** Ed: This is the second article contribution from libraries which delegates can opt to visit during the upcoming IFLA WLIC 2016 conference at Ohio, United States. The Publications Team thank Oberlin College Library for their article contribution. **

 

Oberlin College Library combines a leading undergraduate college of arts and sciences with an outstanding professional school of music. The Conservatory provides flexible programs to prepare students as professional musicians and teachers of music. Deeply committed to academic excellence, the College of Arts and Sciences offers a rich and balanced curriculum in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.

Oberlin has a long tradition of library excellence and is ranked among the very largest liberal arts college library collections in the nation, holding more than 1.5 million volumes in addition to extensive digital collections. The Library’s quality was recognized in 2002 by the Association of College and Research Libraries Excellence in Academic Libraries Award.

The Library has long been regarded as a vital campus space for learning and interaction among members of the Oberlin community. Over 43 percent of student respondents to a recent survey indicated that the library was a factor in their decision to attend Oberlin.

The Library is supported by a wide range of campus partners and has a strong relationship with Oberlin’s Center for Information Technology (CIT). Close cooperation between librarians and CIT staff facilitates student academic projects, integration of a variety of technologies into reference and research services, and digital scholarship initiatives.

Oberlin’s library facilities include the Main Library in the Mudd Center, the Conservatory Library in the Conservatory complex, the Clarence Ward Art Library in the Allen Art Building, and the Science Library in the Science Center. The wide range of activities in each location can be followed in the library’s Tumblr feed.

The Oberlin College Library current staff FTE is 19 professionals and 29 paraprofessionals. Library staff play a number of roles in support of Oberlin’s academic mission including Information Literacy, Special Collections and Archives, Collection Development, Digital Scholarship, Public Services, and Systems and Technical Services.

The Library’s external relationships are a critical factor in its ability to purchase and provide access to resources needed by faculty and students. In particular, Oberlin plays a significant role in several consortia including OhioLINK, the Five Colleges of Ohio, the Oberlin Group of Liberal Arts College Libraries, the Center for Research Libraries, and LYRASIS.

Contributed by Mr Alan Boyd, Interim Director of Libraries at Oberlin College Library.

Posted by Justin Tan, Editor.