Summer of Tours: The Ohio State University, Special Collections Description & Access

Special Collections at Ohio State University are comprised of seven separate collecting units, with archival technical services support for all seven provided by the Special Collections Description & Access Department (SCDA).  This program will begin with an overview of special collections at OSU, providing context for the breadth and depth of collecting areas SCDA is responsible for working with.  Members of SCDA will then discuss their roles providing archival technical services work in support of special collections (including accessioning, processing, logistics, collection maintenance, minor preservation, and on-going efforts to make special collections materials more discoverable online).  The program will include guided tours of the SCDA workspace and closed stacks storage area (with opportunities to see many of the collection materials SCDA works with on a daily basis), and a curatorial guided tour of the current gallery exhibit in Thompson Library: Hot on the Trail of Iconic Detectives.  This exhibit features items from many of the special collections units at OSU, and the curator responsible for the exhibit will discuss both the items on display and the experience of building an exhibit using special collections materials.

This program will include the full staff of the Processing Program within SCDA, led by department head Morag Boyd and program manager Cate Putirskis.  English Librarian Jennifer Schnabel will lead the curatorial guided tour and exhibit discussion.  Morag has an MLIS from the University of Illinois, joining the department then known as Special Collections Cataloging as a cataloger ten years ago, later becoming the head of the department now responsible for both the special collections cataloging and processing programs.  Cate has an MA in Public History from North Carolina State University, joining SCDA four years ago to lead the daily work activities of the Processing Program.  Jennifer has an MA in English/Creative Writing from Temple University and an MLIS from Clarion University in Pennsylvania, and is an assistant professor and the English subject librarian at OSU.