By Miriam Intrator, Head of Archives & Special Collections and Rare Book Librarian
Welcome to the start of another new semester and academic year! Each fall brings new events and opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and the broader OHIO and Athens communities. Following is an overview of some of what will be available this fall. We encourage you to reach out with any questions, for more information, or with your own ideas about how we can support your teaching, research, and curiosity.
Photograph of students and visitors discussing collection materials at the Spring Student Showcase, February 2025.
Contents
Quick Links
An overview of support we provide to enhance teaching, learning, research, and exploration. We are always open to new ideas and opportunities. Please contact us anytime!
- We are one of thirteen designated experiential learning spaces on campus!
- 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.
- Read and share the All About Mahn brochure.
For Instructors
- Schedule an experiential learning session for your students or group.
- Assign an asynchronous tutorial.
- Orient your students to primary sources with our Research Guide.
- Ask about other ways we can partner to incorporate primary source literacy and hands-on engagement with original and digitized materials into your teaching and research.
Exhibits & Events
Little Cities Day
Event: Saturday, September 6, 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM, Stuart’s Opera House, Nelsonville. We will be tabling! Come to learn more about relevant collections such as Frank Buhla, W.E. Peters, the Columbus & Hocking Coal & Iron Company, and much more all about Little Cities of Black Diamonds.
Celebration at Sunday Creek Coal Co. Mine No. 1, San Toy, Perry County, Ohio, 1919.
Venturing into Voting
Exhibit: 4th floor, Alden Library. The display illustrates the history of the League of Women Voters and its role in community education and activism since the chapter formed in 1949. Curated by Alexis Reynolds, English and World Religions ’26, Spring 2025 Manuscript Archives Intern (read her blog post). Learn more on the libraries’ news blog.
Exhibit Opening: Tuesday, September 16, 6-7:30 PM, 4th floor Alden Library. Features remarks from Professor Emerita Katherine Jellison, this opening coincides with National Voter Registration Day. Come see the exhibit, hear about the League and meet current League members, and pick up some National Voter Registration Day and Ohio Libraries swag. Food and drinks will be provided. Free and all are welcome to attend.
Photograph of hands holding a booklet titled, “Athens League of Women Voters 1983-84.”
Athens Mental Health Center Archives and Infographics
Exhibit: 5th floor Alden Library. The history of the buildings, patients, and staff of the Athens Mental Health Center is presented through archival materials and infographic posters created by students in the spring 2025 class VICO 4112/5112 Illustration Capstone: Advanced Informational Graphics.
Collage of images from the Athens Mental Health Center Collection.
University Archives Annual Homecoming Display
Hands-on exhibit: Homecoming week, October 13-18, anytime the 4th floor is open. Stop by the 4th floor of Alden Library 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.
A student looking at a display of posters from the University Archives Pride Collection.
Enslavement & Abolition in Antebellum Texts & Contemporary Artists’ Books
Exhibit: 3rd floor, Alden Library. A selection of historic and recent items from the rare book collection that document, illustrate, explain, interpret, and question enslavement and abolition, during and since the antebellum period. Curated by Mariana Dantas, Associate Professor of History, with Miriam Intrator, Head of Archives & Special Collections and Rare Book Librarian.
Exhibit Roundtable: Wednesday, November 12, 1:00-2:00 PM, Friends Room 319 Alden Library. Brief presentations and conversation about items in the exhibit and the surrounding history with artist and archivist Sauda Mitchell, Associate Professor Mariana Dantas, Professor Paul Jones, and Professor Emerita Katherine Jellison.
“Voyage” by Sauda Mitchell on display.
Collections Updates
Digital Archives Updates
Blog post highlighting recent additions, exhibits, and projects of Ohio University Libraries Digital Initiatives.
A specimen from the Seaweed Specimen Album, 1848.
Athens, Ohio 1885-1923 Sanborn Map Viewer
Published by the Libraries’ Digital Initiatives unit, this map interface allows users to overlay historical Sanborn fire insurance maps onto present-day geography. Student Assistant, Adelle “Del” Stratton (History ’25), georectified the maps, consulted with volunteers at the Southeast Ohio History Center, and collaborated with departmental staff to create the viewer which supports crowdsourced tagging.
Screenshot of map layers from the Athens, Ohio, Sanborn Map Viewer.
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. Have a wonderful fall semester!