Celebrate Constitution Day with the Archer Library!

Check out the library's LibGuide celebrating Constitution Day at the following link: https://libguides.ashland.edu/constitution. Since so many of the resources are gov docs, we've added it to the government document subject area on the main LibGuide page. 

The Archer Library is featuring a Constitution Day display that is setup on the ground floor of the library. The display will run 09/11/23-09/19/23. Please feel free to visit the display and pickup your own copy of the U.S. Constitution.

If there are any questions, see Sarah Thomas, (419) 289-5168 or sthomas4@ashland.edu.

 

Cheers to 50 Years: the library building turns 50!

 Fifty years ago Ashland students were welcomed into the newly completed Library building! 

Library interior on the opening day in 1972

The first library was located in Miller Hall (now gone) and was then moved to what is now Patterson Hall. The library and it's collection quickly grew and needed a new space. Making use of a government grant, President Glenn Clayton had the new library designed, funded, and built in less that 5 years! The new space (and current building) would be 75,500 square feet over 10 floors - and claims the title of tallest building in the county at about 130 feet. 

Library building during construction

A new display is up on the Main Floor of the Library if you want to see more photos from Opening Day in 1972. Take a look to see what has changed and what is still the same - 50 years later!

Display on Main Floor of the Library

Over the past 50 years, countless students have used the library and we are happy to still be an important part of the AU community! Do you have any memorable stories about the library? We would love to hear how the library was part of your AU experience!

Library Celebration

    I am excited to share our new Library Display just in time for National Library Week 2021 (April 4th to 10th). 

     Learn more about AU's library with photos pulled from the Archives. There are images from previous libraries where you can sneak glimpses of buildings that have been repurposed or no longer exist. 

     There are images of the construction of the current library in 1971, as well as images from it's opening. Looking through these - it is fun to see what has changed and what is the same.     

   

    Sprinkled throughout are also some fun facts about libraries in general. For example do you know what "Library Hand" is and why is went out of style? Let's just say this Librarian was excited to learn new Library trivia too! Here's a tidbit that didn't make it into the display: Some famous librarians or library workers include: Former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, author Lewis Carroll, former first lady Laura Bush and China's Mao Zedong! 

     The bottom is edged with Library posters of yesteryear - some dating back to Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1940s, others from previous National Book Weeks of the 60s and 70s. I think they are some great works of art and its fun to remember all the library posters from when I was younger. 

Libraries are often called invaluable because of the many great services they offer for free for their patrons, and while this can't put a number on everything, the ALA has this calculator for you to try out if you have ever wondered how much money using the library saves you. Give it a try here: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/library-value-calculator. 

I hope you enjoy this display and make sure to celebrate all the libraries in your life!

Intrigued by our Halloween posters? Learn more about Arthur Rackham within the AU Library collections

 

 

     You may have noticed the posters that the Library put up for its Trick or Treat display. We thought that they were the perfect tone for the night! You might not know however that those illustrations were drawn by Arthur Rackham, and that the AU Library has over 40 books that he illustrated in our Special Books Collection!

Arthur Rackham was one of the most prominent, and most popular, artists during the “Golden Age of Illustration” which is roughly 1890 to WWI. His unique style and the distinct look of his ink and watercolor illustrations stand out, and took advantage of the new printing technologies that allowed publishers to include color illustrations. 

    Rackham illustrated over 47 books including classics like Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, Wind in the Willows, Alice in Wonderland, and Rip Van Winkle. His illustrations were often included in deluxe editions that were published on vellum and signed (these were usually even as Christmas gifts), as well as on smaller trade printings of the books.

After his death in 1939, his works remained very popular. His images has been widely used by the greeting card industry and many of his books are still in print. In fact, Director Guillermo del Toro cites Rackham as an influence in “The Faun” in Pan’s Labryrinth.

        So what do you think of Rackham’s illustrations? Have you seen them before in one of your childhood favorites? Does his artistic style still match with the fantasy and fables he illustrated almost 100 years ago? Which one is your favorite?

Presidential Pens - A New Display in the Library

    You can't deny that it is Election season! Ohio Early Voting began on October 6th this year, and across the country more than 7 million people have already cast their vote. So for this display I focused on U.S. Presidents and their relationship with the written word. 

    There is a written record of every U.S. President from their speeches, letters, Executive Orders, and often, their own memoirs. If you are interested in learning more, the display offers some brief information about works that Presidents have written (and those written by their wives, the First Ladies). 

   If you want to read more about the many complicated men who have held the Executive Office, there are many books within the AU Library's General Collection (both as books and as ebooks), as well as some unique copies in the Special Books Collection (ranging from an 1885 copy of Ulysses S. Grant's memoir to a signed copy of Jimmy Carter's to Harding's Memorial Address). There is a lot to discover within the AU Library collection. In fact, did you know that there is even a whole collection within the General Collection that is focused on John F. Kennedy?

To create your own Presidential Reading List: Wikipedia has a complied comprehensive list of all US Presidential Memoirs here and for the First Ladies here.

If you need any help locating a book or more Presidential information, please reach out to a Reference Librarian. You can contact us via chat, email, phone, or select times in person this semester.

And, don't forget to vote this year -

 either early or in person on November 3rd!

Reference

Costanzo, Michael B. Author in chief: the Presidents as writers from Washington to Trump. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2019. 

Levy, A. "More than 7 million general election ballots cast so far." CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/11/politics/election-ballots-cast/index.html

Author: Curator and Reference Librarian, Jessica Byers

 

Welcome

 Welcome back to our AU community! In case you haven't seen it yet, with the new semester we have new displays added to our interior cases. Using withdrawn books and book folding Jessica Byers created a display that we hope welcomes you back to AU. 

Take a closer look the next time you come into the library! These cases are located on the Main Floor surrounding the elevators.  We would love to hear your thoughts. 

If you have ideas about future displays or want to learn more about this display, please feel free to contact Jessica Byers, AU Library Curator and Reference Librarian, at jbyers7@ashland.edu.

New Library Display in a New Place

You probably already know about the display cases that are in front of the Library building, but the Library recently added to a Display Case over in Upper Convo to its display possibilities. We are going to use the case to continue interesting displays and the first one is focusing on our favorite interesting thing: the Library!

The first display put in Upper Convo is “Library Snapshot” which is designed to give a glimpse into the history and impact of the Library through ‘snapshots’ of information. 

    

The display includes some little-known facts about the Library accompanied by some historic photographs pulled from the AU Archives. For history buffs or anyone who loves books as much as me, you can also see the old library card stamp cards in some of the displayed books with one even showing its accompanied card from the card catalog as well as some of the yearbooks from the late 1970s. Since opening in 1972, the Library here at Ashland University has undergone many changes, but always remains central to the community and student life. 

I am currently working on future displays to be installed in Upper Convo and the Library cases that will showcase the Special Collections held by Ashland University Library.  If you have ideas about future displays or want to learn more about this display, please feel free to contact me, Jessica Byers, AU Library Curator and Reference Librarian, at jbyers7@ashland.edu.

Library Spotlight: Ohio in the Civil War

In addition to the two display areas on the library main floor, there are a number of display cases throughout the library providing information to users about campus activities and various library collections. The display case located outside the library instruction classroom on the ground floor, "Ohio in the Civil War," was created by Serials & Technical Services Assistant Karin Hootman and features information on the Battle of Bluffington Island, The Fighting McCooks, 120th Ohio Infantry, and Johnsons Island.

The following resources were used creating this display:

• Civil War Discovery Trail
• Disunion Blog: NY Times
• Library of Congress: Selected Civil War Photographs
• Ohio History Center
• Ohio Historical Society

Browse the following subjects in the library catalog for more information on the Civil War:

• United States History Civil War 1861 1865
• United States History Civil War 1861 1865 African Americans
• United States History Civil War 1861 1865 Battlefields
• United States History Civil War 1861 1865 Biography
• United States History Civil War 1861 1865 Campaigns
• United States History Civil War 1861 1865 Historiography
• United States History Civil War 1861 1865 Prisoners And Prisons
• United States History Civil War 1861 1865 Regimental Histories