Deborah and Fritz Dolak J. R. R. Tolkien collection

Fritz Dolak was born to Frank and Barbara Dolak on March 27, 1946 in Cleveland Ohio. He studied music at the Cleveland Institute of Music and graduated in 1968. He served in the United States Air Force from 1968-1972. Following his military service, Fritz continued his study of music at Ball State University earning a MusM in 1974 and ArtsD in 1979. One year later, on May 18, 1980 (the day Mt. St. Helens erupted), he and Deborah Ann Perry were married. Fritz's interest in music eventually led him to pursue a profession as a librarian specializing in audiovisual resources and intellectual property issues. He received a Masters of Library Science (MLS) degree from Ball State University in 1985 and returned to his alma mater in 1990 to serve as Head of Educational Resources (1990-1997) and Copyright and Digital Resources Librarian (1998-2004). Fritz currently serves as Copyright and Intellectual Property Manager of the University Copyright Office and Special Assistant to the Dean. In that position he acts as Ball State University's clearinghouse for answers related to intellectual property and copyright, and is the designated DMCA Copyright Agent to the U.S. Copyright Office.

Fritz first read The Hobbit in 1969 at the insistence of his roommate while serving in the United States Air Force.The Hobbit was soon followed by The Lord of the Rings trilogy and his interest in all things Tolkien was sealed. Since that time, Fritz has anxiously awaited the release of new Tolkien works, such as the Silmarillion in 1977, and adaptations of those works including Ralph Bakshi’s animated movie in 1978. Fritz and Deborah began collecting Tolkien memorabilia, new editions of Tolkien’s writings, and publications developing Tolkien’s stories several months before the release of the New Line Cinema adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring in December 2001. They are confident that this collection will be a beneficial resource for those interested in in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien and hope that researchers and Tolkien fans will take full advantage of access to the collection.