The Columbus College of Art and Design Packard Library is a subterranean gem found in the heart of CCAD’s campus.
Inside the library, visitors are treated with vibrant displays, a wide range of resources and a welcoming staff.
The library is the primary research center for CCAD faculty and students and is open to the public. The library boasts over 300 art and design journals, one million images through their online subscription to ARTstor, 700 rare books and periodicals, a real human skeleton for anatomical study and growing graphic novel, local zine and interior and industrial design materials collections.
The materials library opened within the Packard Library November 2014 and gives students the chance to touch and interact with interior and industrial design materials. The library collects polymers, ceramics, glass, metals, cement-based, natural and carbon-based materials and is augmented by the Materials Conexion database of over 7,000 materials.
The Packard Library’s rare books collection is absolutely amazing. Delicate artists’ books like Poppy Dully‘s “O. Henry Stories” to a 1790 first edition of Edmund Burke’s “Reflections on the Revolution in France” with a fore-edge painting by Helen R. Haywood line the shelves waiting for closer inspection.
The Packard Library supports the college’s archives. The archives are an important partner with alumni relations. CCAD Archivist Leah Fisher shared the archives have successfully created a sense of community for the alumni while alumni across the world, in turn, have helped identify former faculty and students in old photographs.
Director Leslie Niemczura Jankowski and library staff are excited for the Packard Library’s future. Leslie’s passion for graphic novels and their impact on visual culture drives further collection, Chris Mannix will be hosting artists’ books workshops in autumn so that students can create their own works, Shiva Shakeri continues to build the materials library as an important resource beyond CCAD and Jamie Reinhart helps drive collection development for new generations of faculty and students through acquisitions.
The Columbus State Community College Library is a bright example of transformation. Under the guidance of Director of Libraries Bruce Massis, library staff, college students, faculty and college leadership, the library changed from a fortified, dark warehouse to a beacon of light and creativity.
After the Columbus State Community College Library’s $5.4 million renovation completed in autumn 2011, the library saw its number of visitors jump from 9,000 a month to 9,000 a week. Moved from the school’s IT department to the office of academic affairs, the library is now more aligned with the college’s academic needs, and beautiful light streams throughout the building thanks to the addition of numerous, large windows.
Library floors were strategically reorganized to better meet users’ needs. The first floor bustles with activity through its commons area. The floor supports a writing center, TV studio and auditorium where film series are held, open computer lab, multimedia studio, group study rooms and circulation. The second floor showcases the library’s outstanding permanent art collection with works by Aminah Robinson and other celebrated artists, a rotating art gallery, reference desk and student computers. The third floor is dedicated to study through its main stacks, periodicals desk, library instruction classroom and silent study room.
The library is a community partner. In collaboration with Columbus Metropolitan Library, the library provides students greater access to materials by issuing Columbus Metropolitan Library cards. At Columbus Metropolitan Library branches, Columbus State students can access all of their college information and online library resources through a special portal located on all Columbus Metropolitan Library’s public computers. Satellite classrooms have been constructed in two Columbus Metropolitan Library branches, and, in Delaware County, Columbus State has partnered with the Delaware County Library System.
As the director of libraries, Bruce Massis has worked to make the Columbus State Community College Library the center of campus. Through renovations, professional writing and partnering on the college’s accreditation, Bruce is a burst of energy. Not content to settle, Bruce is looking forward to the college’s collaboration with Apple to develop and deliver courses through iTunes U.
The Fine Arts Library supports Ohio State’s Departments of Design, Art, History of Art, Arts Administration and Education & Policy. Their collection contains approximately 150,000 volumes to support the research needs of faculty and students.
Beyond their collections, the Fine Arts Library plays an important role in bringing new insights and knowledge to its constituency and the larger community. By providing a forum for discovery and discussion through exhibits, the library fulfills Ohio State Libraries’ mission to foster “an environment conducive to academic inquiry, scholarly communication, creative achievement, and lifelong learning.”
“Rough Edges: Women Artists and the Collegiate Press” is curated by Fine Arts Head Librarian Sarah Falls and demonstrates thoughtful execution of academic inquiry and creativity. The exhibit explores women’s artist books in a male dominated industry and gives a glimpse into a little known niche. The Fine Arts Library has collected artist books for over a decade, and the exhibit is a multifaceted collaboration among OSU faculty, alumni, libraries and university press (Logan Elm) as well as outside partners like Women’s Studio Workshop. “Rough Edges” unites groups with a shared passion, promotes greater awareness among those communities and gives the opportunity to learn about a beautiful and impactful art form.