Observations and Reflections

The UK Libraries National Advisory Board met October 15. During the morning sessions the board toured The Hub @ William T. Young Library and heard from Associate Dean Stacey Greenwell about plans for improving undergraduate learning environments in The Hub and on the second floor of Young.

Dr. Jim Birchfield, Curator of Rare Books, presented a fascinating and informative talk on some of the unique holdings in Special Collections. He was followed by Associate Dean Mary Beth Thomson who discussed the many facets of UK Libraries collections and the rapid change in how we purchase and access books, e-journals, and databases. Mary Beth also gave the Board an overview of UKnowledge, reviewed the current collections budget situation, and showcased some of the more interesting types of databases and online collections available through UK Libraries.

At lunch in the Boone Center Associate Dean Deirdre Scaggs shared with the Board her experiences while preparing her book manuscript, Two Centuries of Kentucky recipes – and archivist’s cookbook. Following lunch Director of Development Greg Casey gave the Board an update on UK Libraries development activities and later the Board chose the 2013 recipient of the UK Libraries Award for Intellectual Achievement.
UK

UK Libraries National Advisory Board (Front row, Brenda Lampton, Gail Hart, Kathy Johnson, LuAnnette Butler; Second row, John Van Willigen, Foster Pettit, Angela Rice, Sharon Horner, Bess Abell, Sharon Thelin, Anne Ritchie; Third row, Billy Lanter, Harvey Wilkinson, Greg Casey, Terry Birdwhistell, Charles Wethington; not pictured, Martha-Ann Alito, Jonathan Allison, Clay Ford, Marie Hochstrasser, Robert May, Lawrence VanMeter )

We appreciate our Board members for their support of UK Libraries and for taking time out of their busy schedules to participate in the fall meeting.