Ruth Bryan speaks at Kentucky Association of Teachers of History

Ruth Bryan

Ruth Bryan, director of Technical Services and university archivist in the Special Collections Research Center, gave a workshop on “Meaning in the Spaces: Archivists' Impact on the Historical Record” at the annual meeting of the Kentucky Association of Teachers of History on October 3, 2015. The meeting took place at the Owensboro Community and Technical College in Owensboro, Kentucky. Workshop participants explored the role archivists play in selecting, describing, and making accessible historical records.

Kopana Terry speaks on newspaper digitization

Kopana Terry

Kopana Terry, oral history archivist and historic newspapers curator in the Special Collections Research Center, presented on a panel on newspaper digitization October 8, 2015. The panel, sponsored by Lyrasis, included three experts discussing the past, present, and future of newspaper digitization projects. Topics included: selecting content, copyright, paper versus film, scanning, vendor selection, software platforms, metadata, promotion, fundraising, and participation in statewide programs.

Kopana presented along with John Herbert of Lyrasis and Shelia Rabun of the University of Oregon.

Keith Barbour receives Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Award

Keith Barbour

Keith Barbour, evening technician at the Medical Center Library, received a Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Award from the University of Kentucky Alumni Association on October 2, 2015. The award recognizes Keith as a respected team member with an outstanding customer service focus. Keith has worked at the MCL since December 2009. 

From Keith’s nomination: “[h]e consistently goes above and beyond to help patrons with their information needs, treating everyone with respect and professionalism while remaining extremely friendly and welcoming…[h]e excels in training the student workers, ensuring that they provide exceptional customer service, as well as keeping up morale.”

Congratulations, Keith.

Dr. Doug Boyd visits Australia to speak on oral history

Dr. Doug Boyd
(Photo courtesy National Library of Australia.)

Dr. Doug Boyd, Director of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, delivered the keynote address at the National Conference of Oral History Australia in Perth, Australia, on September 9, 2015.  Dr. Boyd spoke on “Play, Record, Pause: How Technology is Changing the Practice and Purpose of Oral History,” and highlighted the Nunn Center’s experience developing OHMS (the Oral History Metadata Synchronizer) to enhance access to online oral history. 

Also while in Australia, Dr. Boyd lectured at the National Library of Australia in Canberra, as well as for Oral History New South Wales in Sydney.  

New book features writing, photography from UK Libraries faculty

Row by Row: Talking with Kentucky Gardeners chronicles the stories of gardeners across the state of Kentucky as they work to produce food from the land. 

The new book from Ohio University Press is written by former UK Libraries archivist Kate Black. Kate served as the curator of the UK Libraries Appalachian Collection from 1986 until her retirement in 2013. 

The photos in the richly-illustrated book are by Deirdre Scaggs, UK Libraries Associate Dean for the Special Collections Research Center. The Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History transcribed many of the interviews and serves as the archival repository for the collection.

More about the book is available on the website of Ohio University Press.

Special Collections Research Center highlighted in "Manuscripts on My Mind"

The September 2015 edition of Manuscripts on My Mind: News from the Vatican Film Library featured an image of a rare medieval manuscript held in the UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center Rare Book collection. The periodical is published in electronic format by by St. Louis University Libraries. The article featuring the image is by Dr. Scott Gwara, Professor of English at the University of South Carolina. The featured image is an illustration of a "bloody chalice" from MS Kentuckiensis IX “Hours of René ’Anglures and Catherine de Bouzey." It is similar to a chalice depicted in the manuscript Book of Hours from northeastern France that was sold at auction this past summer. 

An image taken from the UK Libraries collection