Dean's message

Sara Bushong

At the beginning of the fall semester echoes of students fill the Wm. T. Jerome Library as our building comes to life. We are excited for another academic year serving our students with excellence in the resources, services and special collections. I am so happy to share some of our experiences at the University Libraries (UL) and hope you enjoy reading about our other recent highlights.

Beginning this year, one of our newest initiatives is the formation of the inaugural UL Student Ambassador group. These students are current Library student employees who have a passion for the Wm. T. Jerome Library and want to share that passion with the BGSU community. We have students that represent each area in the Library and multiple program representation. These students have already started to make a positive impact with their outreach to our various constituent groups.

In April, we hosted Tarana Burke for our Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories Lecture Series. Students, faculty, staff and the general public attended the event and filled the ballroom of the Bowen Thompson Student Union. This newsletter will provide insights regarding additions to Library initiatives, highlights from 2019 Homecoming events and recaps of a few of our Special Collections and their staff.

I thank each of you who continue to support the University Libraries through acts of generosity. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have about the University Libraries' collections, programs or services.

Sara Bushong
Dean, University Libraries

Browne Popular Culture Library, Manuscript & Outreach Archivist, Steve Ammidown, Librarian of the Year Award

Stephen Ammidown, Manuscript & Outreach Archivist in the Browne Popular Culture Library, was named the recipient of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) Cathie Linz Librarian of the Year Award. The RWA Cathie Linz Librarian of the Year is awarded to a librarian who demonstrates outstanding support of romance authors and the romance genre. Ammidown was presented with this award at the annual RWA Conference located in New York City in July.

View the article featured by Romance Writers of America.

Center for Archival Collection provides Community Scan Day

Community members were invited to bring personal items documenting the history of the Islamic community in the Toledo area to Community Scan Day held in May. More than 300 items were scanned from a dozen donors, with additional items still to be included in the collection. The University Libraries’ Center for Archival Collections and the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo partnered on the event, which was made possible by a $12,000 Common Heritage Grant supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Questions: Michelle Sweetser

Learn more about the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Common Heritage Grant awarded to the Center for Archival Collections.

“Triad” sculpture, receives Beth Casey Student Sculpture Award

Undergraduate student, Todd Hall, was selected as the 2019 Dr. Beth Casey Student Sculpture Award recipient. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, the award assists sculpture students working in large-scale, three-dimensional media in pursuit of their artistic endeavors. Hall’s piece, “Triad” was created with welded steel and paint.

Learn more about the Friends of the Library

Homecoming 2019: "It’s good to be home

On Saturday, September 14, UL was a stop for a Falconland experience. Falconland created an opportunity for visitors to take a walking tour through campus and explore designated stops. The BPCL was featured and created two unique exhibits for this event. The exhibits nicely connected the 50th birthday of the BPCL and our visitors from the Class of 1969.

"Sesame Street: A Radical Experiment Turns 50" - This exhibit focused one of the longest running children’s program on television.

"The Walls Come Alive: Dorm Room Posters of the 1960s" – This exhibit focused on the poster printing business in the 1960’s. It featured some of the images that may have once adorned dorm room walls here at BGSU- from psychedelic art to statements of protest and famous faces.

More Library Events

• Tues. March 31 | Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories
• Fri. April 24 | Researching the Romance 2020: Romance across boundaries

Check out the BGSU calendar for additional opportunities.