Come to Relax and Enjoy the Cohen Enrichment Collection

The Cohen Enrichment Collection is located on the fourth floor of Langsam Library in an alcove near the entrace to the building. The collection contains books in all subject areas, including cooking, popular fiction, history, and art. It is designed to “enrich and strengthen the educational experience at the University of Cincinnati” with special shelving for the books and comfortable seating.

The Collection is funded by a gift in 1978 from 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 first books selected in 1978 for the collection 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.”

In recent years the collection has expanded into new areas such as globalization, ethnic studies, literature in translation, and the classics. The current policies for the Cohen Enrichment Collection, however, still reflect the desire to create and maintain a relaxed and inviting atmosphere where users can still “settle down with a good book.”

To find out more information about the Cohen Enrichment Collection, go to <www.libraries.uc.edu/research/subject_resources/policies/polcohn.html>.

Source Index