ANN ARBOR—Clashes between Wolverines and Buckeyes are nothing new. Dating back to the early 1800s, Michigan Territory and the State of Ohio fought for three decades over the proper boundary line between them.

For the past century, instead of armed militia and politicians skirmishing over the boundary line, college students in football uniforms have battled mightily over a line of scrimmage, seeking victory in an annual event simply called “The Game.”

On Nov. 22, the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State University Buckeyes will meet in Ann Arbor for their 100th football game, a tradition rated as “the greatest sports rivalry” by an ESPN poll. See http://espn.go.com/endofcentury/s/other/bestrivalries.html

In honor of the game, curators from the University of Michigan have joined forces with their counterparts at Ohio State to develop online exhibits highlighting both the athletic rivalry and the academic collaboration between the two institutions.

Focusing on the athletic rivalry, archivists at the Bentley Historical Library of U-M and the Ohio State University Archives have created an online exhibit comparing the two schools’ football programs side-by-side, including historical statistics, photographs from early games, and Web pages about the intense coaching match-ups between Bo and Woody, the stadiums known as “The Big House” and “The Horseshoe,” and the schools’ All-Americans and Heisman Trophy winners.

The Web site also includes little-known information on players, mascots, marching bands, and a comparison over 100 years of post-game articles in OSU and U-M student and alumni publications. The homepage for the joint site is at:

www.lib.ohio-state.edu/arvweb/OSUvsMichigan/osuvsmichigan.htm

But rivalry isn’t the whole story. These institutions also cooperate and collaborate closely in many academic areas. This side of their relationship is demonstrated in exhibits from the University of Michigan’s Special Collections Library and Ohio State’s Rare Books and Manuscripts Division.

These exhibits highlight rare and unusual items each institution owns which 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 a steamship being launched in Cleveland in 1886. “Michigan at Ohio,” from the Ohio State curators, features historical maps and images of Michigan. The linked exhibits can be found at: www.lib.umich.edu/spec-coll/ohio-mich/

The University of Michigan and Ohio State University are each 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. Their prestigious research libraries are among the largest in the country, with Michigan’s holdings approaching 8 million volumes and Ohio State’s collection numbering close to 6 million volumes.

For additional information, visit the Web sites at Ohio State University www.lib.ohio-state.edu/libs/index.php and the University of Michigan www.lib.umich.edu/spec-coll/ and www.umich.edu/~bhl/ phone or
To contact the exhibit curators:

• Greg Kinney, Bentley Historical Library, U-M: phone — (734) 764-3482; or e-mail gkinney@umich.edu

• Tamar Chute, Ohio State University Archives: phone — (614) 292-3271; or e-mail chute.6@osu.edu

• Peggy Daub, U-M Special Collections Library: phone — (734) 764-9377; or e-mail pdaub@umich.edu.