Author Archives: Susan Broady

by | January 15, 2015 · 8:18 pm

Margie Helm Winners announced at holiday luncheon

The Margie Helm Award winners were recognized at the end of December at the Gondolier during the Libraries holiday luncheon.

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Winners included: John Gottfried, Faculty Award; Amanda Hardin, Staff Award; Sarah Zibart and Katie DeCoursey,Student Award for Library Public Services; Lyndsey Pender, Student Award for Library Special Collections;Kelli Storm, Student Award for Library Technical Services; and Faraway Flix won the Team Award including committee members Shaden Melky (Chair), Uma Doraiswamy, Lisa Miller, Jack Montgomery, Tony Pagnelli, and Jennifer Wilson.

Approximately 80 faculty, staff, and students attended.

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by | January 6, 2015 · 7:12 pm

Glasgow High School receives first WKU Libraries School Library Grant

LAC school grant pictureGlasgow High School was recognized on Monday, December 15 for the first School Library Grant sponsored by the Friends of WKU Libraries. WKU Libraries is offering this new grant to middle or high schools in the region with several different purposes, including improving collections or technology, for professional development funds, to improve students’ research skills, and to offer reading enrichment opportunities.

Kelly Van Zant is the library media specialist at Glasgow High School who wrote the winning application. Library Advisory Council Chair Pat Porter Miller, Library Advisory Council member Joann Jones, Glasgow High Principal Keith Hale, and WKU Libraries Marketing Coordinator Jennifer Wilson surprised Zant with the winning award on Monday by bringing in a giant check to make the announcement.

“The selection committee was impressed with the scope of the proposal which will affect so many students for countless years to come,” said Jones, selection committee member.

According to Zant, the library staff and teachers collaborated to develop a list of current nonfiction titles that will “specifically target the biography section of the library collection based on the needs of AP students; however, all students and teachers will benefit from the additional titles which will be accessible to all in the library.”

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by | December 16, 2014 · 5:16 pm

Katie DeCoursey receives first WKU Library Student Assistant Scholarship

DSC_0277Western Kentucky University senior Katherine “Katie” DeCoursey was recognized last week for being selected as the recipient of the inaugural WKU Library Student Assistant Scholarship. From Hopkinsville, Kentucky, DeCoursey has worked for the Libraries for three years and will be graduating in May 2015 with a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

“Katie has embraced a professional demeanor and work ethic from the beginning of her academic career,” said Doug Wiles, library security coordinator and DeCoursey’s supervisor. “She has maintained exemplary academic performance in a rigorous Communication Disorders program (while working) and has engaged in numerous extracurricular and professional engagement activities in her chosen field.”

Her library duties include working as a Circulation Assistant and as a Stacks Management Assistant, has cross-trained for library security functions, and has assisted with complex projects, such as implementing StackMap (digital search software), installing compact shelving, shifting entire floors of main collections, and relocating Circulation Services during a remodeling project.

DeCoursey was hired the second semester of her freshman year, working winter and summer breaks in addition to the regular academic school year. “I am very proud of my job. The Library has supplied an environment that has helped me grow as a student through my college experience,” said DeCoursey.

The scholarship is sponsored through funding from the Friends of WKU Libraries. For more information on the Friends program, go to wku.edu/library and click on “Support Us.”

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by | December 15, 2014 · 4:32 pm

WKU students receive undergraduate library research awards

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Bowling Green, Kentucky – Western Kentucky University students Elizabeth Howard(Owensboro, Kentucky), Chris Riehl (Louisville, Kentucky), and Frances “Currey” McCullough (Nashville, TN) received undergraduate research awards at a recognition ceremony in Helm Library on Tuesday, December 2. WKU Libraries and WKU University Experience faculty offer the awards in an effort to recognize the important role of good undergraduate research in college academic success.

“Information literacy and library skills are essential for student success at any level, and I am happy to be a part of introducing the importance of college level research skills to our first year students,” said Sara McCaslin, University Experience Coordinator.

Howard, a first-year student representing the College of Health and Human Services, received the award for the subject-specific category from the University Experience class on the main campus. Her annotated resource list is pertaining to a career as a pediatric nurse practitioner. Her instructor was Lynn Hazlett-Sherry.

Riehl, a first-year student majoring in history, received the award for best annotated resource list featuring TED Talk information titled, “Photos that Changed the World.” His instructor was Cort Basham, University Experience 175 on the main campus.

McCullough, a first-year student from the University Experience class at South Campus, was recognized for the best career essay titled, “Exercise Science.” Her instructor was Dr. Anne Heintzman.

Students received a monetary gift along with a plaque honoring their achievements. The winning documents, along with those of past recipients, are posted on TopSCHOLAR–WKU’s research and creative database—at digitalcommons.wku.edu/ueul_award/. For more information, contact Amanda Drost, chair of the Research Award Committee, at 270-745-2962.

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by | December 5, 2014 · 7:57 pm

Recent book publications by DLPS colleagues

 

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The Department of Library Public Services hosted a reception honoring Library Professors Haiwang Yuan and Charles Smith with recently published books. Yuan’s book, Tibetan Folktales, was published in November 2014 by Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC-CLIO,LLC. The collection of folktales provides readers with an extensive overview of the breadth of Tibetan culture, revealing the character of the region and its people as well as their traditional customs and values.  Haiwang Yuan is professor of Library Public Services at Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY. His published works include The Magic Lotus Lantern and Other Tales of the Han Chinese and Princess Peacock: Tales from the Other Peoples of China, both Libraries Unlimited titles, as well as This Is China: the First 5,000 Years and Celebrate Chinese New Year. Yuan holds master’s degrees in history as well as library and information science from Indiana University at Bloomington, IN.

Smith’s book, Dear Sir: Sixty-Nine Years of Alfred Russel Wallace Letters to the Editor, was recently released from Siri Scientific Press, featuring Alfred Russel Wallace, a contemporary of Charles Darwin and known in many circles as the “father” of evolutionary biogeography, and more than 200 of Wallace’s published works. Charles H. Smith, Ph.D., has been studying Wallace’s work for more than thirty years, and has several other books on him to his credit; he also maintains ever expanding research on his website, The Alfred Russel Wallace Page at Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, where he is the Library Faculty for Science and Professor of Library Public Services.

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by | December 4, 2014 · 8:57 pm

Evelyn Thurman Young Readers Book Award

AdamsWKU Libraries hosted the Evelyn Thurman Young Readers Book Award luncheon last Friday, November 21. Author Christa Carpenter and Illustrator Mark Wayne Adams were the recipients of the award for the book Jilli, That’s Silly!  Friends, Library Council members, staff, faculty, and family attended the luncheon which is given annually to recognize an author and illustrator for their work in children’s literature with a Kentucky connection. More than forty people attended the luncheon with a special program featuring WKU Libraries faculty member Lisa Miller who recently did extensive research on Evelyn Thurman, former librarian and donor for the program, and Galen Currington, the man who purchased Evelyn’s Volkswagon bug which was on display at the entrance to the building. On the days leading up to the luncheon, Adams and Carpenter went to several schools offering author/illustrator visits.

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by | · 8:27 pm

SOKY Book Fest partners select finalists for 2015 Kentucky Literary Award

Bowling Green, Ky. –The Southern Kentucky Book Fest partnership announces the five finalists for the 2014 Kentucky Literary Award. This year’s award will go to a work of non-fiction by a Kentucky author or with a significant Kentucky theme that was published in 2013 or 2014. The five finalists include:

The Kentucky Barbecue Book, Wes BerryKentucky Barbecue Book

Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American Heritage, Michael R. Veachky_bourbon_whiskey_final.indd

Mud Creek Medicine: the Life of Eula Hall and the Fight for Appalachia, Kiran BhatrajuMud Creek Medicine

Never Say Die: A Kentucky Colt, the Epsom Derby, and the Rise of the Modern Thoroughbred Industry, James C. Nicholson

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Unbridled Service: Growing Up and Giving Back as a Frontier Nursing Service Courier, 1928-2010, Ann Z. Cockerham

Unbridled Service

The award winner will be announced at the Southern Kentucky Book Fest’s Meet the Authors Reception to be held Friday, April 17–the night before the main Book Fest event. The Kentucky Literary Award is presented annually by the Southern Kentucky Book Fest partnership, and the 2015 award is sponsored by the Friends of WKU Libraries. For more information about the award, contact Kristie Lowry, Book Fest and Literary Outreach Coordinator, at kristie.lowry@wku.edu or 745-4502.

The Southern Kentucky Book Fest is a partnership of Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Warren County Public Library, and Western Kentucky University Libraries. For more information, visit sokybookfest.org.

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by | December 3, 2014 · 7:49 pm

WKU Special Collections Department Head Jonathan Jeffrey receives the 2014 Kentucky History Award at ceremony in Frankfort

Jeffrey History AwardProfessor Jonathan Jeffrey, department head for Library Special Collections and coordinator for Manuscripts & Folklife Archives, recently was awarded the 2014 Kentucky History Award in Frankfort, Kentucky for his efforts on the JFK Memory Project. The Kentucky Historical Society sponsors this program to recognize outstanding achievements by individuals and organizations throughout the commonwealth. Jeffrey was recognized during the Kentucky History Awards ceremony on Friday, November 7, at the Old State Capitol in downtown Frankfort.

The JFK Memory Project, organized and led by Jeffrey, was a special effort to collect people’s memories of two events: John F. Kennedy’s campaign visit to Bowling Green in October 1960 and his assassination on November 22, 1963. During a five-month period, Jeffrey encouraged anyone to forward their remembrances to the Manuscripts & Folklife Archives unit of WKU Libraries for permanent retention with intent to capture a clearer picture of his local visit and to demonstrate how national/international events affect people at the local level.  As a result, 130 responses were compiled, including numerous emails, 27 photographs, 14 personal interviews, news clippings, and various campaign paraphernalia. Materials are available through WKU’s digital archives, TopSCHOLAR.

Jeffrey, a native of Texas, has been at Western Kentucky University Department of Library Special Collections since 1990. He has published numerous popular and scholarly articles and mongraphs related to local history, architecture, women’s history, the Shakers, and the history of the Commonwealth’s libraries. His most recent book is Stock Car Racing in Bowling Green. He has served on numerous boards for Kentucky historical organizations, and has been recognized with various awards, including the Historical Confederation of Kentucky’s Award of Distinction, WKU’s Outstanding Public Service Award, and WKU’s Jefferson Award for Public Service.

 

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by | November 21, 2014 · 10:30 pm

Veterans Display in Cravens Library

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This year, we have been fortunate to have an abundance of loaned items for the Veterans Display. A multitude of veterans and family members of veterans have been kind enough to loan these items to us. People that loaned items range from our very own WKU students and staff members to veterans living in Kentucky and Tennessee. We were also lucky enough to have members of a D.A.V. chapter in Tennessee loan items. Tonya Archey, Military Student Services Director, was very helpful in reaching out to veterans in our WKU community.

The items on display range from pictures to full uniforms. There are two uniforms on display, both from the Air Force. One is a set of Enlisted Service Dress and Blues, and the other is a Flight Duty Suit with helmet and gloves. The helmet even has a COMs unit and oxygen hook-up attached. From the Navy, there is a White Dixie Cup Sailor Cap, which is sitting in front of a picture of the U.S.S George Washington (CVN-73) aircraft carrier. The picture, and accompanying certificate of appreciation, was given to WKU for care packages that were gathered and sent out to the carrier. There is also a lower face flight shield and a flight sleeve from serving as Nato Flight Security at Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan.

The display contains items from different conflicts and periods. One item on display is a painting of a very old photo of a Civil War soldier; the owner still has the original negative on a tin plate. There are also photos of a WWII soldier, a Marine from the Vietnam War, and an Army soldier from the Vietnam War. The latter has several pictures from training camp and from home before being deployed. There is also a book from training at Fort Campbell for the US Army, Company A, 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade from the Vietnam War era. This amazing book is filled with pictures of soldiers training, as well as pictures of the soldiers similar to how a high school yearbook is setup.

Beyond pictures, there are also many medals and other items. One shadow box has several medals earned by a Marine in the Vietnam War. Near that is a Purple Heart with accompanying ribbon that was given to a Vietnam veteran, a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary medal given to a Marine Corps veteran, a Task Force Longrifles award for excellence, and a 1st Battalion, 61st Infantry Regiment award for excellence. There is also a D.A.V., Disabled American Veterans, member cap, and two flags in cases. One flag was carried into battle during Operation Iraqi Freedom by the USAF, United States Air Force.

The display is located on the 5th floor of Cravens Library. Items in the display will be available for viewing until Dec. 12th.

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by | November 18, 2014 · 10:16 pm

WKU Libraries participates in Kentucky Building 75th Anniversary Cellebration

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Faculty, staff, students and community members joined together Friday, November 14, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Kentucky Building. President Ransdell spoke of the significance of the Kentucky Building over the years and the direction the board plans to take the Museum in the future. Library Special Collections Department Head Jonathan Jeffrey gave a brief history of the building, including original intentions in design, funding sources, and time frame to completion as well as Dr. Cherry’s sentiments. Professor Jeffrey concluded with naming several recent acquisitions that were donated to the Special Collections, including (getting info from Jonathan). Cake, punch, and tours of the building were given at the end of the program.

Some recent acquisitions:

These speeches by Dr. Gary Ransdell are representative of the one and a half cubic feet of speeches that were transferred to WKU Archives in 2014.  WKU Archives holds approximately 350 cubic feet of WKU President’s Office papers dating from 1906-present. WKU Archives

This model bayonet was issued to US soldiers fighting in World War I and was based on a bayonet first produced by the British.  It is one of three weapons recently donated to the Kentucky Museum by Thomas Redford, a 1951 graduate of WKU.  Today, the weapons collection includes 200 plus firearms, edged weapons, and accessory items.  Donated by Thomas Redford. Kentucky Museum

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The Sears Family papers contain a large copy book (1850-1870) used by Chauncey Sears, a Shaker from Mt. Lebanon, New York.  Opened is a manuscript hymnal commenced by Polly Ann Smith in 1848; she and Chauncey later married and moved to Ohio.  This collection also includes several loose hymns that Polly intended to enter into the hymnal.  The papers also include genealogy related to the Sears family and some correspondence.  Donated by Drs. Karl & Beth Laves. Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

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Josephus, Flavius.  Phlabiou Iōsēpou Hierosolymitou hiereōs Ta euriskomena…  Coloniae:  Sumptibus Mauritii Georgii Weidmanni, 1691.  Anonmyous donation. Kentucky Library Research Collections

(A history of the Jewish nation after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD by Flavius Josephus;  parallel texts in Latin and Greek)

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