Kent State University Library: A Comprehensive Guide to Resources and Collections

Kent State University Library stands as a central hub of academic and research activity, providing students, faculty, and the wider community with a vast array of resources and services. Situated on the lively Risman Plaza, adjacent to the Student Center, the 12-story building houses a diverse collection of materials, specialized personnel, and innovative programs designed to support learning and scholarship. This article delves into the various facets of the University Library (UL), highlighting its key collections, services, and initiatives.

Core Library Resources and Services

The University Library offers a comprehensive suite of services to meet the diverse needs of its users. These include:

Materials Circulation: Facilitating the borrowing and return of library materials.
Subject Librarians: Providing expert assistance and guidance in specific academic disciplines.
Course Reserves: Making essential course materials readily available to students.
Copyright and Technical Services: Ensuring compliance with copyright regulations and managing the library's technical infrastructure.
Multimedia Studio: Offering resources and support for creating multimedia content.
Statistical Consulting: Providing assistance with data analysis and statistical methods.

Specialized Collections

Beyond its general collection, Kent State University Library boasts several unique and specialized collections that cater to specific research interests.

The Reinberger Children's Library Center

The Reinberger Children's Library Center is a treasure trove for those interested in children's literature and related fields. It maintains two distinct catalogs: the Reinberger Children’s Room Catalog and the Marantz Picturebook Collection Catalog. Notable collections within the center include:

Alma Flor Ada and Isabel Campoy Collection: This significant collection documents the pioneering work and lasting impact of Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, transformative figures in bilingual education and children's literature. The collection includes published works, manuscripts, correspondence, teaching materials, and extensive documentation of their influential Authors in the Classroom program. Access the Collection Browse the Ada-Campoy Collection Inventory Search Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy published material in the Kent State University Library catalog.
Arbuthnot Collection: May Hill Arbuthnot's personal collection of ephemera, professional materials, and historical children's books, providing insight into the development of children's literature scholarship.
Historical Children’s Book Collection (HCBC): More than 7,000 volumes from the Dayton Metropolitan Library, including books, ephemera, posters, and magazines related to the study of children's literature history. Access: Search "Dayton Metro Library Children's collection" in the Library Catalog Title search.
Marantz Button Collection: A unique collection of children's book-related buttons from the 1970s to present, gathered by Dr. Kenneth and Sylvia Marantz at professional conferences and events.
Margaret Alexander Beatrix Potter Collection: A unique collection developed by Margaret Alexander, an Akron Public Schools librarian and Stan Hywet docent, during her travels to England. The collection includes first editions of Potter's works, rare Beswick figurines (early series with original molds), and other Potter-related materials. Alexander and her colleague Susan Brown carefully curated these materials, originally used to engage inner-city school children with Potter's works. Of particular note are the Beswick figurines, which are from the first series and are quite rare, as Beswick later broke the original molds.
Children's Book Marketing and Promotional Posters Collection: Over 2,000 items including publisher promotional posters, Children's Book Week posters, Children's Spring Book Festival materials, and other book-related promotional ephemera.
Folklore Collections: Over 1,400 volumes of folklore and fairy tales donated by the Cuyahoga County Library and Dayton Metropolitan Library, representing diverse cultural traditions and storytelling.

Borowitz Sheet Music Collection

The Borowitz Sheet Music Collection, a donation from Albert and Helen Borowitz, comprises nearly 7,000 pieces of sheet music. This collection spans a wide range of musical styles from the mid-19th century to contemporary music of the mid-1980s.

Read also: Exploring Kent Denver School

WKSU Folk Festival Collection

This collection consists of recordings made by WKSU of the Kent State Folk Festivals, as well as National Public Radio folk broadcasts. It also includes recordings of other local folk acts.

Broadside Ballads Collection

Broadside ballads were a significant part of the popular street literature produced in England from the 16th through 19th centuries. Kent State University Library preserves these historical artifacts.

The Map Library

The Map Library serves as the University's primary cartographic and geospatial resource center. It houses maps, atlases, GIS data, place name literature, and cartographic reference materials in both paper and electronic formats.

Initiatives for Textbook Affordability

Recognizing the financial burden that textbooks can place on students, Kent State University Library has implemented several initiatives to promote textbook affordability.

Core Textbooks on Reserve (CTR) Program

In the Core Textbooks on Reserve (CTR) program, UL provides access to print textbooks for short-term use through course reserves. Supported by the UL Collections budget, the following criteria are used for inclusion:

Read also: Kent State Athletics Logo

The course is a basic requirement of the degree program, or is a general undergraduate course requirement referred to as Kent Core Curriculum.
The course has multiple sections.
The course has high enrollment.
The textbook is expensive.

UL uses the Registrar’s online system to identify titles that meet program criteria.

Alternative Textbook Programs

Subject Librarians work with faculty as well as instructional designers to identify quality affordable resources that can be used in both face-to-face and online courses. Resources include Open Educational Resources and other open access materials as well as materials licensed through UL and OhioLINK and comprise images, video, speech, music, text, and interactive content.

Affordable Course Materials Summit

UL hosted an Affordable Course Materials Summit on Friday, November 3, 2017. Aimed at faculty interested in learning more about affordable learning, this event brought together services across the university with faculty who have implemented affordable materials for a day-long conversation. Faculty presenters shared a variety of first-hand experiences from OpenStax to writing their own textbooks to “Backward Design” of courses.

Read also: Next Steps at Kent State

tags: #kent #state #university #library #resources