By Miriam Intrator, Head of Archives & Special Collections and Rare Book Librarian
A new semester and academic year are once again upon us! This newsletter provides updates on exhibits, events, collections, and opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and the broader OHIO and Athens communities. We encourage you to reach out via our online form with any questions, for more information, or with ideas about how Archives & Special Collections, Preservation and Digital Initiatives can support your teaching, research, and curiosity.
Contents
Fall Events & Exhibits
Collections Updates
Accessibility
Quick Links
Thank You
Events & Exhibits
Life Before Ohio University: An Exploration of the Manasseh Cutler Collection
Exhibit opening: Sunday, September 13, 10am – 2pm, 5th floor Alden Library.
Join Ohio University Libraries for the opening of a new physical and digital exhibition highlighting the life, work, and lasting influence of Manasseh Cutler. Visitors are invited to explore this exhibit featuring original archival materials.
The event will also feature a special living history presentation 11am – 12pm, by historical interpreter Ken Bowald, presented in partnership with Rural Action and Appalachian Understories.
This program is free and open to all and is part of the festivities surrounding the Ohio University Central Region Humanities Center 2026 Biennial Conference held September 10–13, 2026.
Coded Threads: Translating Shakespeare Into Material Form, a Talk by Artist Suzanne Coley
Event: Wednesday, September 23, 4:30 – 6pm, Walter Rotunda.
Suzanne Coley is a book artist, printmaker, and writer whose work engages textile art, printmaking, and embroidered bindings as forms of literary interpretation. She will speak about the signature process she defines as Material Excavation. Coley recomposes fabric through stitching, layering, and formal transformation, treating material process as a rigorous method of reading Shakespeare’s sonnets. Her bespoke textile books translate the structural complexity of Shakespeare’s Sonnets into tactile, page-based narratives. Please RSVP to attend the talk.
For OHIO students Coley is also offering a bookmaking workshop and conversation about research and creative practice (with free pizza lunch!). Registration required.
Events sponsored by the English Department’s Shakespeare Fund and Ohio University Libraries with support from CoFA and CAS.
Soft Touch: Textiles and Tactility in Bookmaking
Exhibit: 2nd floor Alden Library.
This exhibit challenges us to rethink how we understand “the book” to be a block of printed pages bound into a hard cover. Variations in the material used to bind books, ranging from silk and linen to hand embroidery, have softened and personalized the experience of a book in hand throughout history. Includes historic bindings and contemporary artists’ books, including examples created by Ohio University students.
Groundbreaking Botanists: Women’s Contributions to the Science, Understanding, and Appreciation of Botany
Exhibit: 4th floor Alden Library.
The items in this exhibit provide examples of how women, from the 18th to 20th centuries, have pushed the bounds of knowledge, made groundbreaking discoveries, collected and preserved specimens, provided detailed and accurate descriptions and illustrations, furthered understanding of how plants can be used, and shared their findings with a wide range of audiences.
University Archives Annual Homecoming Display
Hands-on display: Homecoming week, October 5 – 10, 4th floor Alden Library. Drop in to explore Ohio University history, hands-on, through yearbooks, student newspapers, posters, sports programs, memorabilia, student handbooks, dance cards, photographs, and many other interesting historical items representing 200+ years of OHIO history.
Collections Updates
Read the Blog post highlighting recent additions and projects of Digital Initiatives:
- University Archives
- Documentary Photography Archive
- Manuscript Collections
- Special Collections
For Instructors
Accessibility
Are you using Ohio University Libraries Digital Archives resources in classes this semester? Starting in April 2027, digital collections must meet WCAG 2.1 guidelines to be used in instruction, including links in Canvas and use requirements in assignments. Please reach out to digitalarchives@ohio.edu if you need assistance making materials from the Ohio University Digital Archives meet WCAG 2.1 guidelines.
Screenshot from the Biblia Latina/Latin Bible online tutorial.
Quick Links
* Keep up with what’s happening on the OHIO Archives Blog! Most posts are by students working with our collections.
* Browse the Digital Archives. Digital Initiatives is always adding new material.
* Explore collection inventories and descriptions.
* View current & past Exhibits.
Thank you!
We are grateful to the faculty, students, staff, and community members who collaborate with and inspire us. We look forward to hearing from and working with new people all the time. Please don’t hesitate to reach out via our online form. Have a wonderful fall semester!
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