A Newsletter Fall 2015, Issue No. 53 of the Library Oberlin College Library Perspectives CONSERVATORY LIBRARY robert darnton to speak at friends COLLABORATES WITH INTERNET ARCHIVE dinner obert Darnton, recently retired THE CONSERVATORY LIBRARY recently began University Librarian of Harvard, will a partnership with the Internet Archive Rbe the featured speaker at the Friends (www.archive.org) to digitally preserve select of the Library annual dinner on Saturday, analog audio recordings from the James R. November 14. Darnton is widely known and Susan Neumann Jazz Collection. The in library circles as a champion of open Neumann Collection includes over 100,000 scholarship; he both founded Harvard’s jazz recordings in various formats (78s, 45s, Office of Scholarly Communication and LPs, CDs, DVDs) as well as print materials, started its Digital Access to Scholarship at including several thousand books on jazz and Harvard (DASH) repository. DASH realized over 100 titles of jazz and blues periodicals. the 2008 resolution approved by the Harvard Thousands of musicians’ photographs and Faculty of Arts and Sciences to provide open autographs, as well as sheet music, artifacts, access to peer-reviewed literature published and ephemera complete the holdings (see by the faculty. DASH quickly became one of Perspectives, Spring 2008, Spring 2012). the more visible open access repositories in Robert Darnton the nation and a model for other institutions. Hundreds of colleges, universities, and scholarship repository in 2011. research institutions have followed course; Darnton is celebrated for his vision of a Oberlin’s General Faculty unanimously free digital library for the nation, created by adopted an open access resolution in 2009, non-profit scholarly organizations. Less than and the library introduced the college’s own three years after an initial meeting to discuss continued on page 9 Rachel Stanton, Conservatory Library library pilots first year library advisor student assistant, reformatting recordings program Nearly half of the collection’s recordings t the beginning of the fall semester, all offers (www.oberlin.edu/library/students/ are in analog form and thus require first year students were matched with a fyla.html). Librarians are working closely digitization for long-term preservation, Alibrarian who will serve as their Library with faculty who teach in the First Year teaching, and research access. Oberlin began Advisor, an approachable go-to person Seminar Program (FYSP) to integrate First the digitization process in the spring of 2013 for all types of questions about the library Year Library Advisors into their courses. Staff and has been converting approximately 250 and about research for class assignments. members planning the program believe this recordings each year. The partnership with The goal of the program is to connect new personalized experience will resonate with the Internet Archive (IA) will allow Oberlin students to the library from the beginning Oberlin students and is in keeping with the to increase significantly its digitization and to personalize their library experience. college’s goal of creating a strong academic capacity. Members of the library’s Reference and community that supports student learning. The agreement includes a generous Instruction Group worked over the past year “We hope this initiative will encourage loan of digitization hardware: two dedicated to design the pilot program, which features students to involve librarians as partners laptops, two turntables, two analog-to-digital use of online communication tools and a in their learning,” says Reference and converters, and a scanner to digitize LP webpage that explains what the program Instruction Librarian Jennifer Starkey. • continued on page 8 1 RECENT GIFTS THE LIBRARY gratefully acknowledges the friends of the library following significant monetary gifts and gifts- fall 2015 programs in-kind. Major monetary gifts: Exhibitions: •William Roe ’64 for the Ray English Endowed Library Fund. David Stone Martin, Jazz Illustrator Monday, August 31—Friday, December 11, Basement Level, Kohl Building •William Pelster ’64 for the Ray English Endowed Library Fund. Lectures and Other Events: •Virginia Luce ’63 for the Ray English Endowed Library Fund. “Proceed and Be Bold,” Video viewing, the work of letterpress activist Amos Kennedy, followed by a discussion with Amos Kennedy •Clyde Owan ’79 for the George A. and Wednesday, September 16, 3:00 p.m., Classroom 1, Art Building Susan P. Lanyi Endowed Library Book Fund. •Emily McClintock ’76 for the Ray English “Talk Show Campaigns: Presidential Candidates on Daytime and Late Night Television,” Talk Endowed Library Fund. by Michael Parkin, Associate Professor of Politics •Paulina Marks ’45 for the Friends of the Thursday, September 24, 4:30 p.m., Moffett Auditorium, Mudd 050 Oberlin College Library. •Michael Shinagel ’57 for the Ray English “Allusions to Seasons and Weather,” Talk by Peter Swendsen, Associate Professor of Computer Music and Digital Arts Endowed Library Fund. Tuesday, October 6, 4:30 p.m., Moffett Auditorium, Mudd 050 Generous monetary gifts: •Richard Lehmann ’70 for the George A. “They Breathe Iron: Artistic and Scientific Encounters with an Ancient Life Form,”Talk by and Susan P. Lanyi Endowed Library Book Linda Grashoff, writer and photographer Fund. Tuesday, October 27, 4:30 p.m., Moffett Auditorium, Mudd 050 •Wayne Steinmetz ’67 for the Norman C. Craig Endowed Library Book Fund. 19th-Century French Flute Extravaganza, Featuring materials from the Frederick R. Selch •Joseph Hickerson ’57 for the Ray English Collection of American Music History Saturday, October 31, Conservatory of Music Endowed Library Fund. 1:30 p.m. “Fifty Unknown Flutists,” Murphy Colloquium lecture by Tom Moore, Florida •Anne McFarland ’62 for the Ray English International University Libraries, Bibbins 238 Endowed Library Fund. 3:00 p.m. “The Development of the French Flute, 1790-1880,” Lecture/ •Susan Phillips ’76 for the Ray English demonstration by Michael Lynn, Professor of Recorder and Baroque Endowed Library Fund. Flute, Bibbins 238 •Alan Wurtzel ’55 for the Friends of the 6:30 p.m. Concert performance by Conservatory faculty and students, Kulas Recital Hall Oberlin College Library. Significant gifts-in-kind: Friends of the Library Annual Events •Robin Salter, Professor of Biology, donated Saturday, November 14 a large number of books on biology and 1:30 p.m. Friends Council and Membership Meeting, Goodrich Room, Mudd Center general science. 5:45 p.m. Friends Annual Reception and Dinner, Root Room, Carnegie •Bob ’52 and Helen Baldwin ’53 have given 8:00 p.m. Featured Speaker, Robert Darnton, Root Room, Carnegie art and art history books. continued on page 5 friends update THE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY received a as resources in multidisciplinary areas, and Library Perspectives total of $52,902 in gifts during the 2014-15 in support of specific subjects in the arts and academic year. Membership in the Friends sciences. A special allocation of $20,000 was Alan Boyd Cynthia Comer totaled 756, including 535 regular members made to support an expansion of the library’s Alison Ricker Jeremy Smith who contributed directly to the Friends, 132 collection of pre-cinematic teaching objects Jennifer Starkey members who donated to other library funds (see article on p. 7). Editors or made gifts-in-kind, 36 members who were Highlights of Friends programs included A newsletter for users and Friends of students or recent graduates, 41 life members, faculty book talks by Claire Solomon ’98, the Oberlin College Library, Library and 12 honorary members. Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies; Perspectives is issued two times a year. The Friends’ allocation of $40,000 was Sonia Kruks, Professor of Politics; Renee Printed from an endowed fund established used to support acquisitions in subject areas Romano, Professor of History; and Wendy by Benjamin and Emiko Custer. across the curriculum. Purchases included Kozol ’80, Professor of Comparative rare materials for special collections, as well American Studies. Other programs included continued on page 8 2 ARCHITECTURE OF OBERLIN graduate library school scholarship COLLEGE: A VIRTUAL EXHIBIT winners ELIZABETH working in this exciting Gutenberg age.” EDGAR ’15 AND Mann, who is currently enrolled at B MANN ’11 the School of Library and Information are winners of Science at Kent State University, majored 2015 Friends in comparative American studies and has of the Library worked in various roles in public libraries, Graduate including in Oberlin and Cleveland. Mann Library School recently began work as Assistant Librarian at Scholarships Prospect Elementary School in Oberlin and in the amount is pursuing a K-12 of $3,500 each. school library ON AUGUST 3 the Oberlin College For the second media licensure Archives launched an expanded and consecutive in addition to a more sophisticated version of its 2002 year two scholarships were awarded from library science guide to college buildings, accessible among a very strong applicant pool based on degree. As a from its website (tinyurl.com/ the quality and engagement of the winning school librarian ocarchitecture). The project, Architecture applicants. he hopes to build , is presented in of Oberlin College Edgar (pictured above) majored in highly usable a customized version of Omeka, a English at Oberlin and became interested and relevant content management system designed in a career in librarianship and archival collections and specifically