Dr. Kay K. Clopton

We are so happy to share that Dr. Kay Clopton, University Libraries’ Mary P. Key Diversity Resident for Cultural Diversity Inquiry at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum has accepted a new tenure-track faculty position at The Ohio State University Libraries as Humanities and Social Sciences Librarian.

Kay joined University Libraries in 2018 as a Mary P. Key Diversity Resident. In her role at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, she was responsible for helping BICLM diversify its collections,  as well as surfacing and promoting multicultural holdings. She inventoried and processed manga-related materials to make them accessible, and engaged students with these materials in a number of undergraduate classes. She was also actively involved with the First-and Second-Year Transformational Experience Programs introducing students to special collections. In addition to teaching, she facilitated tours for students, faculty, guests and the general public. Kay’s expertise in manga and her passion for Archie comics inspired her to create two lively virtual Curator Talks for The Ohio State University Libraries YouTube channel during the 2020 quarantine.  In 2021, Kay co-curated the exhibit Dark Laughter: The Life and Times of Ollie Harrington with Jenny Robb for the BICLM galleries.

Kay will serve as liaison to the Departments of History, Philosophy and Anthropology and will also support portions of the Glenn College of Public Policy. Kay will establish programmatic approaches to build partnerships and deliver Libraries’ resources and services to a wide variety of students, faculty and staff in the Ohio State academic community and beyond. She will employ her understanding of new technologies and research methodologies to advance and deepen research support and strategically advance teaching and learning initiatives aimed at student success.

While we are so sad to no longer have Kay in-house at the Billy Ireland, we are thrilled that she is moving from a temporary position to a permanent one, and that we will be able to continue to call upon her expertise and enthusiasm from the other side of the ‘The Oval’ for future collaborations.

Kay’s appointment begins on January 3, 2022.