Cartoon Research Library (Ohio State University)

Logo for Cartoon Research Library (Ohio State University)
The Cartoon Research Library was established in 1977 in two converted classrooms in the Journalism Building with the founding gift of the Milton Caniff Collection. Its collections of original art and manuscripts have been built primarily through gifts-in-kind. The largest single donation to date is the Robert Roy Metz Collection of 83,034 original cartoons by 113 cartoonists, appraised at $9.1 million and donated by United Media in 1992. The Cartoon Research Library is now the largest and most comprehensive academic research facility documenting printed cartoon art. Administratively it is part of Ohio State University Libraries.


Strengths:
Current holdings include more than: 250,000 original cartoons; 34,500 books; 1,000 serial titles; 2,800 linear feet of manuscript materials; and 2.5 million comic strip clippings and tear sheets. Collection highlights include a unique collections of original art and manuscript materials including among others, the Nick Anderson Collection, the Jim Borgman Collection, the Eldon Dedini Collection, the Edwina Dumm Collection, the Will Eisner Collection, the Woody Gelman Collection of Winsor McCay cartoons, the Walt Kelly Collection, the Toni Mendez Collection, and the Bill Watterson Deposit Collection; archival professional records including the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, National Cartoonists Society, Newspaper Features Council, and Cartoonists Guild; a biographical registry of cartoonists containing files for more than 5,000 cartoonists and clipping files organized by cartoon-related subjects; the San Francisco Academy of Comic Art Collection, acquired from its director, Bill Black beard, in 1998. This gives the library the largest collection of newspaper comic strip tear sheets and clippings in the world. Search the on-line finding aid at Guide to the San Francisco Academy of Comic Art Collection; en extensive collection of Japanese comics known as manga searchable at The Ohio State University Manga Website.
Location:
tel: 614.292.0538 fax: 614.292.9101 email: cartoons@osu.edu