The Ohio State University Libraries

The Ohio State University Libraries
Name	The Ohio State University Libraries
Location	Columbus, Ohio
Established	1893
Director	William Miller
Website	Official website

The Ohio State University Libraries is the academic library system serving The Ohio State University campuses, research programs, and student population in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in the late 19th century, the Libraries support teaching, learning, and research across disciplines affiliated with institutions such as the College of Arts and Sciences (The Ohio State University), Fisher College of Business, College of Engineering (The Ohio State University), and the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. The Libraries collaborate with national organizations including the Association of Research Libraries, the OCLC, and the Library of Congress to steward collections, provide digital access, and participate in scholarly communication networks like HathiTrust and LOCKSS.

History

The Libraries trace roots to early collections assembled for the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College and expanded alongside the growth of The Ohio State University after the Morrill Act of 1862. Major milestones include construction of the original library building near University Hall (Ohio State) and later moves to facilities influenced by architects who designed academic buildings across the United States such as those involved with the American Institute of Architects projects. During the 20th century expansions paralleled developments at peer institutions like Harvard University, Yale University, University of Michigan, and University of California, Berkeley, responding to federal research funding trends tied to agencies including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Notable visitors and advocates included scholars associated with the American Historical Association, the Modern Language Association, and the American Library Association. Collections growth was affected by events like World War II, the GI Bill, and the postwar research boom that influenced acquisitions comparable to repositories at Columbia University and Princeton University.

Collections and Special Collections

The Libraries hold extensive general collections and named special collections that complement curricular strengths in partnerships with centers such as the Mershon Center and the Center for Automotive Research (Ohio). Holdings include monographs, serials, government documents from the United States Congress, doctoral dissertations from ProQuest, archival manuscripts connected to figures linked with Ohio, and rare materials comparable to holdings at the British Library and the New York Public Library. Special Collections and Rare Books include manuscripts related to literary figures associated with Ohio Authors, political papers comparable to collections at the Hoover Institution, and photographic archives akin to repositories at the Smithsonian Institution. The Libraries maintain collections supporting programs in areas connected to WOSU Public Media, the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, and initiatives with the National Agricultural Library.

Libraries and Facilities

The system's central facility is a primary campus library located near landmarks such as Mirror Lake (Ohio State), adjacent to academic buildings like Thompson Library and near the Ohio Stadium. Branch and subject libraries serve specialized communities including the Law Library (Capital University)-style services for the Moritz College of Law, health sciences resources aligned with the Wexner Medical Center (Ohio State), and engineering collections paralleling those at MIT and Stanford University. Facilities offer study spaces named for donors connected with entities like The Columbus Foundation and corporate partners such as Battelle Memorial Institute and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. Preservation labs, conservation studios, and media centers meet standards similar to those at the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration.

Services and Programs

Services include circulation and interlibrary loan cooperative programs with networks such as OhioLINK and resource sharing platforms like WorldCat. Instructional programs support faculty across units including the Fisher College of Business, College of Engineering (The Ohio State University), and the College of Medicine (Ohio State), offering workshops aligned with techniques promoted by the Council on Library and Information Resources and the Association of College and Research Libraries. Outreach programs partner with community organizations such as Columbus Metropolitan Library and the Ohio Historical Society to support public engagement, similar to initiatives at the New-York Historical Society and the Chicago Public Library. Exhibitions feature materials comparable to traveling exhibits from the Library of Congress and collaborate with campus arts organizations like the Wexner Center for the Arts.

Administration and Funding

The Libraries are administered by senior leadership who coordinate with university offices including the Office of Academic Affairs (The Ohio State University), the Board of Trustees (The Ohio State University), and finance units comparable to those at State University systems. Funding sources combine university allocations, endowments, grants from agencies like the National Endowment for the Humanities and private foundations such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and donor gifts from alumni networks tied to groups like the Ohio State Alumni Association. Capital campaigns have drawn support from corporate partners including Amazon (company) and philanthropic entities akin to the Gates Foundation. Governance involves participation in national consortia such as the Association of Research Libraries and regional partnerships like OhioLINK.

Digital Initiatives and Access

Digital initiatives encompass institutional repositories interoperable with HathiTrust Digital Library, open-access platforms aligned with arXiv and PubMed Central, and digitization partnerships modeled on collaborations with the Google Books project and the Biodiversity Heritage Library. The Libraries deploy discovery services integrated with WorldCat and metadata standards consistent with practices from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative and the Digital Public Library of America. Collaboration with computing units such as the Ohio Supercomputer Center and research offices supports data curation services, FAIR data practices advocated by organizations like the Research Data Alliance, and preservation strategies using tools from LOCKSS and Fedora (software). Training in digital scholarship parallels programs at University of Oxford and University of Cambridge and includes workshops on copyright resources informed by the Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center.

Category:Academic libraries in the United States Category:The Ohio State University