Diaries and Notes of Esther Annette Close, 1884 - 1990

The first series consists of the diaries and notes of Esther Annette Close. There are three original diaries of Close’s. Daily activities with friends, interactions on the job, and impressions of various campus events are mentioned with varying depth. In particular, Eoline Spaulding, a head cataloguer at Oberlin College Library, President King and Booker T. Washington are all mentioned several times.

Close’s diaries are in fragile condition and were transcribed by Oberlin College student Laura Rose Hisrich for her winter term project of 1990. Hisrich also added numerous photographs of family members mentioned in the journals, as well as other relevant Oberlin people, locations and even clippings. The series concludes with a small notebook of “Library Notes,” which Close created during her years of library work.