Friends Acquisitions Funds Make a Difference

June 21, 2023

Professor Ross Karre

Each year, the Friends of Oberlin College Libraries contribute generously to our acquisitions fund, making it possible for the Libraries to buy special items for the collection and to support new resources such as streaming services. This year, the Friends went beyond one-off purchases to make significant contributions to “capsule collections,” that is, subject-oriented collection development.

One of the areas supported increased acquisitions of Percussion Music by Women. Suggested by Professor Ross Karre, who joined the Conservatory faculty in 2022, the collection will, in Professor Karre’s words, “help dispel the myth of scarcity around percussion music by female-identifying and gender-non-binary composers.” The new scores have already been used in teaching and in concerts. Libraries dispel myths of all kinds. Our collections are diverse and balanced. We are so grateful to the Friends for supporting our mission of proving through our collections that “great minds do not think alike.”