Award-winning author and 1967 alumna, Sharon Creech has donated an extensive collection of books to the Hiram College Library. In total, the collection includes 114 copies in English and a variety of other languages.
Although many of the titles donated to the College’s library are written by Creech, two are biographies. Sharon Creech by Alice B. McGinty includes Creech’s reflections on her time at Hiram, where she took a writing class that inspired her to become a novelist.
“Books and libraries have been such a central force in my life—like air and water, they have fueled me. I need them,” said Creech. “I am excited about the renovations to the Hiram Library and am deeply honored that my own works will find such a good home there. Perhaps someone(s) will pull one of my books from the shelf and find sustenance and inspiration therein, just as I did with the books of others when I was a student at Hiram.”
Before beginning her writing career, the Euclid, Ohio native taught English for fifteen years in England and Switzerland. Creech has written twenty-one books for young people and is published in over twenty languages. Her books have received awards in both the United States and abroad, including the Newbery Medal for Walk Two Moons, the Newbery Honor for The Wanderer, and Great Britain’s Carnegie Medal for Ruby Holler.
“We are thrilled to offer such a diverse collection of Creech’s books for our readers,” said Janet Vogel, director of the Hiram College Library. “Our campus community stretches far and wide, and our alumni are generous contributors to the student experience. This collection allows us to highlight the tremendous accomplishments of one of Hiram’s own, while also providing students with access to high-quality children’s literature for classes, student teaching experiences, and pleasure.”
Since its founding in 1900, the Hiram College Library has continually evolved to meet the changing research needs of Hiram’s students, faculty, and the surrounding community. Recent renovations to the first floor continue this evolution by welcoming in a new Learning and Technology Collaborative aimed at bringing together members of the College and community to interact, engage in peer-to-peer tutoring, learn about new apps, and schedule walk-in appointments with professional advisors or career specialists. Creech’s collection will be displayed in the newly renovated space.
