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WKU
Libraries Received Dictionary of National Biography
by
Brian Coutts
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In
October 2004 University Libraries received its largest and
most expensive set of reference works, the Dictionary of National
Biography. Published by Oxford University Press in 60 volumes,
the DNB includes an illustrated collection of 50,000 specially
written biographies of men and women who shaped British history
from the fourth century B.C. to the end of the twentieth century.
Excluding only living people, it includes remarkable and notorious
individuals from all walks of life who left their mark on
history for any reason, good, bad or bizarre. In managing
this enormous project the DNB’s subjects were divided
into one of twelve research areas according to theme and chronology,
each supervised by a consultant editor. Two additional consultants,
one for women and one for the 10,000 portraits, worked across
all areas of the DNB. The end product of 62 million words
from 10,000 contributors was published September 23. Charles
Smith, a Professor in the Department of Library Public Services
contributed an article on Alfred Russel Wallace.
The collection
can be accessed in the Helm Reference Area at: DA28 .O94x
2004
WKU
Libraries is a charter subscriber to ACLS History E-Book (HEB)
Project
by Brian
Coutts
WKU
Libraries is a charter subscriber to the American Council
of Learned Societies History E-Book (HEB)Project. The project
was launched in September 2002 with access to 500 books of
high quality selected by historians in the fields of American,
Asian, European, and Middle Eastern history, and the history
of technology. The project has doubled in less than two years
and now includes almost 1000 titles. Plans are to include
forthcoming books in Latin American and African history. The
project has received a $3 million grant from the Mellon Foundation
and hopes to achieve self-sustainability by 2006. Among the
several goals of the project are to encourage historians to
plan and write e-books and to encourage scholarly presses
to experiment with electronic publishing. While current volumes
include primarily scanned versions of print titles--future
titles will include some published only in e-format. This
is an excellent resource for faculty teaching off campus or
web-based courses or as an alternative to placing titles on
reserve.
Check
out the complete list of titles from our e-book page at http://www.wku.edu/library/ejrnloff.htm
Kentucky
Museum Acquires War Memorabilia
By
Sandy Staebell
In
October 2004, WKU alumnus Donald Greulich donated several
souvenirs that his father Cyril acquired while serving in
Europe during World War II. They include a commemorative cup
from Leipzig, Germany, a wooden shoe and a German sword. Perhaps
the most fascinating items are several artillery shell casings
that have been transformed into ashtrays and a table lamp.
The latter is particularly interesting as the top layer of
casing has been partially removed to create a leaf design
with a saw tooth border, and the words “ENGLAND FRANCE
LUXEMBOURG BELGIUM HOLLAND GERMANY 1944/1945” are engraved
on it as well. Such memorabilia is evidence of what remained
after the war and the enterprise that some Europeans showed
to earn money by making wartime souvenirs to sell to American
soldiers.
Recent
Manuscript Acquisitions
by Pat
Hodges
Did
you ever keep an autograph book? Many of us did when we were
youngsters. Autograph books have been compiled through the
years by individuals of varying ages and who were engaged
in various endeavors. This includes Kentucky state senator
Ishmael I. Smith of Barren County, who asked his fellow senators
in April 1882 to write a short entry or pen their signatures
in his book. The senator from District 32 wrote: “With
high regards for the great temperance reformer of the senate,
who knows how to distinguish the music of the wind from the
shock of the kick. I subscribe myself your fan.” Gift
of Dr. Douglas Fugate.
James
M. Ingram was a molder of the Bowling Green architectural
scene from 1929 until his retirement in 1960. Do you live
in one of the houses that he designed? Jill Breit, a Folk
Studies student, spent the spring of 2004 studying Ingram
houses, chiefly built in the 1930s and 1940s. Her documentation,
including many photographs, has been placed among our holdings.
Gift of Jill Breit.
A
product of WKU’s ROTC program, Jerry Blankenship, in
his letters to his Bowling Green parents, describes military
life statewide as well as his time in Vietnam during 1967
and 1968. After arriving in Vietnam, Blankenship, an helicopter
pilot, who was involved chiefly in transporting supplies,
writes: “Before, I had never flown more than 3 hours
a day or so and only rarely that. I was dreading, just a little,
flying from 5 to 8 hours a day, every day, the way we do here.
But, surprisingly, it’s not especially tiring at all.”
Gift of Verda and Jerry Blankenship.
Would
you like one or more photos of the Iraqi War happenings and
individuals stationed there? Among the photos that have been
donated, Myra Fishburn, a WKU grad from Bowling Green and
a member of the U.S. Army Band, provided a compact disc containing
nearly 2,000 pictures, depicting recreational activities as
well as war scenes during the summer of 2004. There are also
some letters, e-mail and ground, that she sent to her family
and friends. Gift of Sylvia Fishburn.
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World
War II letters that contain any information other than “that
all is well and hope all is with you” are unique, as
the letters were censored for any data that might assist the
enemy in case the mail was intercepted. Coye Godby of Pulaski
County, Kentucky, joined the U.S. Army in 1941 and served
on the European Front. In a July 7, 1944 letter, Godby writes:
“Somewhere in France, Where all could be peace and contentment.
an American soldier lies in a foxhole, there is a lull in
the fierce battle that has been raging. During this lull this
doughboy’s thoughts wander back to his home in the good
old U.S.A.” Gift of Patty and Sarah Canon.
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