Oberlin College Library

Spotlight on the Collections – Guidelines for Interested Groups/Individuals

Oberlin’s Main Library collections are rich, varied, and often-times surprising.  The Spotlight on the Collections series will be used to highlight particular aspects, subjects, and themes within our collections.  The “spotlight” will sometimes be on books that coincide with exhibits in the library, or campus events; other times the “spotlight” will be conceived of and brought to you by student or staff groups around issues of interest; and sometimes the purpose of the “spotlight” will simply be to draw attention to aspects of our collections that we think are particularly cool and deserve attention.

We are pleased to have student (individually or representing groups) and staff (individually or representing groups) organizers of the Spotlight on the Collections series.  Below are guidelines to be aware of if you would like to propose a Spotlight on the Collections display.

1. All Spotlight exhibits MUST have as their core a display of Oberlin College Library materials*; the shelving designated for the Spotlight series can hold up to 150 books comfortably, and we require that at least 80 titles be displayed. 

2. All Spotlight exhibits must include a title, and a general statement from the organizer(s) which includes information about the display (this might include why you think the display is important, what motivated you to do it, how you think it might benefit the Oberlin community, etc.). 

3. The glass wall cases above the shelving may *usually* be used to display materials related to the book display

4. The library may add additional information to the wall cases relating to your exhibit which focuses on related library issues (how to find more materials on the topic, reference materials that might be of interest, etc.)

5. The Library can make available various resources to help you in creating an attractive display (book stands, assistance with signage for the cases, etc.)

6. The Library will schedule displays on a first-come first-served basis, and will make every effort to accommodate particular timing requests.  Displays will generally stay up 2-3 weeks, although this may vary based upon demand for the space, scheduled activities in the building, etc.

*for collection management reasons materials used in Spotlight displays must be part of the Main Library collection (or “storage”); no Art, Science, Special Collections, or Conservatory library materials may be used

To propose a Spotlight on the Collections display, please send your answers to the questions below to either Jessica Grim (jessica.grim@oberlin.edu) or Julie Weir (Julie.weir@oberlin.edu). 

1. What will the focus/topic of your display be?

2. What is motivating you to create this display?

3. Approximately how many books do you envision including in the display?

4. What kinds of additional materials would you like to include in the display (Posters, overviews of the topic, etc.)?