LIBRARY ENRICHMENT [COHEN] COLLECTION

Program Description

Subjects covered :  The Cohen Collection is inclusive in trying to cover any and all subjects at at least an introductory or layman's level.

Departments and users served :  The Cohen Collection serves all University Libraries users.  Its materials are now also available for OhioLINK and ILL use.

Quantitative information :  At any given time there are 1500 to 2000 books in the Cohen Enrichment Room.  There are now thousands of Cohen books throughout University Libraries that have been transferred out of the Cohen Enrichment Room over the past 19 years.
 

General Description of Collection

Location of collection :  The Cohen Enrichment Room is located in one of the alcoves in 4 East in Langsam Library.  Special shelving, study tables, and comfortable reading chairs are in the alcove.  There is a magazine rack for about twelve current Cohen periodicals.

Collection history :  The Cohen Collection is funded by the Library Enrichment Fund, a gift of Julie Cohen in memory of A.B., Dolly, and Ralph Cohen, her father-in-law, mother-in-law, and husband.  The original intent of the gift was to fund a reading room and to enrich the humanities throughout the UC Libraries.  The Cohen Enrichment Room, first located on a raised platform in the front of the fourth floor of Langsam Library, was opened in 1979 at the time Langsam Library opened.

The first books selected in 1978-79 were chosen by the Director for Collections who developed a policy stating, "The Cohen Enrichment Room provides a warm, inviting, comfortable environment in which to browse and read.  The books to be found there should reflect the surroundings:  They should be attractive to the eye and should tempt a passer-by to 'settle down with a good book.'  The collection contains many of the world's classics but does not pretend to be comprehensive in that regard.  The collection is eclectic and the selection policy relaxed.  'Just for fun' books, such as childhood favorites, are included along with a sampling of current fiction and poetry.  The guiding principle behind the collection, simply stated, is to enrich and strengthen the educational experience at the University of Cincinnati."

Following a hiatus of three years, a permanent Cohen selector was appointed in 1982, and a committee composed of librarians and faculty was appointed to develop a collection development policy and guidelines for the development and maintenance of the collection.  The work of the committee was completed in a timely manner, however, a final policy was not approved until 1985.  This policy is still in effect.  In part, it reads, "Materials, books, and periodicals, selected for the Cohen Enrichment Room are of cultural and historical interest, independent of curriculum needs, and are chosen to stimulate a desire for learning and intellectual exploration of the world's classics but are not comprehensive in that regard.  Emphasis is placed on obtaining materials which invite students to browse and which challenge them to seek more scholarly works available in other collections.  Selections will strengthen all areas of the University Libraries' collections in the humanities."

In recent years as funding for all areas in the University Libraries collections has increased significantly, less emphasis has been placed on strengthening the humanities collection.  More emphasis has been placed on globalization and ethnic studies, and an attempt has been made to choose a significant assortment of literature in translation.  Emphasis on the classics has grown through collecting all Library of America volumes and not rotating them out of the collection. 
 

Specific Aspects of Collection

Call numbers :  All call number ranges are represented.  This may vary from year to year as the collection is a fluid one.

Time period collected :  Although there is some historical material in the collection, for the most part it is a contemporary collection.

Languages :  All materials are in English, although much of the fiction is in translation.

Geographical areas :  An attempt is made to represent areas from around the world.  This may vary from year to year.

Types of resources :  Monographs, selected series, selected journals and magazines

Endowed areas :  This collection is funded solely by the Library Enrichment Fund.  Gift books are not added to this collection.
 

Acquisitions Processes

Approval plans :  This collection is not profiled by the approval plan.  Fiction received  on the English language and literature approval plan is regularly reviewed for selection for the collection.  Occasionally other selectors recommend books they have received for the collection. 

Firm orders :  Most of the materials for the collection are ordered by firm order.  A very few are ordered from slips received for other funds.

Standing orders :  There are a few standing orders for periodicals for the Enrichment Room and a few for general periodicals.  There is a standing order for all Library of America volumes, and there are occasional standing orders for shorter series.

Special vendors, unique sources :  None

Annual review/transfer process :  The collection is reviewed on an annual basis to select materials for transfer to the Langsam stacks or to College and Departmental libraries.  This is done to make room for new materials and to keep the collection current.  Usually 350 to 500 volumes are transferred out of the Enrichment Room each year.

A set of Collection Development Guidelines developed in 1982 exists to aid the selector in the current and future direction and maintenance of the Cohen Enrichment Room.
 

Virginia Parr
August, 2001