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November 5, 2005


Minutes of the 15th Annual Meeting of the Council
of the Friends of the Oberlin College Library, November 5, 2005

President Scott Bennett convened the Annual Meeting of the Council of the Friends of the Oberlin College Library at 1:36 p.m. in the Goodrich Room at Mudd Center. Those in attendance were Vice President Daniel Goulding, Secretary Nathan (Mike) Haverstock, David Boe, Bill Bradford, Eric Carpenter (ex officio), Teresa Collins (Student Friends of the Library), Ray English (ex officio), Lucy Marks, Scott Smith, Ed Vermue (ex officio), Wendy Wasman, and Janice Zinser. Two additional Council members, Bill Roe and Scott Fehlan, participated in the discussions via a telephone conference call.


1. Highlights of the meeting.

At its l5th annual meeting the Council:

2. Financial report.

Following approval of the minutes of the October 30, 2004 meeting, Ray English delivered the financial report. “The good news,” he said, “is that income for the current year was more than $48,000 – a record! The Friends presently have a balance of $36,800 – which is more than sufficient to cover our obligations.” In addition, this year the Friends expected to break even on the cost of its annual dinner in line with a Council recommendation last year

“The College handles Friends funds like any other gift fund,” English said in answer to questions. “There is no administrative fee, nor does the College make any charge for the time expended by Library staff on Friends business. At the same time, Friends funds do not draw interest,” he continued, “so there is no particular reason for building up a big balance.”
In answer to another question, English explained that the apparent growth in the cost of postage in recent years was attributable “to the size of our mailings, which are hard to budget in advance.”

3. Acquisitions committee.

Scott Smith reported that the acquisitions committee was recommending approximately $30,000 to acquire materials for the Library this year. To stay within budgetary constraints, he noted that this had involved the paring down of an original list of recommended purchases valued at approximately $62,000. Smith reviewed the major acquisitions on the committee’s final list for the benefit of the two members of the Council, who were not physically present at the meeting and did not have this information.

3.a. Special collections.

Materials for the Library’s special collections include a series of 13 original colored drawings of scenes from the Ramayana by women folk artists of Mithila, a village in northern India near the border with Nepal. These drawings depicting scenes from Hindu religious epics, which Ed Vermue had on display for the meeting, represent an art form long practiced by artists of the region on the walls of their modest homes, where they were frequently washed out with the coming of the monsoons.

U.S. Peace Corps volunteers, he said, encouraged local women to render their work in a more permanent, portable form as a means of earning some money from their labor. The drawings, he continued, will figure in courses on the religions, culture, and literature of India. Moreover, with this acquisition, he added, Oberlin will have the largest collections of these drawings in the U.S., thanks to a previous donation of related Mithila works by Professor Joseph Elder in 2001. (To view the latter, log onto – http://www.oberlin.edu/library/special/religions/mithila.html).

Another acquisition for special collections is Julie Chen’s Personal Paradigm: A Game of Human Experience. This unusual work, produced in an edition of 100 copies by the Flying Fish Press, challenges readers to play a game of life, to which they bring their own experience and perceptions. This game is presented in a sumptuous, cloth-covered box with a multitude of beautiful laser-cut pieces.

A third acquisition for the special collections is Maureen Cummins’s Ghost Diary, a book comprised of hinged glass panes, which form a concertina-like structure. The work comprises glass negatives, portraits, and family groupings, dating from the late nineteenth century and a recently discovered letter by Colonel John Rhea, an officer in the Revolutionary War. (To view this work, log onto – http://www.califiabooks.com/finepress/c/cummins.html).

3.b. Conservatory acquisitions.

In support of teaching and research at the Oberlin Conservatory, an especially important acquisition comprises 11 volumes, containing transcriptions of improvisations by John Coltrane (1926-1967), the famous saxophonist and composer. The Conservatory currently owns three volumes in this series of 650 improvisations, whose production the National Endowment for the Arts is funding.

With Friends support, the Conservatory Library is also acquiring the first 10 volumes of the Saemtliche Werke of Orlando di Lasso (ca. 1532-1594), “one of the most prolific and versatile of sixteenth-century composers,” according to Grove’s Music Online. The Library will also subscribe to future volumes in the series.

3.c. Other acquisitions.

For the Art Library, Friends funds are supporting the purchase of nine volumes of the comprehensive catalogue raisonné of the works of Pablo Picasso (1885-1973). The Friends are also buying the complete works in 14 volumes of Charlotte Smith (1749-1806), an important English novelist, for the Library’s general collections.

In response to a faculty request, the Friends are acquiring two additional works: Buddhism in the United States, 1840-1925 -- a facsimile edition in six volumes -- and Koran: Critical Concepts in Islamic Studies, a four-volume collection of essays published between 1937 and 2002.

Other recommended purchases are enumerated on the list distributed to the Council.

3.d. Acquisitions committee decisions.

Following discussion of the recommended new acquisitions, Eric Carpenter, who is responsible for the development of the Library’s collections, answered questions on the rationale for dropping some of the items originally recommended by the acquisitions committee. Each decision, he said, was influenced by various factors, including insufficient faculty interest in a particular work, the failure of the vendor to provide a full description of the material in time to make an informed judgment, and, of course, budgetary constraints.

As an example of what goes into a decision by the committee, he singled out for special mention JSTOR (Journal Storage Project), which he called “the preeminent source for access to back files of major scholarly journals in electronic format.” Oberlin, he continued, “was an early subscriber to JSTOR,” which by 2008 will provide electronic access to the back files of 600 journals. By defraying a one-time user fee as part of this year’s acquisitions budget, Friends funds will add access to the JSTOR Biological Sciences Collection, which is rich “in fields such as biodiversity, conservation, paleontology, and plant sciences, as well as some new areas like cell biology and zoology.”

Scott Fehlan suggested the use of e-mail advisories to provide Council members with information in a timely fashion on pending important acquisitions decisions. The e-mails would include data on web links, where members could view images of the materials in question, as in the case of the JSTOR materials.

English noted that this idea fit nicely within the Library’s evolving plans to increase its electronic communications with Council members. He also said that the Library is considering establishing its own blog to communicate with people, who visit the Library’s web site.

There were several questions as to the use that will be made of some of the materials being acquired this year with Friends funds, for example, the artist’s book by Julie Chen. This particular work, Carpenter said, would likely be consulted by Art Department faculty, as well as by students. Moreover, he observed, “the Art Library quite often has special exhibits of this kind of material, which are of interest especially to students of studio art.”

Roe suggested that the Library might want to consider “advertising” its interest in especially-costly, major acquisitions among possible donors. “This might be helpful,” he noted, “in reaching out to new people for support of specific library needs.”

3.e. Increase in acquisitions budget.

Bennett sparked considerable commentary in asking members of the acquisitions committee “how deep was their anguish at having to strike some items from the original recommendation list? And should we be budgeting more for acquisitions?”

As background, English noted that the Friends budget for acquisitions this year was about $30,000, plus an additional $3,000 for special collections in keeping with a recommendation at the last meeting. Dan Goulding observed “there is no particular virtue in carrying forward a sizeable balance, as Friends funds draw no interest.” Roe suggested that “it would seem to be hard to make a case for the need for more money with Friends membership, if we are not spending the money that we are raising.” Fehlan cautioned “it would seem wise to maintain a reserve for emergencies, should it become necessary for the College to trim the Library’s budget.”

Following a thorough airing of these views, plus a suggestion that the Council set aside an additional $5,000 in the event that during the year some especially tempting acquisition comes onto the market, Bennett summarized the discussion in a motion. His motion, which was approved by consensus, was “that the Council raise the acquisitions budget for the coming year to $40,000, with the understanding that this is a ‘contingency action’ – the expenditure of the total sum depending on events in the acquisitions market.”

4. Program committee.

4.a. Recent programs.

Program committee chair Goulding provided a chronological listing of Friends-sponsored events for the fall of 2004, spring of 2005, and a provisional listing of future events. Retrospectively, these included an exhibition and talk by book artist Johnny Carrera, class of 1991; lectures by Oberlin faculty (Professor of Theater Roger Copeland, Associate Professor of Humanities Dan Chaon, Professor of English Pat Day, Professor of Religion James Dobbins, a joint lecture by Assistant Professor of Comparative American Studies Gina Perez and Associate Professor of History Pablo Mitchell); and an exhibition and talk on the Zabludow Synagogue Project, which included the replication of a seventeenth-century structure, by Rick and Laura Brown of Handshouse Studio. Also included were lectures by Professor of Architecture Thomas Hubka, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Professor of German Literature and Film Studies Anton Kaes, University of California at Berkeley – in conjunction with the Friends-sponsored Classic German Expressionist Film Series; and talks by Friends Secretary Mike Haverstock, free-lance writer Jeff Rubin, and Andrew Venable, Director of the Cleveland Public Library.

Fehlan suggested that perhaps speakers at Friends events could be prevailed upon to provide brief summaries of their remarks, which would be posted on the Library’s web site and/or communicated directly to Council members by e-mail. “This would help keep everybody in touch.”

4.b. Future programs.

Goulding stressed that the program committee is always open for suggestions from Council members on future speakers or events. Of special interest, he said, are ideas on how to develop more collaborative campus events to highlight local creativity and the history and evolution of the Library itself.

He said the committee has made a decision to forego sponsoring an event on Commencement Weekend, owing to a surfeit of College activities at that time. It was also decided to have all-campus receptions for Oberlin authors of books or important publications at intervals of three years, instead of annually. The committee, he said, was also seeking to expand its relations with seniors living at Kendal at Oberlin, an intellectually-vigorous community where the Friends sponsored an event this year, which drew a capacity crowd.

In summary, he said, the Friends are presently sponsoring three programs each semester, which feature speakers mostly – but not exclusively -- from the Oberlin and greater Cleveland area, in addition to the annual book sale. Goulding concluded by saying that the committee has already commenced lining up a speaker for next year’s annual dinner. The likeliest candidate was Adam Moss, an Oberlin graduate, who was formerly the editor of The New York Times Weekly Magazine, and is presently the editor of New York Magazine.

English noted that it may soon be possible to provide members with a digital version of programs through “podcasting.”

5. Membership committee.

5.a. Report.

Bennett and English jointly delivered the report of the membership committee. Prior to the meeting they had supplied Council members with a first-of-a-kind, in-depth report on Friends membership. This report, worked out on the basis of data provided by the Oberlin College Development Office, provides a preliminary profile of current Friends, based on anonymous records for 887 people.

“Generally speaking, humanities, social sciences, and science disciplines together account for three-quarters or more of the friends membership, with humanities majors accounting for nearly half of the total membership,” according to the report. “The Friends have not done comparably well with graduates from the Conservatory, in spite of the prominence of music in the life of the College and the excellence of the Music Library.” Nor in recruiting faculty members, a situation, the survey says, “is typical of academic library friends groups.”

The report stressed the importance of making specially-targeted solicitations to new members in their first renewal period as well as in their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th renewal periods.

5.b. Membership survey.

A survey of present and lapsed members of the Friends has been drafted and will be distributed during the spring of 2006. The survey will be conducted at an online web site and respondents will be solicited by e-mail. The results should provide a much fuller profile of Friends members and inform a variety of decisions relating to Friends activities and membership solicitations.

5.c. Solicitation to alumni history majors.

English noted that in a change of policy, the Development Office has allowed the Library to undertake a mail solicitation for the Friends of alumni who were history majors (history majors comprise 14.3% of the Oberlin graduates who are Friends members, according to the report). “Heretofore, the Office had felt that such mailings might compete with its own ongoing efforts to raise unrestricted money for the College,” he said. “But lately, it has recognized that appeals for donations to specified interest groups actually reinforce broad-gauge College appeals to alumni.”

The solicitation was mailed to 1,500 alumni history majors, selected from a pool of 2,400 names, in early October 2005. By tracking the response to this first-of-a-kind initiative, the Council will be able better to gauge the advisability of follow-up mailings. Roe described this as “a major turnaround” in College policy.

5.d. Membership statistics.

English reviewed the revised membership statistics, which were distributed at the meeting. He noted that membership numbers held steady in 2004-05, while the average contribution level increased. Membership numbers for the current year are comparable to this point in the previous year.

5.e. Bill Roe offers challenge grant.

There was sustained applause following Bennett’s announcement that Roe will again provide a membership challenge for the Friends during the coming year, as he did in the first years of the Friends program. While the exact terms of the grant has yet to be worked out, it was suggested that it was conceivable that his generosity might be focussed to enlist the support of alumni groups underrepresented in the current Friends membership, like graduates of the Conservatory.

6. Nominating committee.

On behalf of the committee, chair Jan Zinser noted that two members of the Council, Scott Bennett and Lucy Marks, have graciously agreed to serve second terms. There was applause, too, for two other members, Erik Inglis and Richard Rubin, who have completed their second consecutive terms and therefore are ineligible for re-election. To fill their places the Council unanimously approved the nominations of Professor Gary Kornblith, a long-time member of the Oberlin General Faculty Library Committee; and Ardie Bausenbach, Oberlin class of 1972, a senior automation planning specialist at the Library of Congress.

7. Friends officers.

By consensus the Friends Council approved the reelection of the incumbent slate of officers, to wit: Scott Bennett, president; Dan Goulding, vice president; and Mike Haverstock, secretary, for the 2006-2007 academic year.

8. Honorary membership.

Following a presentation by Jan Zinser, the Council approved by acclamation the award of an Honorary Membership in the Friends of the Library to Richard Hudson, class of 1949, Emeritus Professor of Music at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. The award, which is conferred upon those making outstanding contributions to the Library, recognized Hudson’s action in establishing “an exceptionally generous endowment for the Conservatory Library” in memory of Inda Howland and J. Warren Hutton.

Howland, who taught eurythmics at Oberlin and Syracuse University, was Hudson’s most influential teacher, when he was a student at the Conservatory, and later his colleague and friend when Hudson himself taught there from 1953 to 1955. Hutton was a classmate of Hudson’s at both Oberlin and Syracuse University, and later in life a master organ teacher for more than 40 years at the University of Alabama.

Hudson established the endowment, the largest the Conservatory Library has, in their memory for the purpose of “enriching the resources of the Conservatory Library for the benefit of students, faculty, and others who use it.” Income from the fund may be used for acquisitions or any other purpose that advances the services and resources of this special library.

9. Life membership.

The Council similarly approved by acclamation the award of a Life Membership to Annette Kaufman for generous gifts of books and music to the Conservatory Library over a period of nearly two decades by herself and her late husband, famed violinist Louis Kaufman. One of the most recorded artists of the twentieth century, Kaufman appeared on records of more than 100 major concert works during the l930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. He played premiere performances of the violin concerti of several of the century’s major composers.

Kaufman was also one of Hollywood’s most active performers, playing on the sound tracks of more than 500 movies, including such films as Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, Mutiny on the Bounty, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Grapes of Wrath, and Psycho. The Kaufmans’ gifts to the Library, which include musical scores for solo violin, string chamber groups, and piano, reflect their rich acquaintance with well-known composers and editors. Mrs. Kaufman made the trip from her home in Los Angeles especially to accept the Friends award.

10. Friends Library Scholarship.

English reported that the recipient of this year’s Friends library scholarship was awarded to Katie Shilton ’05. A history and German studies major at Oberlin, Shilton plans to pursue a career in archives. She is now enrolled at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies.

11. Student Library Research Awards.

Zinser reported that the committee on student library research awards (comprising Megan Mitchell, Reference Librarian /Electronic Services Coordinator; Haipeng Li, Reference Librarian/Outreach Coordinator; and herself) had received seven faculty nominations this year, one more than last -- three from History, two from Biology, and one each from the English and the Opera Theater Departments. The papers were outstanding examples of “energy and ingenuity,” she said, “a pleasure to read.”

The winners of this year’s awards, each in the amount of $500, were:

It was suggested that these papers be posted on the Library’s web site and that it would be interesting to follow up on the subsequent careers of those awarded student research grants and the Friends library scholarship.

12. Student Friends of the Library.

Teresa Collins reported on the Student Friends of the Library. A study break is planned for the end of the fall semester and a book collecting contest for the spring.

13. Contextual reports.

English reported briefly on several contextual issues of interest to the Council. He noted that the College’s strategic plan (a copy of which was distributed to the Council in advance) is now being implemented. Several task forces have been established to recommend specific actions to carry out the broad directions of the strategic plan. These task forces are addressing faculty development, curricular support, community-building, and other specific concerns. He noted that the Library will be revising its own strategic plan to bring it in harmony with the College’s plan. The Library’s planning for the future will also be informed by a sophisticated survey of users that was conducted last spring. The LibQual survey yielded rich data on user perceptions of library resources, services, and collections. That survey and also the College’s planning process are leading the Library toward a process of rethinking the main library building to make it more conducive to individual study, group work, reading and reflection, social / community functions, and especially to provide more integrated support for student learning at Oberlin. He noted that the process of rethinking the main library building will draw on the successful features of Oberlin’s new science library and the adjacent science commons.

Teresa Collins reported briefly on the activities of the Mellon librarian recruitment program, which is designed to make librarianship a more visible career option for undergraduates and to attract students from diverse backgrounds into the field. Teresa is Oberlin’s Mellon Library Associate for the 2005/2006 year. This is a full-time position designed to give her in-depth experience in an academic library prior to attending library school. Other aspects of the program include internship experiences for students interested in exploring librarianship as a career and scholarships for library school.

The meeting was adjourned shortly after 3:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by Nathan Haverstock, December 28, 2005



Last updated:
August 29, 2006
  
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