From Woody's Couch

Written by Riley Heald

Back in the 1970s, patrons found help from the University Libraries in the traditional analog manner: Books, journals and periodicals were the go-to resources for research and other information requests.

But it was also a decade in which dedicated librarians like Libraries administrator Irene B. Hoadley and Reference Librarian Richard Centing found creative ways to scratch the itch for information.

Hoadley was an influential figure in the University libraries in the 1970s: During her time at Ohio State, she was associate professor, assistant director for administrative services, head of the library budget, and a member of the University Library Publications Committee. Between 1970-1972, as member of that committee, Hoadley initiated the start of many new library publications.

One example: “Women are Human,” which ran from 1972-1978 and was offered for free to anyone with a campus address. This publication was an information guide that included “materials in the OSU libraries about, for, and by women.” Listings included abstracts of potentially helpful Libraries acquisitions for research, such as the 1970 book “Women’s Liberation and the church,” by Sarah Bentley Dooly (September 1972 issue).

Each issue also listed groups and workshops hosted by the University’s Office of Women’s Services, and upcoming courses offered by the Department of Women’s Studies. Issues even included tips, such as “Did you know that there is no law in the state of Ohio that requires a woman to adopt her husband’s surname?” which went on to provide an address to which women could write for a fact sheet on the matter (January-February 1975 issue).

In 1970, a few years before the first issue of “Women are Human,” Centing began “Under the Sign of Pisces.” It was published quarterly and ran from 1970-1974. The collection includes an index of the periodical. The newsletter’s sole focus was Anais Nin, a popular writer in the 1970s. Nin was well known for her diaries, and she wrote novels, short stories, critical studies, essays, and erotica. This publication included correspondence between Nin and other writers, reviews of her work, and updates on her career.

According to an edition of “Serials Review” from 1978, Centing began “Under the Sign of Pisces” after reading one of Nin’s first works and meeting with her in New York City in 1967. Centing was an administrative assistant and then a reference librarian for The Ohio State University Libraries who, according to his personnel file, had interests in mass cultural movements and collecting underground newspapers. In “Under the Sign of Pisces,” Centing said, he was able to combine his personal interests with completing the requirements for earning tenure. In recommendations for his tenure, other professionals referred not only to his exceptional performance as a reference librarian but also the impact of “Under the Sign of Pisces” in the academic and cultural space. Centing became an influential figure in research on Nin and wrote the forward for a book, “Mirror and the Garden,” which compiled criticisms on Anais Nin and her work.