Ohioana Library Celebrates 80th Anniversary
By Barbara Meister, Former Librarian, Ohioana Library
June 2009
 Anniversaries are a natural time for reflecting on the past and looking to the future. As Ohioana marks its 80th anniversary this October, it seems an opportune time to look at the organization then and now.
Introduction. Ohioana is a special library dedicated to collecting, preserving, and promoting the work of Ohio writers, artists, and musicians. To achieve its mission, the library maintains three longstanding interconnected programs; the development and preservation of a special collection; the publication of a review journal; and the administration of an annual awards program. The programs are interconnected in that every book added to the collection receives an annotation, and perhaps a review in the journal. Finally, the books are eligible in the Ohioana Book Awards program. All three programs are detailed below, as well as the recently added Ohioana Book Festival, which is slated to become a signature event.
The Collection. The idea to amass a collection of books
written by Ohioans came to Martha Kinney Cooper shortly after becoming Ohio's First Lady in 1929.
As she and her husband settled into the Governor's Mansion, she was dismayed to find the otherwise lovely
old home completely lacking in suitable reading material. There were a number of bookcases to be sure.
But they were sparsely filled with old and seldom-opened books.
An avid reader and active member of several art and music clubs, the First Lady was sorely aware of the
difficulty writers and artists had getting the attention they deserved, and soon realized that the home of
Ohio's Chief Executive was the perfect place to both honor Ohio's creative sons and daughters and acquaint the public with the state's literary culture.
Financial times being what they were in 1929 (the year of the infamous stock market crash) using state funds for the new library was out of the question. That proved no obstacle to Martha Kinney Cooper. She was willing to use her own money if necessary, and thought others would help as they could.
Financial times being what they are now, we can easily envision the difficulties she faced. Nevertheless, as accounted on our favorite nightly news or daily blog, people pull together in hard times, giving generously of their talent and treasure. After a diverse group of Ohioans, distinguished in various fields of activity (Dr. W. O. Thompson, President Emeritus, Ohio State University and Mrs. Depew Head, Lecturer and Field Representative, Ohio State Library to name but two) were enlisted to ensure that building a collection representing Ohio authors was feasible, dozens of charitable, talented individuals stepped-up to do everything from serve on the Executive Committee to solicit book donations.
One of the best ideas, ingenious really in its simplicity, was the Committee's initiative to
solicit authors and publishers for the donation of appropriate books. The first book received was from Harriet Taylor
Upton, who sent an autographed copy of her History of the Western Reserve. The second was Brand Whitlock's Biography of Lafayette, donated by Appleton and Company. From that moment on, a continual stream of publishers' ink has flowed our way.
That flow brings Ohioana's current collection to approximately 45,000 books and 10,000 pieces of published sheet music.
It's valued at more than a million dollars, but because much of it is out-of-print,
scarce, or truly rare, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to replace. And that's just the printed matter.
Over the years, biographical files were developed on more than 20,000 Ohioans as staff corresponded with authors,
also capturing signatures and photographs. Those files now rank among our most used resources. Containing basic,
but highly accurate information directly from the source, their contents often reveal little gems like
Pulitzer Prize winner Louis Bromfield's telegram from France announcing his permanent return to Ohio;
a letter from children's author Lois Lenski explaining that her drawing of a parsonage in Skipping Village is based on the one she lived in as a child in Anna, Ohio; a Christmas card from Langston Hughes.
In the early days, Ohioana's status as the first and most complete library of its kind was a tremendous incentive for publishers and authors to donate their books. Consequently, in just a few years' time, the collection outgrew accommodations at the Governor's Mansion, and was moved to the New State Office Building (later renamed the Ohio Departments Building). That lovely old Art Deco structure served Ohioana well for many years, yet eventually needed full renovation. Happily, as many readers will know, it was restored to its original glory, and is now occupied by the Supreme Court of Ohio. Ohioana favored well in the process too. Opening its doors in January 2001, the library is now housed in the Jeffrey Mining Center, a climate-controlled renovated factory configured specifically for our needs.
The Ohioana Awards Program. Introduced in 1942, the Awards Program is an extensive annual program honoring a full spectrum of creative endeavor. From the Robert Fox Award for Young Writers to the Ohioana Career Award, the program includes 10 award categories, some awarding as many as six recipients every year. The Career Award, the library's most exalted honor, acknowledges an outstanding career in the arts and humanities, and is the organization's only award reserved for native Ohioans. Other awards and citations recognize a single outstanding cultural contribution and distinguished service in specific fields of the arts and humanities, including music. As expected, the thrust of the awards acknowledge literary achievement; the popular Ohioana Book Awards are awarded to individual fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and children's literature titles, also books about Ohio or Ohioans. The James P. Barry Award for Editorial Excellence a wards Ohio-based serials. Additionally, thanks to several bequests, three other literary awards provide monetary prizes of $1,000 each.
The Ohioana Quarterly. The library began its own publication in 1958 with
Ohioana: of Ohio and Ohioans. In 1966 the title was changed to the Ohioana Quarterly and like most serials with a 50-year history, there have been the usual design and format changes. What remains the same is its purpose to support Ohio authors by getting the word out about their books. To that end, each issue contains reviews of recent books, an annotated list of all incoming titles, and articles about literary and cultural arts in the state. Current circulation reaches more than 2,500 readers. Subscription is through library membership, with portions of the current issue accessible online without charge.
The Ohioana Book Festival. Our foray
into the festival business began quite modestly with the celebration of one book, Good Roots: Ohio Writers Reflect on Growing Up in Ohio.
Good Roots editor Lisa Watts sought our help in identifying Ohio authors when planning the
anthology. As it happens, Ohioana Executive Director Linda Hengst had long been interested in adding a
festival to the library's programming, making the book's publication an ideal kick-off to what has become an annual event.
More than seventy authors gathered on May 9th for our third festival. The all-day event included panel discussions, readings,
children's activities, live entertainment, food, and, of course, book sales and author signings. We at Ohioana are excited to bring authors
and readers together to celebrate reading, writing, and the Ohio literary tradition. Festival 2010 is slated for May 8th. Hope to see you there.
Original version of this article was published in the summer 2009 issue of Ohio Library Council’s newsletter The
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