Oberlin College Libraries

10/16/2026

The Friends of the Oberlin College Libraries would like to invite you to a lecture given by the Wilson Bruce Evans Home in collaboration with the Oberlin College Libraries Archives. Please join us on Saturday, November 7, at 6 PM at the Dye Lecture Hall in the Science Center. A reception will commence afterward at the Science Library. The event is free but attendance is by RSVP only. Please contact Matt Koperdak at [email protected] to reserve your place by October 31. See you there!

10/13/2026

We got inky on Friday with our second Book Arts Lab on natural ink making with poke and buckthorn! Participants got to take away some magenta poke berry ink and some sap green ink made from the dark blue berries of the invasive buckthorn found around Oberlin. It was a bit chaotic and a lot messy but we had a great time 🙌✒️🖋️🫟

10/03/2026

Last weekend we carved letters into stone!

The Oberlin College Libraries augment the Book Studies minor with a full docket of Book Arts Labs - programs that delve into the history of books, writing, and book arts. Looking back to the advent of stone carving, students were instructed by world-renowned master stone carver Nicholas Fairplay (of NYPL lions Patience and Fortitude fame) on how to use a hammer and chisel to elegantly mark limestone. Needless to say, our participants had an enlightening time, even though the task might have been harder than expected.

A full list of workshops is posted around the libraries, and anyone interested can join us for Natural Ink Making October 9th at 3pm under the Mudd ramp.

09/30/2026

Status check after The Great Water Leak of 2026: the leak that started on the 3rd floor of the Science Center in early September is stopped, and everything is finally dried out. Now we’ve officially entered the rebuild-and-repair phase. Construction started today, walls are being restored, and the Science Library is slowly but surely starting to look like itself again. We’re still a little under construction — and noisier than usual during the day — but we’re open! Swing by, find your spot, and lock in.

09/29/2026

09/28/2026

Last week, Assistant Professor of Religion William Underwood's "Spiritual But Not Religious" class created their own "spirit" photography with help from Visual Resources Curator Heath Patten. Check out the results and swipe to see some behind the scenes shots!

09/25/2026

The Clarence Ward Art Library's mid-September ART+craft was a popular repeat event: stamp carving! We were so impressed by everyone's creativity and agility with linocut tools.
Missed it? Not to worry—stamp-carving is so well-loved that the Art Library offers it once a semester!
In the meantime, keep an eye out for future ART+craft events, which happen weekly at the Clarence Ward Art Library on Thursday evenings, 6–8 p.m. All tools and materials provided!

09/15/2026

2nd floor, a quite place to study with a view.