Special Collections | Oberlin College Libraries

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Mary Church Terrell Main Library
148 W College St. Oberlin, OH 44074-1545

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The main visitor lot is the east Service Building lot, and the south row of the Carnegie Building lot for visitors to offices within that building.

Search Tools

Summon

Summon provides access to millions of sources of all types (books, articles, audio, videos, images, etc.) on nearly any subject. Summon searches many, but not all, Oberlin College Libraries resources; comprehensive research should include subject databases. It searches the full text of some, but not all, Oberlin books, including books that Oberlin only owns in print.

If you are looking for a specific book, film, or journal, use OBIS, our catalog. If you are looking for a specific journal article, use the Journal Finder. Summon also includes the collection of the Allen Memorial Art Museum as well as materials from other research centers and open access repositories.

Databases A-Z

The Databases A-Z list provides a complete alphabetical list of searchable databases accessible to you through the Oberlin College Libraries. The databases range from those that cover multiple subject areas, e.g. JSTOR or Web of Science, to more narrow research topics, e.g. SOCIndex.

They contain both citations and full text for ebooks, peer reviewed journals, newspapers, magazines, data sets, images, music, primary documents, and more. You will want to use them for finding credible and scholarly materials required for your college research.

If you are unsure which databases are best for your research topic try using the subject and type filters, consult a subject or course guide, Ask a Librarian or make a research appointment.

OBIS Catalog

OBIS provides access to print and digital books, databases, audiovisual materials, journals, and course reserves. It is the best place to look up books, recordings, journals and films by title to determine if you can access an item through Oberlin. To see if Oberlin has access to an individual article, use the journal list. OBIS makes it easier to search by subject heading than Summon does, but it does not index the full-text of any books.

In addition to books available at Oberlin through OBIS, patrons also have access to collections from a number of public, university, and college libraries in the state of Ohio through Oberlin College’s partnership with the OhioLink consortium and SearchOhio.

Journal Finder

The Oberlin College Libraries subscribe to many journals, newspapers, and magazines directly, and have access to many more through database platforms from providers including EBSCO, ProQuest, JSTOR, and many others.

The Journal Finder lists in one place every print and e-journal available through both paid subscriptions and reputable open access platforms. Use the Journal Finder to track down a journal, to see if it’s available online, or to compare access across databases or subscription services.

The Journal Finder will not allow you to search by article title to determine if Oberlin owns an item - you must use the full citation, including journal, magazine, or newspaper title and publication date to determine if Oberlin has access to an article.

OhioLINK Catalog

A virtual statewide library that displays information for items owned by OhioLINK libraries, a consortium of over 100 college, university and research libraries in Ohio. Items described include books, journals and periodicals, audiovisual materials, sound recordings, electronic resources, government documents, archives and manuscripts, maps and music scores.

The catalog provides bibliographic descriptions and indicates where copies are located and whether or not copies are available. The OhioLINK Central Catalog allows for delivery of requested items to a member library of your choice. Terrell Main Library is Oberlin’s pickup location for OhioLINK items. OhioLINK's design allows you to transfer a search from our local library catalog, OBIS, to the OhioLINK combined catalog with the touch of a button. Likewise, a search can just as easily transfer from OhioLINK or OBIS to the public library network Search Ohio.

WorldCat

WorldCat contains more than 43 million records describing books and other items owned by libraries around the world. You can search for popular books, music CDs and videos—all of the physical items you're used to getting from libraries. You can also discover digital content, such as downloadable audiobooks. Use InterLibrary Loan to order materials that you locate on Worldcat.

Research Guides

Subject Guides

Research guides are the gateway to library collections and resources. Created and maintained by Oberlin College & Conservatory reference and subject librarians, Guides by Subject are organized by their relevant subject areas to provide a detailed list of recommended scholarly sources, including: databases; internet and digital resources; and the libraries’ collections of books, journals, magazines, music, art, DVDs, etc.

Guides also help you develop search strategies, cite sources and manage bibliographic references, and lead to a librarian who can provide further assistance. Subject guides are displayed alphabetically.

Source Type Guides

Oberlin College librarians have identified the best platforms for finding resources by source type, including newspapers, magazines, dissertations and theses, books, music, primary sources and more. Some guides also provide search tips and techniques.

Course Guides

Course Guides are organized collections of resources created for the research and information needs of students in specific courses. Research strategies and library services are also included.

Special Collections at Oberlin include rare books and manuscripts, photos, slides, scores, recorded sound, and artifacts which do not circulate.

In addition to the materials held in Terrell Special Collections on the fourth floor of the Mudd Center, the filters below will allow you to find our unique and rare collections housed in the Clarence Ward Art Library and the Conservatory Library.

You will also find selections from the Oberlin College Archives. We encourage you to visit the Archives home page to learn more about their extensive collections and mission.

The Ernest Hemingway Collection of George Mahl

A concise collection of first editions of the works of Hemingway, as well as other material relevant to Hemingway’s life and work.

The Frederick R. Selch Collection of American Music History

The Frederick R. Selch Collection of American Music History contains items from the early 16th cent.

George Batyi Romani Music Collection

George Batyi Romani Music Collection.

Near East Relief Digital Collection

The College Archives presents selections from a photograph album of service in the American Committee for Relief in the Near East after World War I.

Archives Museum Collection

Features 3-D objects and paintings, drawings, prints and miscellaneous framed items in the archives.

Charles Dickens Collection

A good representative collection of the works of Charles Dickens, in the varied forms in which his works appeared in the 19th-century.

Mail Art

Called the longest-lived, 20th c. art movement that no one knows anything about, the Oberlin College

The Jack Schaefer Library

The personal archive of the author's published works, donated to his alma mater.

VSA/Goodkind Collection

Violin Society of America / H. K. Goodkind Collection, 1659-1996

Stanley King Jazz Collection

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Source Type Guides ? Oberlin College librarians have identified the best platforms for finding resources by source type, including newspapers, magazines, dissertations and theses, books, music, primary sources and more. Some guides also provide search tips and techniques.

Course Guides ? Course Guides are organized collections of resources created for the research and information needs of students in specific courses. Research strategies and library services are also included.

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