WKU Libraries Blog

Jessica Hopper

My name is Jessica Hopper and my major is History with a minor in Library Media Education. During the spring 2016 semester I began an internship at WKU’s Library Special Collections. My internship has given me new insights into how different departments within the library operate and what I might expect in my future library career.  I would absolutely recommend a similar internship to any WKU student; it has given me plenty of hands-on experience that I can use in future classes and employment. Not only does a student get to work in an environment similar to a potential library position, they are also acquiring skills essential for future employment such as use of the collections management software Past Perfect. In addition to gaining work experience, I received a $500 scholarship which is named for long-time Special Collections professor Connie Mills.

During my internship I worked in Library Special Collections’ three units: Manuscripts & Folklife Archives, WKU Archives, and Kentucky Library Research Collections (KLRC). While in Manuscripts I worked on a collection of World War II letters that were written by a sergeant stationed at Fort Knox to his beloved fiancé and future wife. I read each letter and jotted down important information that the letter contained in order to describe the collection in Past Perfect. In the WKU Archives I worked on a collection that contained documents that were still unorganized. I arranged, foldered, and boxed the material by date for permanent storage. The last department that I worked in was the KLRC, in which I focused on newspapers. I organized boxes of newspapers published in the Bowling Green area in order to provide better access for the library’s staff and patrons.  I created a spreadsheet listing the titles and dates, which can eventually be used to complete the processing of that collection.

While working in the different units, I learned how each type of document is preserved. Most of the smaller documents are kept in acid-free folders to prevent further damage. Once a collection has multiple folders it is then placed in boxes that will keep the collection together. Bigger items, such as posters, are kept in mapcases so that they can be laid flat in order to keep their shape and prevent creases and tears. Newspapers are also kept flat and in oversized boxes for the same reasons. I was not aware of these preservation techniques prior to my internship. I value the information I have learned as it will be a very important when seeking future employment.  As far as future classes, my internship has increased my skills in researching and utilizing primary source material.

Connie Mills

The Connie Mills Special Collections Internship allows an undergraduate student to have a working, hands-on experience in the Department of Library Special Collections (DLSC) at Western Kentucky University. Emphasis is placed on processing projects within the department. Interns are given an orientation to all three departmental units. The fund honors Constance Ann Mills (1944-2013), who spent twenty-five years employed in WKU’s Library Special Collections. Information about the internship can be provided to students by contacting Jonathan Jeffrey, the Department Head for Special Collections at 270-745-5265 or jonathan.jeffrey@wku.edu

Western Kentucky University is pleased to bring Dr. Carlos De La Torre, Professor of Sociology at the University of Kentucky, to present “Assessing Left Wing Populism in Latin America” as part of the Tracing the Unexplored: Populism in the Americas series. Dr. De La Torre will be speaking at the Faculty House on the Bowling Green campus, Monday, April 11 at 4:30 pm.

Dr. Del La Torre is the former director of the International Studies at the University of Kentucky and former director of Political Students and Ph.D. program at FLACSO-Ecuador. His presentation examines why Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Evo Morales in Bolivia, and Rafael Correa in Ecuador were elected, the similarities and differences in their regimes, and the challenges of personalism.

In its ninth year, Tracing the Unexsplored series was born in the Department of Modern Languages and brings important issues of the Hispanic world to Bowling Green and the WKU campus community.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. De La Torre on campus,” said Dr. Sonia Lenk, WKU associate professor of Spanish. “His knowledge about populism will inform WKU and the community about a predominant political strategy seen in Latin America and to a lesser extent in the US.”

This series is sponsored by the Department of Modern Languages, WKU Libraries, the Department of Political Science, the Department of Sociology, the School of Journalism & Broadcasting & the Office of International Programs.

WKU Libraries was part of a university-wide effort to thank its employees for giving back to WKU. Heather McWhorter, director of Leadership Annual Giving, organized the multi-campus effort to thank employees who are giving financially to WKU as well as answer any questions for others who might be interested in learning more about the iamWKU program. According to McWhorter, the program is simple in concept; anyone who gives financially at any amount becomes a part of the iamWKU program. It’s a way to show support of WKU and to thank those who are showing support. The Ambassadors for WKU Libraries are Amanda Drost and Jennifer Wilson. For more information, contact the Ambassadors or Heather McWhorter at 270-745-3257.  

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