The Jennifer Fisher Nancy Drew Collection was curated for over 20 years from the late 1990s to 2019 when it was donated to Toledo Lucas County Public Library for their downtown Main Library location at 325 N. Michigan Street. The collection, consisting of over 5000 pieces, comprises Nancy Drew books, collectibles, ephemera and historical documents which all work together to tell a story about Nancy Drew as a pop culture icon and a truly American treasure for the masses. The many puzzle pieces in this collection work to provide the story of how Nancy Drew came to be created, her publishing history, and how the many books and collectibles were conceived, advertised and remain collectible to nostalia seekers.

Why Toledo? Carolyn Keene! The original Carolyn Keene, ghostwriter Mildred Wirt Benson, lived for decades in Toledo and wrote some of her twenty-three Nancy Drew books there. The library has a nice variety of collectible items related to Benson including her NASA application for Journalist in Space, awards, flight logs from her flying days and a set of all the 135 published books and series she wrote from the 1920s to the 1950s. United for Libraries honored Benson with a Literary Landmark and the plaque hangs right outside the collection room. The library also has a replica of the Nancy Drew art for The Secret of the Old Clock as part of their fantastic Mystery Wall, an Old Clock diorama of Nancy Drew on the end of an aisle, and the original cover artwork for the 1931 Nancy Drew book, The Secret at Shadow Ranch, by illustrator Russell H. Tandy. A set of prints by artist Laura Ruby inspired by many of the classic Nancy Drew books was also donated to the library and the UK cover for The Mystery of the Tolling Bell was donated by collector Jim McNamara and hangs in the Mystery Room. Other Russell H. Tandy paintings are on loan by collector Mike Gauwitz and rotate throughout the year. Foreign editions collector Lea Fox also donated some Nancy Drew foreign editions to the collection.

This collection is ever-evolving as there are some items still missing from it - and collector and expert Jennifer Fisher is always on the case seeking more elusive and scarce items missing from the collection. Soon there will be more a more detailed guide to all things Nancy Drew in the collection, a finding aid, digitizing and more. For now you can view specific items in the Rare Book Room at the library or see some of the collection on display in the Mystery Room located on the second floor in the children's department. If you have a rare, scarce, or historical Nancy Drew item and would like to donate it to the collection, please contact Jennifer at nancydrewsleuth@aol.com. The goal is to make this collection as complete as possible - there's nothing like it in the world and it's like a Nancy Drew Museum for fans and collectors as well as scholars and those seeking research materials.

There are several essays at the Nancy Drew Sleuth Blog on the donation and the story behind donating it plus news articles and TV interviews you can view at these links:

-Curating a Nancy Drew Collection - The Jennifer Fisher Nancy Drew Collection
-The Jennifer Fisher Collection at the Toledo Public Library
-The Nancy Drew Donation Dilemma - The Jennifer Fisher Nancy Drew Collection
-Mysterious Life of a Nancy Drew Collector
-A Nancy Drew Mystery Story - The Mystery of the Library Collection
-The Nancy Drew Convention is Back - Grandopening of the Jennifer Fisher Nancy Drew Collection
-Nancy Drew Fans Find Their Literary Utopia...

Below are some images taken of the collection and also the Nancy Drew diorama plus the Mystery Wall and clues hunt that's located near the collection. Click on the images to view larger ones.