Otterbein University

https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/stichweh_fish/1000/thumbnail.jp

Stichweh, Joanne Miller

01. Chicago Fish Story

FY24\u27s Annual Report celebrating Courtright Memorial Library\u27s accomplishments.
Contents:   Letter from the Director Facts and Figures Staffing Updates News and Events Staff Accomplishments Special Focus Building Updates Friends of the Libraryhttps://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/libraryprograms/1018/thumbnail.jp

Library, Courtright Memorial

Otterbein University 
Digital Commons @ Otterbein 
Library Publications Library - Courtright Memorial Library 
2024 
2024 Courtright Memorial Library Annual Report 
Courtright Memorial Library 
Otterbein University, library@otterbein.edu 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/libraryprograms 
 Part of the Higher Education Commons, and the Library and Information Science Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Library, Courtright Memorial, "2024 Courtright Memorial Library Annual Report" (2024). Library 
Publications. 16. 
https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/libraryprograms/16 
This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Library - Courtright Memorial Library at Digital 
Commons @ Otterbein. It has been accepted for inclusion in Library Publications by an authorized administrator of 
Digital Commons @ Otterbein. For more information, please contact digitalcommons07@otterbein.edu. 
COURTRIGHT MEMORIAL LIBRARY
ANNUAL REPORT
FISCAL YEAR
2024
PREPARED BY
KATIE ALBRIGHT
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
As a member of the Ohio Private
Academic Library (OPAL) and
OhioLINK consortia, major
deliberations occurred as academic
libraries benefited from OhioLINK’s
successful bid for funding from The
Ohio Department of Education to
replace our existing integrated
library system (ILS). Consortia efforts
to review vendors, make
recommendations and start the
migration work impacts our OPAL
network and how individual
academic libraries within it integrate
and operate within these new
systems.  Here at Otterbein our hard
work on this migration is co-led by
Becky Gale and Allen Reichert, with
2
all library staff contributing. At the Courtright Memorial Library – we are fortunate to
have existing and new library staff who joined together for our annual retreat, this
time at The Point to flex our collaboration skills (tools of which will be put into play
greatly during this time of change) by breaking into teams and creating 3 open-play
chess boards that are now available for community-use within the library. 
Over the course of this year, feedback from our users was collected in many ways,
including Whiteboard Wednesdays, the Luminary Intern’s report, and our Belonging
Assessment. Needs were heard and action was taken, including a focus on adding
more Student Meeting Rooms (the main request recorded). As grant work proceeds,
installation of new rooms will be mentioned within this report and more fully covered
once installed for the 2025 academic year. Another major grant-funded project
allowed expert consultants to plan high-density shelving for the Archives while also
addressing temperature control and fire suppression needs. The outcome of which is
to seek additional funding to actuate these improvements, allowing our university
archival materials to grow and be preserved into the future. 
The Courtright Memorial Staff is resourceful, dedicated, caring and works for our
community’s needs now and into the future. Their efforts, individually or via
committee, are too vast to capture here – but this Annual Report helps to share
some highlights of our 2023-2024 year. The work of the Courtright Memorial Library is
supported by our friends group – if you are reading this, and aren’t already –
consider becoming a Friend today: Friends of the Otterbein University Courtright
Memorial Library LibGuide! 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2  Letter from the Director
3  Table of Contents
4  Facts and Figures
5  Staffing Updates
6  News and Events
7  News and Events
8  Staff Accomplishments
9  Special Focus
10  Building Updates
11  Friends of the Library
Otterbein University Library, circa 1900, Towers Hall
ABOUT US
The mission of the Courtright Memorial Library is to champion
lifelong learning through access to quality information, diverse
resources, engaged collaboration, and a welcoming community.
3
ARCHIVES AND DIGITAL COMMONS
Interested in the annual statistics for the Archives and the Digital Commons? 
The Archives website can be found here: 
https://otterbein.libguides.com/archives
The Digital Commons, Otterbein’s digital institutional repository, can be accessed
here:
https://otterbein.libguides.com/digitalcommons/dcstats
COURTRIGHT MEMORIAL
LIBRARY BY THE NUMBERS
4
228,997
THE NUMBER OF DIGITAL ITEMS CIRCULATED, AN INCREASE OF 23%
OVER FY2386,100
THE NUMBER OF VISITORS WE HAD IN FY24, REPRESENTING AN
INCREASE OF OVER 38% FROM FY23
73 THE NUMBER OF CLASSES TAUGHT BY LIBRARIANS, AN INCREASE OF19% OVER FY23
1,241 THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS TAUGHT BY LIBRARIANS IN THOSE 73CLASSES, AN INCREASE OF 29% OVER FY23
$91,804 APPROXIMATE FUNDS RECEIVED IN GRANTS AND MATCHINGFUNDS FOR THREE LIBRARY PROJECTS IN FY24
More facts and figures can be found online at: https://www.otterbein.edu/library/wp-
content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Courtright-Memorial-Library-Facts-and-Figures-FY24.pdf
THE VALUE OF THE LIBRARY AS A GATHERING SPACE
During FY24, the Library and the building itself hosted 1,531 events for a total of 3,488 hours. 
About one-quarter of these events were held by student organizations, and roughly three-
quarters were marked as general, including events such as the Friends’ Common Book
night, artistic and educational programs for students, tutoring sessions, and more.  The
library continues to be a strong pull as a gathering space for the campus community.  The
improvements we are able to make in the library help to make these events and programs
more comfortable and enjoyable for all!
STAFFING UPDATES
Matilda Davis-Northrup
Gabby Freshly
HELLOS......
Some new faces joined us in FY24, and some familiar
faces transitioned into new roles!  Matilda Davis-
Northrup was hired as the library’s new Technical
Services Librarian in September.  Part time Library
Assistant Gabby Freshly was promoted to Circulation
Supervisor role, and Becky Gale was promoted to
Circulation Manager, a new position!  Sophomore
Cami Borders started a year-long OhioLINK DEI
Luminaries internship with us - she was supervised by
Student Success Librarian Katie Albright.  Information
Literacy Librarian Rares Piloiu returned from a year-
long leave of absence.  Sam Detwiler was hired as the
new part-time Library Assistant.  Asher Rose was hired
as a Graduate Assistant. Former Courtright librarian
Sarah Whybrew returned as Temporary Library
Support for the summer.
Jane Wu
Rebecca Raeske-Grinch
Kirsten Peninger
......AND GOODBYES
Digital and Web Services librarian Jane Wu left us in
January 2024 to retire.  Circulation Supervisor Rebecca
Raeske-Grinch started a new job at OCLC in Dublin. 
Program Coordinator Kirsten Peninger started a new
role as an Assistant Director with Otterbein’s Center for
Student Engagement.  Graduate Assistant Ivan Trent
completed his degree and graduated.  Visiting
Information Literacy Librarian Rebecca Kyser, who
covered Rares Piloiu’s absence, fulfilled her year-long
term and was hired for a new position as a medical
librarian with George Washington University in
Washington, D.C.  Graduate Assistant Aliou Sall
graduated and completed his assistantship.
5
NEWS AND EVENTS AT
BECKER GALLERY EXHIBITS
Courtright Memorial Library hosted two different
Becker Gallery alumni art exhibitions during the
2023-2024 school year.  First up was was
“Prologue,” during the Fall semester, which
featured art by Sarah Ridenour ‘10.  Ridenour’s art
was inspired by the pandemic, which allowed her
to focus on what really mattered to her.  In the
Spring semester, the Becker Gallery hosted an
exhibition by Andrew Beers ‘15.  “Landscape in
Transition,” shown to the left, documents the
changing landscape of Licking County, as the
new Intel plant is built there. His photography
looks at both the good and the bad of the shift in
the community.
AN OTTERBEIN GRANT SHOWS 
SUSTAINABILITY IN ACTION
Electronic Access Librarian Allen Reichert
received an internal sustainability grant of $1500
from the university for the purpose of discarding
old microfilm that was no longer needed in our
collection.  This project took place over several
months, with student workers assisting in
removing the microfilm from their plastic
cartridges.  Shown to the right are students
Alexis Greene and Greyson Thagard (photo
credit: Asher Rose).  Once finished, the microfilm
was sent to be professionally shredded, which
helped to reduce landfill volume and contribute
to a more sustainable and environmentally
friendly community.  
6
COURTRIGHT MEMORIAL LIBRARY
BIG CHANGES COMING IN HOW THE LIBRARY DELIVERS SERVICES
Some exciting news was announced during Fiscal Year 2024 that will change how the
library delivers services to the campus community.  First, in company with other
academic libraries throughout the state of Ohio, Courtright Memorial Library will be
transitioning integrated Library Services Platform (LSP) from Sierra, which has been in
use for 30 years, to Alma.  Alma is the software that will be used for circulation and
technical services tasks, among others.  In addition, we will be switching discovery
layer hosts (our OneSearch function) from EBSCOhost to Primo.  These changes will
provide some much-needed updates to how we provide services. Co-Project Leads
Becky Gale and Allen Reichert, as well as Matilda Davis-Northrup are serving on
statewide committees and working groups as ambassadors and contributing experts
for our library during this process.  Additionally during this time period, Otterbein
switched eLearning systems from Blackboard to BrightSpace.  This will allow students
and faculty to access course materials, engage and collaborate through forums and
discussion boards, and stay informed via announcements.  This change is of particular
interests to librarians with teaching responsibilities.
SARAH B. COCHRAN TRAVELS TO PITTSBURGH
Otterbein University’s portrait of Sarah B.
Cochran, a major philanthropic benefactor to
the university in the late 19  and early 20
centuries, was loaned to the Heinz History
Center in Pittsburgh, PA to take part in their
exhibit “A Woman’s Place: How Women Shaped
Pittsburgh.”  While Mrs. Cochran and her work
in western Pennsylvania is well known, very few
know of her connections and contributions to
Westerville through her husband, Philip G.
Cochran (Academy class of 1871).  Thanks to
our portrait being included in this exhibit, the
name Otterbein University was seen by people
of all ages who were able to learn more about
this exceptional woman, one who stood toe-
to-toe with such male industrialists as her
contemporaries Andrew Carnegie and Henry
Clay Frick (Academy class of 1868). “A
Woman’s Place” ran from March 2024 to
January 2025.
th th
7
STAFF ACCOMPLISHMENTS
KATIE ALBRIGHT
Katie presented at the LOEX conference in Chicago in May.  Additionally, she
served as a panelist for the webinar “ACRL Presents: Voices from the Stacks - Lived
Experiences of Library Folks with Disabilities.”
MATILDA DAVIS-NORTHRUP
Matilda is serving as the OLC (Ohio Library Council) Technical Services Division
Action Council Coordinator.  She also served as a member of the Cataloging &
Metadata Working Group for the OhioLINK LSP migration.
GABBY FRESHLY
Gabby was promoted from her job as Library Assistant to Circulation Supervisor. 
She served on the Public Services committee, which she now chairs, and she also
completed her first year of her Masters in Library and Information Science.
BECKY GALE
Becky was promoted to Circulation Manager.  She served an interim role
overseeing  library website updates, as well as student budget management due
to open positions.  She also served as LSP co-lead for Courtright Memorial Library.
STEPHEN GRINCH
Stephen continued to serve the Otterbein and Westerville communities (and
beyond) through research assistance, presenting talks on Otterbein history, and
supporting alumni relations through his work for and at Alumni Weekend events.
TIFFANY LIPSTREU
Tiffany was asked by the State Librarian of Ohio to join the Ohio delegation in
Washington DC for Voices for Libraries 2024. Tiffany also served as treasurer for
the Friends of the Library, a role she continues to fulfill.
CASEY MAZZOLI
Casey applied for and received an LSTA grant (with funds provided for by the
federal Institute of Museum and Library services, as well as the State Library of
Ohio), which will allow the library to build 2 sensory-friendly study rooms.
KIRSTEN PENINGER
Kirsten served as past-president of the Staff Assembly.  She began her Masters in
Human Services Administration with Antioch University.  In addition, she served as
a staff mentor, a success coach, and as a Luminaries internship mentor.
RARES PILOIU
Rares served as a peer reviewer for the scholarly journal Shofar.  He presented at
Otterbein’s Great Expectations conference on the logistics, advantages, and
challenges of co-teaching courses in the INST program.
ALLEN REICHERT
Allen was asked to co-chair the OhioLINK User Experience Policy Team.  He was
also elected to the American Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) as a Board
Member at Large.  Additionally, he took a spring sabbatical to undertake research.
8
SPECIAL FOCUS
BIG NEWS FOR THE ARCHIVES
Archivist Stephen Grinch spent most of the
23-24 school year hard at work on an NEH-
SCHC (National Endowment for the
Humanities Sustaining Cultural Heritage
Collections) grant project. This arose out of
our 2019 program review and accompanying
Five-Year Plan, which recommended
compact shelving be installed in the
Archives to allow for continued growth of the
collection. External consultants drew up
plans to renovate the Main Stacks area of
the Archives to be able to hold compact
shelving, and to install a clean-agent fire
suppression system and a new HVAC system
to further protect the collection.
Though technically this project will not end until FY 25, most of the work is completed. At
the end of the grant period in September 2024, the final report and white paper was
submitted to the NEH.  A proposal for an NEH-SCHC implementation grant was then
submitted in January 2025.  This project will cost approximately 1 million dollars, so this
grant is just the beginning of the Archive’s fundraising work.  For more information,
please contact Stephen or Library Director Tiffany Lipstreu.
STUDENT WORKERS PRESENT AT HONORS CELEBRATION DAY
On April 12th, three library student workers presented at Honors Celebration Day.
Megan Caldwell (circulation) presented her research on therapy dogs. Harper Wood
(circulation) presented on representation in books, as well as the first four chapters of
their novel, March on Eventide.  Emma Chapman (research tutor) presented on the
Golden Ratio and the intersection of art and math in creativity. (photos L-R: Megan,
Harper, and Emma)
9
BUILDING UPDATES
Courtright Memorial Library underwent a number of exciting building updates during
the 2023-2024 school year.
Replacement carpeting on all internal stairwells was completed, replacing worn
carpeting and ameliorating trip hazards (pictured above left).
Lighting throughout the library was replaced with LED motion sensor lighting,
completing a project begun by Services in the previous fiscal year. This will allow
the library to conserve electricity and be more environmentally sustainable-which
reduces energy costs and saves the university money.
In preparation for the LSTA-funded study room project spearheaded by librarian
Casey Mazzoli, government documents on the 2nd floor were shifted-and some
deaccessioned-in order to make room for the new study rooms.
The 2nd floor men’s and women’s restrooms underwent renovations to produce  
brighter, more functional restrooms
Key library staff, as well as representatives from Services and Environmental Health
and Safety, conducted an ADA walk-through to identify several improvements that
are now underway.  This will improve visitor safety and make the building more
accessible to all.
Circulation Supervisor Gabby Freshly, in collaboration with the Public Services
committee and the Muslim Student Association, purchased prayer mats for student
use which can be found on the third floor (pictured above right).  Additionally, small
hand-held whiteboards were purchased for student use.
10
FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY
The Friends of the Otterbein University Courtright Memorial Library were hard at work
supporting the library and the university throughout the year.  Pictured above is the
signature Friends event of the year, the Common Book author talk in the library on
October 23rd.  This year’s Common Book is Call Me American, a memoir of growing
up in Somalia, by Abdi Nor Iftin.  He is seen in conversation with Common Book Co-
Chair Colette Masterson.
The major Friends fundraising event of the year is the Otterbein Singers (pictured
below) Benefit concert, which was held on March 17th. This event brought in over
$2000, enough to meet the $25,000 fundraising goal for the Friends’ Belonging
Endowment. This is a noteworthy accomplishment in that it was achieved in one
year of fundraising only, having kicked-off this campaign at the 2024 benefit. Funds
from the Belonging Endowment will allow the library to work towards the university’s
Belonging Plan goals, including funding an OhioLINK DEI Luminaries intern in the
library.
11
For more details, see the Friends of the Otterbein
Courtright Memorial Library LibGuide at:
https://otterbein.libguides.com/friends
COURTRIGHT
MEMORIAL
LIBRARY
WITH GRATITUDE TO
OUR DONORS:
Jerralyn Scott Wood and Dr. Brian J.
Wood, Carmenza Gutierrez, Donna Kerr, 
Gary A. McKenzie and Barbara McKenzie,
Janice M. Eddey, Karla Courtright
Banning and Dr. Jon W. Banning, Sue
Ann Norton and Dennis O. Norton, Dr.
John Volkmar, Dr. Alison H. Prindle and
Dennis Prindle, Robert E. Woodruff,
Robert M. Gatti and Jackie Gatti, Michael
Schor, Lynda Huey, Shaun M. Boening
and Laura M. Boening,         Dr. Marlene
Lansman Deringer, Jane A. Miller,
Elizabeth A. Salt, Rev. Michael W.
Christian and Judy Pohner Christian,
Jean C. Guerin, Barbara Glor Martin,
Alan R. Goff and Coral Harris, Dr. Beth
Rigel Daugherty and Gary Allen
Daugherty, Hon. Dr. Alan E. Norris and
Carol Spohn Norris, Chris Kaiser and
Karen Kaiser, Melissa Jane Fink and
David P. Grimes, Laura J. Moorman,
Kusum Niraula Michael and Amy Murray,
Kristy L. Courtright, Dr. James K. Wagner,
William Merriman, Margaret Lloyd Trent,
Carol Barrett, Robert M. Gatti and Jackie
Gatti, Jane A. Miller, Grant and Susan
Cook, Lois Francis Szudy, Rev. Frederick
D. Glasser, Dr. John Volkmar, Kathleen A.
Butler, David A. Simmons, Dr. Laura Hill
and Nicholas A. Hill, Elizabeth Johnston
Rigdon, Carolyn Swartz Royer, Jessica S.
Palmer
138 W. Main St., Westerville
614-823-1215
library@otterbein.edu
www.otterbein.edu/library
Courtright Memorial Library blueprints (drafted by Charles
Edward Stade & Associates, Park Ridge, IL) on front cover
courtesy of Otterbein University Archives


English

2024 Courtright Memorial Library Annual Report

https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/theatre_dance_gallery/5789/thumbnail.jp

Otterbein Theatre and Dance Department,

Beehive: The \u2760s Musical (2024)

https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/theatre_dance_gallery/5806/thumbnail.jp

Forever Plaid

https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/theatre_dance_gallery/5805/thumbnail.jp

https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/theatre_dance_gallery/5818/thumbnail.jp

Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812

https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/theatre_dance_gallery/5830/thumbnail.jp

The Importance of Being Earnest

https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/theatre_dance_gallery/5804/thumbnail.jp

https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/theatre_dance_gallery/5762/thumbnail.jp

9 to 5 (2024)

https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/theatre_dance_gallery/5766/thumbnail.jp

Otterbein University

Not a member yet

01. Chicago Fish Story

2024 Courtright Memorial Library Annual Report

Beehive: The \u2760s Musical (2024)

Forever Plaid

Forever Plaid

Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812

The Importance of Being Earnest

Forever Plaid

9 to 5 (2024)

9 to 5 (2024)

5,527

13,468