A Message from the Director

Greetings and Welcome to the Oberlin College Libraries!

The Libraries play a central role in the educational mission at Oberlin. We collect, preserve, and make accessible diverse resources that make teaching and research possible. We also serve as information experts on campus, encouraging the development of informed scholars and engaged citizens.

The Oberlin College Libraries are made up of the Mary Church Terrell Main Library (in the Mudd Center), the Conservatory Library (within the Conservatory Complex), the Clarence Ward Art Library (located in the Venturi Art Building), the Science Library (in the Science Center), the Terrell Special Collections, the Visual Resources Collection, and the College Archives. Through our collections and those of our consortial library partners in Ohio, we offer an extraordinary variety of digital and print resources.

Founded in 1834, just one year after Oberlin College was established, our library system ranks among the oldest liberal arts college libraries in the nation. The earliest object-centered collection is the Anti-Slavery Collection, which began forming in the 1830s and includes books, pamphlets, and ephemera regularly used by scholars and in coursework at Oberlin. Other collections of note include significant strengths in the areas of illustrated Japanese books, dime store novels, artists’ books, Spanish drama, and Jazz archives, to name just a few. Please read our Collections Statement to learn more about what we collect and how our collections support the Oberlin College curriculum.

The Oberlin College Libraries enjoy the support of an active and supportive patron group – the Friends of the Oberlin College Libraries and we encourage you to consider joining! Friends receive our Library Perspectives newsletter and invitations to special programs and events, as well as our Annual Meeting in November each year.

Oberlin’s Libraries welcome you to spend some time in our libraries, where information is transformed into knowledge, creativity, and innovation. Enjoy our collections and our beautiful spaces.