Author, Researcher Supports WVU Libraries

Dr. Thomas Ofcansky logged thousands of frequent-flyer miles in writing his several books, but he’s also spent countless hours poring through books, files, and databases at libraries around the globe.

“I couldn’t do serious research without access to a good library,” Ofcansky said. “A good library is the heart of a university. Without a good library, a university might as well close up shop.”

His start at studying Africa came with the Africa collection built by former libraries dean Dr. Robert Munn. Ofcansky recalls spending countless hours in the Charles C. Wise, Jr. Library surrounded by high piles of books and jotting copious notes on 3X5 index cards. Ofcansky also became a regular user of Interlibrary Loan while at WVU. “The library always processed requests and got the materials I needed. There are very, very few items I was unable to get,” he said.

WVU President David C. Hardesty (right) admires the restoration work in the James V. and Ann Pozega Milano Reading Room. He's joined by Libraries Dean Frances O'Brien, Associate Dean Myra N. Lowe, and Dr. Jacqueline Swansinger, who is serving as an American Council on Education Fellow serving at WVU this academic year. The Wise Library reopened at the start of the spring semester.

Twenty years later, those note cards still fill a few dozen file drawers in his office. And he’s proud to say he’s currently writing an article based on research he did while a student at WVU.

“The library always processed requests and got the materials I needed. There are very, very few items I was unable to get,” he said.

Twenty years later, those note cards still fill a few dozen file drawers in his office. And he’s proud to say he’s currently writing an article based on research he did while a student at WVU.

It took a few minutes for Ofcansky to find his bearings during his visit to campus.

A bright five-floor library filled with books and computers now occupies part of the front lawn of Wise Library. The library and the 10 floors of stacks he remembers are currently being renovated.

Ofcansky was impressed with the new Downtown Campus Library but admitted that he still uses a fountain pen and legal pad and misses rummaging through the dank, dark stacks for books.

“Young ones coming up today are from a completely different world
Their main focus is technology, and probably rummaging through the stacks is one of the last things they’d want to do,” Ofcansky said. “The library has to move with the times, and I think the new building is a reflection of that.”

Ex Libris is published quarterly by the WVU Libraries
P.O. Box 6069 Morgantown WV 26506-6069
www.libraries.wvu.edu
(304) 293-4040