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Ohio University Libraries
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Athens, OH 45701

University Libraries welcomes back alumni with annual Homecoming display

Mimi Calhoun
October 16, 2023

Ohio University Libraries staff was pleased to have many returning alumni visit the annual Homecoming Week display with historic materials from the Libraries’ Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections. The display took place on Alden Library’s fourth floor with archival materials such as yearbooks, photographs, scrapbooks and much more.

The beloved button-making station took place outside of Alden’s fourth floor near the Wolfe Garden. Participants were able to create their own souvenir button out of upcycled yearbooks and magazines to remember the weekend. Both activities are meant to bring past and present students together and back to the Libraries through some classic OHIO school spirit.

Check out photos from the event by Charlie Nick / Ohio University Libraries below:

 

A sign reading UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES HOMECOMING DISPLAY stands in front of a table full of books
The University Archives’ signage at the Homecoming event held at Alden Library on October 7, 2023. The Libraries displayed publications and memorabilia of the past for alumni and current students to explore. Items on display included handbooks, publications, pamphlets and much more for visitors to look through.

 

Three college students peruse antique-looking books and magazines spread out on a table
Joseph Balliett, OHIO class of 2023 with a bachelor’s in history, and his friends browse through University Archives’ publications at the Libraries’ Homecoming display held at Alden Library. Balliett came back to the Libraries because it was always one of his favorite spots on campus.

“I saw that they were having this archives display, and of course as a history graduate, I had to come see it,” Balliett said. “[I was] just kind of walking around, seeing what I used to do, and got lucky.”

 

A young man and a young woman hold up buttons created from archival materials
Brandon Saraniti, OHIO class of 2023 with a master’s in geography, and Iana Byrd, an OHIO senior studying biology, showcase their buttons made at the button-making station outside Alden’s fourth floor near Wolfe Garden. One thing that Saraniti remembers the most about the Libraries is watching the seasons change from the windows.

“I’d be able to be right there and see the leaves just going down and everything,” Saraniti said. “It's just one of those picturesque places, I think in all of Ohio, so it's just nice to be back.”

 

A man in a winter jacket, as well as two people with their backs to the camera, peruse books spread out on a table
Jermaine Spivey, OHIO alum, peruses upcycled yearbook and magazines at the button-making station outside Alden Library. Spivey mentioned remembering the Libraries as a quiet place for one to go to focus in on work and utilize all that it has to offer.

“This is where you can go and get resources. They [the Libraries’ staff] can help you find what you need to find if you can’t find it.”

 

A person in Ohio University spirit apparel pages through a magazine
Emily Wilkins, OHIO class of 2002 and 2004, searches through items at the button-making station to look for the perfect design. As a double OHIO alum with a bachelor’s of journalism and a master’s of education, Wilkins is no stranger to the Libraries.

“I spent a lot of time here both in undergraduate and graduate school, a lot of time in the stacks way up high doing research” Wilkins said.