Daily Archives: August 2, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Information:  Monday, February 6, 2012
Contact: Jennifer Wilson, 745.6977 or jennifer.wilson1@wku.edu

Friday, February 24 will mark the grand opening for the Richardson Quilt Gallery–WKU’s latest permanent exhibition. The gallery will include two dozen quilts and historic textile samples collected by Elizabeth Richardson and donated by her daughter June McGuyer. “The acquisition of the Richardson Collection enhances the stature of the Museum as a leading Kentucky institution for the study of quilts and quilt making,” said Sandy Staebell, Museum Collections Curator.

Assembled over two decades, the Elizabeth Richardson Collection is a case study of American quilt collecting from the late 1930s through the late 1950s. In addition to the Richardson Collection, the gallery will also feature sixteen Star pattern quilts that were selected from other donors of the Kentucky Museum Quilt Collection. Dedicated to Richardson’s memory, this permanent gallery will offer a rotating selection of quilts and historic textiles.

Vicki Fitch, Executive Director for the Bowling Green Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, says there is a large following for the quilt industry. “Supporters will drive many miles to view a new collection of quilts. It’s their passion,” said Fitch “We are very pleased that Bowling Green can now offer the Richardson Quilt Gallery as an attraction to the state.”

The grand opening will open with a Chamber Ribbon Cutting on Friday, February 24 at 2 pm. Anyone in the community is welcome to attend this event. For more information regarding the quilt gallery, go to wku.edu/museum.

Patron number count in the Educational Resources Center has almost doubled with an 87% increase since it’s relocation to the first floor of Gary Ransdell Hall. “The move to Gary A. Ransdell Hall has made the ERC much more visible and accessible to the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, as well as the larger WKU community. We have seen a tremendous increase in library use. Our circulation figures have risen dramatically, as have our reference and research assistance services. It’s a pleasure to have students, staff, and faculty come into the ERC, wanting to use our facility for study sessions, computer use, meetings, and other group activities. This is what a library should be–a vibrant center of any community. We are absolutely delighted with the response,” said Roxanne Spencer, Associate Professor and Coordinator of the ERC.

The Educational Resources Center offers more than 45,000 practical materials to check out for classroom, special projects, or home use. The collection includes books for youth, titles for teacher education, K-12 textbooks, as well as hundreds of family friendly and instructional videos, and other multimedia resources. Several computer workstations are also available to access WKU Libraries’ research databases, WKU online accounts, the Internet, and for general coursework.