On Thursday, April 16 at Barnes & Noble Bookstore, Prof. Haiwang Yuan from WKU Libraries spoke about his book Tibetan Folktales in the final program in the 2014-2015 season of Far Away Places. Yuan spoke about his 2013 trip to Tibet and the history, food, and culture of the Tibetan people. A book signing followed.
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WKU Libraries is one of several sponsors of this two week series of visiting speakers and documentary films. On Tuesday, March 17 at 4 p.m. at GRH 1074 Professor Luz Maria de la Torre, an indigenous activist and scholar from Otavalo, Ecuador talked about the role of indigenous women in changing ethnic relations in Ecuador. She’s currently a visiting professor and instructor of Quechua at UCLA. A reception followed. She also spoke to classes on campus.
On Wednesday, March 18 in MMTH 166, With My Heart in Yambo, an award winning documentary film directed by Maria Fernandez Restrepo was shown. The film describes how her two brothers were abducted by the police and later murdered more than 25 years ago. The documentary was introduced by Professor Sonia Lenk who had once met the Restrepos at their Quito store prior to the murders.
On Tuesday, March 24 at 4 p.m. at GRH 1074 Xavier Bonilla (aka Bonil), Ecuador’s most famous and controversial political cartoonist, spoke about “Political Humor/Cartoons in an Ecuadorian Context: A Free Press or Censorship.” He does cartoons for numerous periodicals and magazines in Ecuador including El Universo, Ecuador’s largest newspaper. Professor Melissa Stewart provided the translation, which was created by her Spanish Translation class. A reception followed. Bonilla also spoke to classes on campus and did media interviews with English and Spanish language press.
On Tuesday, March 31 at 5 p.m. in MMTH 166, Cesar’s Grill a 2013 documentary film directed by Dario Aguirre was shown. It describes how a vegetarian artist’s son living in Germany gets called back to Ecuador to help his father Cesar with his failing grill restaurant. It was recently nominated as the best documentary film at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. The director prepared a special video introduction especially for this showing at WKU. Professor Fabian Alvarez served as moderator. The film opened in Ecuadorian theaters in April and has awards at several film festivals.
De la Torre Photo Album | Bonilla Photo Album | De La Torre Podcast | Bonilla Podcast
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No, Rosa Parks was never in Glasgow, KY but her defiant and freedom loving spirit was there ten years before her own historic act. It is noted she was not the first person to resist bus segregation and this article from the April 27th, 1944 edition of the Glasgow, (KY) Republican highlights this fact. Lucy Franklin and Enna [Emma] Collins, sisters, who were in their early 30s, were visiting their hometown and grandmother, Harriet Allan in Barren County. Little did they realize, they were also a part of the birth of the Civil Rights movement and “mothers” also of the movement. They refused to move to the back of the bus, “We’ll sit just where we are. We paid our fare same as anyone else.” The newspaper report notes their arrest for this defiant act and that they “missed the bus.” Thankfully, their brave act in our local community finally allowed others to never “miss the bus” again. Lucy and Emma’s act, like many others, “strengthened blacks’ resolve and ability to resist their “second-class” status in the United States. Thus, their efforts in the period during and after the Second World War, aided by the international attention to race brought by that war and the Cold War, led to a modern civil rights movement. [This] would dismantle legally sanctioned segregation and discrimination in public accommodations within two decades. (CIVIL RIGHTS IN AMERICA: RACIAL DESEGREGATION OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS, p.31.)
Find materials about this topic and other subjects in the Department of Library Special Collections by searching TopSCHOLAR andKenCat or request more information from spcol@wku.edu.
Western 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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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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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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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.
WKU Library faculty, staff, and students celebrated Halloween with the annual potluck party and costume competition. The winners of the costume competition are:
Most Traditional – Jennifer Wilson – Minnie Mouse
Best Face Painting – Allison Sircy – broken strings marionette
Most Creative – Bryan Carson – Pimp
Most Original – Glenda White – One Night Stand
Best Cartoon Character – Crystal Bowling – Captain America
Best Book Character – Lesley Montgomery – Mary Poppins
Best Store Bought Costume – Laura Bohuski – Renaissance Lady
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WKU Libraries hosted its second Far Away Places event on October 23 at 7:00 p.m. at Barnes & Noble bookstore titled “Two Scottish Duchesses in the Age of Men” featuring Kathy Callahan. Dr. Callahan is currently Head of the Department of History at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. Her talk focused on the lives and work of two Scottish duchesses, Anne Hamilton, duchess of Hamilton, and Anna Scott, duchess of Buccleuch. The two duchesses were contemporaries in the 17th century Scotland and governed their estates during a time when men customarily handled such affairs.
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In the photographic holdings of the Kentucky Library Research Collections are several early photographic images by C. R. (Clement Reeves) Edwards. He was a photographer, portrait and landscape artist originally from Woodston, New Jersey. He came to Bowling Green in 1857 and opened a photography studio and also offered his services as a portrait painter. This ambrotype is
an example of his fine photography work. Although, the image is not identified, it may be Edwards’s farm and his first wife, Sarah Booth. He died on February 4, 1898.
The fragility of these one-of-a-kind photographs mandated that they be cased. In 1842, Samuel Peck patented a more durable case than the previous leather or wooden ones. These “Union” cases were composed of gutta-percha, an early plastic. They could be molded to hold any surface design and dyed. This Edwards ambrotypes has a “Union” case embossed with an elk and woods scene. Additionally, the Kentucky Museum has 14 oil paintings by Edwards. Ten are portraits including two self-portraits and four are landscapes. For more information about early photographs and their identification and care email spcol@wku.edu Other photographic and illustrative holdings of the Department of Special Collections may be viewed at KenCat at kencat.wku.edu
