OSU and U-M libraries collaborate with online exhibits ANN ARBOR—Curators from libraries at the University of Michigan have joined forces with their counterparts at Ohio State University (OSU) to develop two online exhibits highlighting both the athletic rivalry and the academic collaboration between the institutions. The big football game between the two universities is Saturday at OSU. Staff at U-M’s Bentley Historical Library and Ohio State’s archives staff have created an exhibit of the history of the rivalry and traditions between these Big Ten schools. Highlights include historical statistics, programs and photographs from early games, and facts on coaches, stadiums and teams. The site also includes little-known information on players, mascots and marching bands. “By combining our collections, University of Michigan archivist Greg Kinney and I have been able to create an exhibit that recognizes the excellence of both the football teams and the materials that we have in the archives,” said Tamar Chute, associate university archivist at OSU. “We could never have done this alone.” The academic collaboration is demonstrated in exhibits from U-M’s Special Collections Library—part of the University Library system—and Ohio State’s Rare Books and Manuscripts Division. Each library highlights rare and unusual items from their collections that originated in the other state. “Ohio at Michigan,” created by the Michigan curators, includes such items as a railroad guide printed in Columbus in 1854 and a photograph of the steamship Spokane, the "the first steel-hulled vessel to travel the Great Lakes" being launched in Cleveland in 1886. “Michigan at Ohio,” from the Ohio State curators, features historical maps and images from the state of Michigan. “This has been a great opportunity for Kathleen Dow and me to collaborate with our colleague Geoff Smith at Ohio State,” said Peggy Daub, who oversees U-M’s Special Collections Library. “We both have strong collections but there are many ways in which our libraries supplement each other.” Although famous for their athletic rivalries, OSU and U-M cooperate and complement each other in many areas in the academic arena, including library holdings and services. Both are prestigious research libraries with Michigan’s holdings approaching 8 million volumes campus wide and Ohio State’s collection close to 6 million volumes. Both are listed among the top 25 public universities nationwide in the annual rankings of U.S. News & World Report and both are the premier universities in their respective states. Related links: Exhibit page > U-M / OSU exhibit > Ohio State libraries > U-M Special Collections > Bentley Historical Library >