Going North, appears in expertise and capacity for more intentional, Saturday, November 11. Autumn House the public television documentary The integrated use of both library and museum continued on page 9 collections in teaching in a broad range of disciplines. Participants in the summit will share best practices and explore solutions archives launches oberlin sanctuary to the challenges of integrating diverse project collections into the curriculum. Another • Assisting runaway slaves in their quest for important aim will be to identify strategies freedom in the 19th century for improving discoverability by theme, • Welcoming Japanese American students during genre, time period, geography, medium, or World War II, amidst the forced relocation other factors among objects across Oberlin’s of thousands of Japanese Americans to dispersed tangible and digital collections. internment camps Elizabeth Edgar ’15 (see article on page • Providing support to the Kent State University community following the tragic shootings at the 7) joined the staff in September as a post- May 4, 1970 demonstrations against the Vietnam War baccalaureate fellow in a joint appointment • Helping refugee families return to the communities they were forced to flee in the early 1980s with the AMAM. She will help convene at the height of the Guatemalan army’s genocidal scorched earth campaign focus groups of various constituencies • Supporting undocumented students faced with possible deportation following the recent repeal on campus, organize consultant visits to of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program Oberlin, plan site visits to other academic These examples are but a few of the many instances throughout its history in which institutions by teams of library and museum Oberlin students, faculty, graduates, and community members have provided assistance and staff, and prepare for the 2018 summit. A comfort during challenging times for those in need. The College Archives has undertaken faculty advisory committee has been formed a major new initiative to document the college’s practice of offering a safe haven and to consult on the grant’s implementation, and assistance to those whose rights, safety, and well-being are under threat. to work with library and museum leadership The idea of curating materials documenting Oberlin’s history of activism in providing a to assure the relevance of the planning efforts safe haven arose during the 2016 presidential election, when conversations about immigration continued on page 9 continued on page 8 1 RECENT GIFTS friends of the library THE LIBRARY gratefully acknowledges the 2017 following significant monetary gifts and gifts- fall programs in-kind. Exhibitions: Major monetary gifts: • David Berger and Holly Maxson for the Resistance Is the Lesson Librarian’s Discretionary Fund. Tuesday, September 19–Friday, October 13, Academic Commons, Mudd Center • William Roe ’64, for the Friends of the The Thomas Jefferson’s Library and the Roots of American Architecture Library. Monday, October 23–Monday, November 20, Academic Commons, Mudd Center; companion Generous monetary gifts: exhibit in the Art Library shows sources for Jefferson’s architecture from books in the • Richard Lehmann ’70 for the George A. collection, on display now through the end of fall semester. and Susan P. Lanyi Endowed Library Book Lectures and Other Events: Fund. • Paulina Marks ’45 for the Friends of the “Ethics of War and Peace in Iran and Shi Islam.” Talk by Mohammad Jafar Mahallati, Library. Presidential Scholar, Religion. • Mark Smith ’90 for the Art Library Special Wednesday, October 4, 5:30 p.m., Moffett Auditorium, Mudd 050 Book Fund. “Librarian as Mentor: Grow, Discover, Inspire,” Talk by Eboni Johnson, Outreach and Gifts-in-kind: • Michael Rosen, Professor of Percussion, Programming Librarian. continues to donate scores and recordings for Thursday, November 2, 4:30 p.m., Moffett Auditorium, Mudd 050 the Conservatory Library. Friends of the Library Book Sale • Sarah Epstein ’48 donated books and art Friday, November 3, 12:30–7 p.m., and Saturday, November 4, 10 a.m.–1 p.m., Academic exhibition catalogs for the Art Library. Commons, Mudd Center • Joanne Erwin, Emerita Professor of Music “Thomas Jefferson’s Library and the Roots of American Architecture,” Talk by John Education and Bruce Erwin donated books Harwood, Associate Professor, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and and scores for the Conservatory Library. Design, University of Toronto. • Harlan Wilson, Emeritus Professor of Saturday, November 4, Time 3–4 p.m., Mudd 113 Politics, donated books on politics. •Gene Woodling contributed books and Friends of the Library Annual Events DVDs to support the Gene Woodling Saturday, November 11 Collection of Gay Fiction. 1:30 p.m. Friends Council and Membership Meeting, Goodrich Room, Mudd Center • Carol Longsworth donated scores for the 5:45 p.m. Friends Annual Reception and Dinner, Root Room, Carnegie Conservatory Library. 8:00 p.m. Featured Speaker, Clifford Thompson ’85, Root Room, Carnegie • Bruce Simonson, Emeritus Professor of Geology, continues to give generously from his personal library, including both general reading and scientific books for the science friends update and main libraries. • Anne Krueger ’53 donated a set of books THE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY received $49,400 Friends programs last year included for Main Special Collections. • in monetary gifts during the 2016-17 book talks by Greggor Mattson, Associate academic year. Membership in the Friends Professor of Sociology; Kathleen Abromeit, totaled 650, including 437 regular members Conservatory Public Services Librarian; Library Perspectives who contributed directly to the Friends, 143 Sarah Hamill, Assistant Professor of Art Cynthia Comer Alison Ricker members who donated to other library funds History; and Gina Pérez, Professor of Alexia Hudson-Ward Jeremy Smith or made gifts-in-kind, 44 life members, 15 Comparative American Studies. Other Editors honorary members, and 11 members who programs sponsored or co-sponsored by the William Ruth, Copy Editor were students or recent graduates. Friends were talks by Harry Haskell, author Marla Thompson, Production Editor Friends of the Library Council approved and grandson of Katharine Wright Haskell, spending $40,000 of Friends funds to Class of 1898; Rickey Tax, Acting Director A newsletter for users and Friends of purchase rare materials for special collections, of the Museum Meermanno, The Hague; the the Oberlin College Library, Library plus major multidisciplinary resources and Harold Jantz Memorial Lecture by Arthur K. Perspectives is issued two times a year. significant works to support research and Wheelock Jr. of the National Gallery of Art; Printed from an endowed fund established the curriculum in art, music, and science (see plus events and exhibits to celebrate the 50th by Benjamin and Emiko Custer. Perspectives, Spring 2017). anniversary of the Oberlin College Archives continued on page 9 2 DIGITAL HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM graduate library school scholarship SHOWCASES COLLABORATIONS winners A ONE-DAY SYMPOSIUM titled Innovation and Pedagogy Through Digital Humanities: Exploring Diversity Through Collaboration was held in the Knowlton Center at Oberlin College on April 7, 2017. Organized by the libraries and the history department under Presiding Scholar Tamika Nunley, Assistant Professor of History, the symposium explored the value of digital humanities in teaching and learning at liberal arts colleges. Presentations featured keynote talks by P. Gabrielle Foreman, Ned B. Allen Professor of English and Professor of Black American Studies and History at the University of Delaware, of the Colored Conventions Project and Micki Kaufman of the Quantifying Kissinger Project, a faculty panel on student-faculty collaborations, and a panel Sarah Blenko