Category Archives: Events

On the afternoon of May 9, 2011, WKU Libraries gave Dr. Mike Binder, Special Assistant to the Provost and former Dean of Libraries, a reception for all he has done in the past 25 and a half years. Among the gifts was a memorabilia scrapbook photos. On behalf of Interim Dean Connie Foster and the employees of the WKU Libraries, Brian Coutts, Head of Department of Library Public Service, made a speech thanking Dr. Binder for his services and initiatives.

Photo Album

Sam Sing Price List

The Kentucky Library & Museum recently accessioned an interesting account book related to a Chinese laundry in Bowling Green.  The ledger, written in English, contains a few pages of customer accounts kept for Sam Sing, the operator of a laundry here in the 1880s.  At the back of the notebook is a small printed form which lists the types of work Sam Sing performed in his hand laundry and the corresponding prices for those services. We know nothing else about Sam Sing.  To view the finding aid for this collection click here.

In the late-nineteenth century United States, the occupation of laundry worker was heavily identified with Chinese Americans. Discrimination, language barriers, and lack of capital kept Chinese Americans from most available occupations.  Around 1900, one-fourth of all ethnic Chinese men in the United States worked in a laundry.  “Laundry work,” wrote one historian, “was especially wearisome, because it meant the soaking, scrubbing, and ironing of clothing solely by hand; moreover, prompt and high quality service was necessary to keep customers satisfied. Workers in laundries…received the going wage of twenty-five dollars per month, and despite long hours the work-week was seven days.  For the majority of the Chinese, then, the daily routine was almost solely working, eating, and sleeping. There were few other occupations available to Chinese.”

We do know of at least one other Chinese launderer that lived in Bowling Green, and unfortunately he met a tragic fate.  Kee Shuck operated a laundry on College Street.  He was murdered with a pair of scissors on May 30, 1896.  The culprit was never found, although the operator of a rival Chinese laundry was a prime suspect.  With no local family Kee Shuck was buried in an unmarked grave in Fairview Cemetery.  The Kentucky Library & Museum owns his city-issued burial permit.  His cause of death is listed as “murder” and his color “yellow.”  For more information on Bowling Green history, check out TopSCHOLAR and KenCat.

In the News: Osama bin Laden
Free Salem Reference of Current Interest

by Peter W. Tobey, Salem Press

Osama bin Laden’s death returns us to the subject of September 11, 2001 in a number of ways. But the events of that day, the personalities, frustrations, and cultural clashes involved are far from straightforward. And the repercussions are, of course, far-reaching.

Salem Press has published a great deal on the history, biographies, religious and cultural backgrounds of terrorism. Perhaps most significantly, Salem has brought libraries two critical works by the Schlager Group covering the original source documents (plus analysis) of works by both George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden.

Free Relevant News
We’ve selected these and two other articles on this subject (from four different reference works) because we feel your patrons and students may find them informative. You may download them freely, print as many copies of these articles as you need, and distribute them any way you’d like.

“George W. Bush’s Address to the Nation on September 11, 2001: The Full Text & Analysis” (1,186 and 4,920 words) from Milestone Documents in American History

“Osama bin Laden’s Declaration of Jihad against Americans: The Full Text & Analysis” (2,322 and 5,048 words) from Milestone Documents in World History

Salem also has published a brief, helpful biography of Osama bin Laden and an overview of the war on terrorism. See links to these articles below:

“Osama bin Laden” (1,682 words) from Great Lives from History: The 20th Century

“The War on Terror” (4,656 words) from Weapons & Warfare

Complimentary Downloads
To download these articles click on In the News.

In 2010 a project was initiated to  digitize WKU theses and dissertations for the period 1994-2009. These theses were stored in University Archives awaiting microfilming, however with the changes in technology, the decision was made to secure funding for digitization instead.   In June 2010 the funding was secured.  The theses were checked against the microfilm and a few additional theses going back to 1935 were found that had not been microfilmed.  Each theses was checked for student permissions and a page count was compiled.  28 boxes containing 759 theses were shipped to North Carolina to be digitized.  A jpg file was created of each page and a pdf file was created of each theses.  The originals and a hard drive returned to WKU in late March 2011.  From April 5 – 26, 2011 the theses were uploaded onto TopScholar and links were created from the library catalog TopCat to assist researchers in accessing them.  They are available by department and also at Masters Theses & Specialists Projects.

At the final  Java City Concert,  singer/songwriter/WKU employee entertained the crowd Sean Giddings entertained the crowd with his thoughtful lyrics and sophisticated song stylings.

On the afternoon of April 28, 2011, WKU hosted a dedication for the Gary A. Ransdell Hall, home of the College of Education and Behavioral Science as well as the WKU Libraries’ Educational Resources Center (ERC). To celebrate the dedication, ERC featured several fine arts and had the honor of being visited by their creators.

Photo Album