The Courtright Memorial Library is open to students, faculty, staff, and community members – and we serve over 250,000 people per year. Our users describe us as “a place of community that drives innovation in the ways we learn and is the heart of the campus.”

We are proud members of the OPAL, OhioLINK, and SearchOhio consortia, which allows us to provide our users access to hundreds of electronic databases and millions of books, eBooks, and journals. Our collection includes books, music, juvenile, games, DVDs, streaming videos, and many types of equipment such as laptops, cameras, and bikes. The library also houses the university archive, which includes the history of the University and materials on the United Brethren Church, the institution that founded the University in 1847.

The library’s staff members are available to help you succeed here at Otterbein, by helping you find the information you need. Stop by the Customer Service Desk to ask questions or email your Personal Librarian directly. You can also Ask a Librarian via chat, email,  text, or get social with us through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you need assistance finding your way around the library, take a look at our Welcome LibGuide.

Otterbein University Archives

The Otterbein University Archive is our historical repository. It contains the materials that tell the story of the school, including publications, documents, photographs, and historical artifacts. The Archive also contains materials related to the history of the United Brethren Church, which founded Otterbein in 1847, and its successive denominations.

Public Notice Regarding the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Section 106 Review of Otterbein University Plans to Install Compact Shelving in the Courtright Memorial Library

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded the Otterbein University, in Westerville, Ohio, a Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections grant (PF-293430-23). The project will develop a plan to install Compact Shelving at the university’s library to protect and contain the university’s archives.

NEH is an independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. This public notice is issued as part of NEH’s responsibilities under 36 C.F.R. Part 800, the regulations which implement Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended, 54 U.S.C. 306108. NEH, a funding agency, is required by regulation to identify and assess the effects of any proposed actions on historic properties. If any proposed action will have an adverse effect on historic resources, NEH works with the appropriate parties to seek ways to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any adverse effects. Additionally, the Section 106 regulations require NEH to consider the views of the public on preservation issues when making final decisions that affect historic properties.

The Courtright Memorial Library 138 W. Main St., Westerville, OH, 43081, ), which opened to the public in 1972, is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C for its Brutalist architecture. The area of potential effect is limited to building’s footprint. It is not anticipated that there will be a need for any structural changes to the building for this project, but to add shelving units in the same footprint and area which is currently holding the archives.

On November 21, 2024, Abigail Rosenow, Project Reviews Manager for the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), indicated that the project will have no adverse effect. After reviewing Section 106 documentation and SHPO finding, NEH issues a determination of no adverse effects. Should there be any changes that require structural modification to the building, the University will contact NEH and the SHPO to determine if additional review under Section 106 is required.

As required by Section 106, NEH is providing the public with information about this project, as well as an opportunity to comment on any knowledge of, or concerns with, historic properties in the proposed project area, and issues relating to the project’s potential effects on historic properties. Comments may be submitted to the NEH by e-mail to FPO@neh.gov. The deadline for submitting comments is Friday, January 3, 2025.