Old Oberlin Book Collection

The “Old Oberlin” collection has been in the making since at least 1900 when Librarian Azariah Smith Root sent letters to all living alumni and former students asking for copies of all their publications to form a "permanent" Alumni Collection.  Reminders were occasionally inserted in the Alumni Magazine. In his 1907/08 annual report Root further suggested to the Administration that manuscripts and records in College offices be collected in the Library to form the 'Oberlin Archives'. In subsequent reports Root speaks of having appeared before the Village Council to appeal for its records, and of approaching the local churches, the School Board, the Township trustees, and others for records. The library collected all manner of books and ephemera associated with the College and town through the middle of the 20th century; the College Archive having been formed as a separate entity administratively in 1966.

The collection is not dormant; items that fit the first category can sometimes still be discovered in storage or purchased, and many require improvements to their bibliographic records. Local histories are still welcome as relevant new material, and old student theses are sometimes digitized.  Almost all of the items in the “Old Oberlin” collection have bibliographic records in the online catalog. It is best searched by author as many of the old records are brief. College archival records, manuscripts, scrapbooks and ephemeral items that do not have online records have been moved to the appropriate faculty and student files in the Oberlin College Archive, and items stored there for trivial reasons (such as an alumni donor) have been moved to the circulating collection after an appropriate note is added to the record. This transfer process is ongoing.