Oberlin College Library
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox library
| name = Oberlin College Libraries
| image = Oberlin_College_-_Mudd_Learning_Center.jpg
| location_map = USA Ohio
| coordinates = {{coord|41.293714|-82.216782|display=inline,title|region:US-OH_type:landmark}}
| established = 1833
| location = Oberlin College
148 West College Street
Oberlin, Ohio 44074 United States
| type = Academic library
| visitors =
| director = Dr. Valerie Hotchkiss{{Cite web|url=https://www.oberlin.edu/news/oberlin-college-selects-highly-accomplished-library-director-and-book-scholar-valerie-hotchkiss|title = Oberlin College Selects Highly Accomplished Library Director and Book Scholar Valerie Hotchkiss as Director of Libraries|date = 16 August 2021}}
| website = {{URL|http://libraries.oberlin.edu/}}
}}
The Oberlin College Libraries (OCL) is a system of libraries located in Oberlin, Ohio comprising the [https://libraries.oberlin.edu/libraries/mary-church-terrell Mary Church Terrell Main Library], Clarence Ward Art Library, Conservatory Library, and Science Library.
The recipient of the ACRL [https://web.archive.org/web/20081020060754/http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/awards/excellenceacademic.cfm Excellence in Academic Libraries Award] in 2002, the Oberlin College Libraries are recognized for superior collections and services. The library system has more than 2.4 million items of print and media materials, as well as extensive online journals and research databases. OCL is a member of the OhioLINK consortium which provides rapid access to an additional 50 million volumes from colleges and universities across Ohio. On October 6, 2018, the Main Library located in the Mudd Center, was renamed for Oberlin graduate Mary Church Terrell (class of 1884, 1888, and Hon. 1948), who is held in high esteem because she was one of the first African-American women to earn a college degree
History
Under the leadership of college librarian Azariah Smith Root (1887–1927), the Oberlin College Library grew by the end of his tenure to the sixteenth largest academic library in the nation. The former central library, which was funded by Andrew Carnegie, opened in 1908 and served both the college and the town of Oberlin for almost seven decades. The current main library in Mudd Center opened in 1974. The Oberlin College Library, under the direction of Library Director Eileen Thornton, was a founding member of OCLC{{Cite journal|date=1971|title=[Ohio College Library Center Annual Reports 1967/1968 - 1970/1971]|url=https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED059730.pdf|journal=Ed059730|via=ERIC}} and under the direction of Ray English was the first independent college library to join the OhioLINK consortium.
The Oberlin College Library went under a name change from "library" to "libraries" in 2017 under the direction of Alexia Hudson-Ward (the second woman and first person of color to lead the libraries). This change highlighted the system's distinctiveness of being one of the few liberal arts college library systems with four libraries in the nation. Hudson-Ward also led the naming of the Mary Church Terrell Main Library in October 2018.
The library directors of the Oberlin Group, a national consortium of selective liberal arts college libraries, first met at Oberlin College in 1986.
Facilities and Services
The Mary Church Terrell Main library, located in Mudd Center, houses the social sciences and humanities collections, special collections, and the Oberlin College Archives. The library system also encompasses the [https://libraries.oberlin.edu/libraries/conservatory-library Conservatory Library], the [https://libraries.oberlin.edu/libraries/clarence-ward-art-library Clarence Ward Art Library], the [https://libraries.oberlin.edu/libraries/science-library Science Library], and a central storage facility. The [http://www2.oberlin.edu/library/commons/index.html Academic Commons] on the main level of Mudd Center opened in 2007 and was dedicated as the Robert S. Lemle ‘75 and Roni Kohen-Lemle ‘76 Academic Commons in 2011. It is a hub of social and academic activity, with spaces for collaborative work and tutoring, in-depth research appointments, learning support services, and technology support in partnership with the [https://www.oberlin.edu/cit Center for Information Technology]. The Academic Commons features an electronic classroom, Azariah's Café, computer workstations, six group study rooms, circulation and reference services, and the Writing Center.
References
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External links
{{Commons category|Oberlin College}}
- [https://libraries.oberlin.edu Oberlin College Libraries website]
- [http://oberlinarchives.libraryhost.com/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=458 Oberlin College Library Records and Administrative History]
- [http://www.ohiolink.edu/ OhioLINK Consortium website]
- [http://www.oberlingroup.org/ Oberlin Group of Libraries]
- [http://www.oberlinlibstaff.com/omeka203/exhibits/show/carnegie_library_oberlin History of Carnegie Library, 1908-2008]
{{Oberlin College |state=expanded}}
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Category:Library buildings completed in 1908
Category:Carnegie libraries in Ohio
Category:Oberlin College buildings and structures
Category:University and college academic libraries in Ohio
Category:1908 establishments in Ohio