| Streamline your searches: |
| Topper InfoPortal |
| Navigate the pages: |
| Department Home |
| About the Ky Library |
| RPW Library |
| Directions to Ky Lib. |
| History of KY Building |
| Ky Lib. Collections |
| Library Hours |
| Phone Numbers |
| Who's Who in Ky Lib. |
The Kentucky Library collects printed materials about Kentucky. Included are approximately 70,000 volumes pertaining to: Mammoth Cave and other caves; religious denominations (including the Shakers); state, county, and town histories; biographies; travelers' accounts; geological survey reports; state documents; 19th century children's books; genealogical compilations; and a wide variety of other subjects. Rare books and periodicals of subjects other than Kentucky are also a part of the collection. For access to these books and periodicals see TOPCAT 2000.
The Kentucky Library also houses non-book materials: maps, photographs,
postcards,
engravings, newspapers, broadsides,
sheet music, hymnals, scrapbooks, phonograph records, and ephemera.
These non-book items are not listed on TOPCAT 2000. Consult the
library's card catalog or indexes and ask for assistance.
Appointments are not necessary unless you have special research needs. Class visits must be scheduled in advance. Hours may vary during holidays, semester breaks, and summer semesters.
Unless their fragility prohibits, most items in the Kentucky Library may be photocopied. Photocopies cost ten cents. The rate for WKU faculty, staff, and students is five cents. To arrange for publication quality reproductions, consult a member of the staff.
Part of the Kentucky Building, the Kentucky Library is conveniently located in Bowling Green, Kentucky on the campus of Western Kentucky University. To find it on the map, look here. Traveling Southbound: From I-65 South, take exit 28 to Bowling Green. Follow 31-W South and Highway 68-80 (Adams St.) to Western Kentucky University. Just past 14th Street, look for the directional sign to the Kentucky Museum and turn left at the traffic island and proceed down Kentucky Street. There are visitor parking lots on the left and right. The Kentucky Building is 5.5 miles from exit 28. Traveling Northbound: From I-65 North, take exit 20 to the William H. Natcher Parkway (formerly the Green River Parkway). Take exit 4 and turn right onto 31-W (There is a sign for Western Kentucky University). Take 31-W to University Boulevard and turn left. Follow this street to the Kentucky Building. There is visitor parking on the left and right. The Kentucky Building is four miles from exit 4.
The
Kentucky Library
The Kentucky Building Western Kentucky University 1 Big Red Way Bowling Green, KY 42101-3576
|
(270)
745-5083 or email The Kentucky Building was established by Western Kentucky University's first President, Henry Hardin Cherry "to preserve Kentucky's history and heritage." Over 4,000 Kentuckians provided financial support to begin construction of the Kentucky Building in 1931. After a temporary delay caused by the difficulties of the Depression, the facility opened in 1939 as a permanent home for the growing collection of Kentucky materials and artifacts. In 1976, the Commonwealth of Kentucky provided $3.1 million to remodel and expand the facilities, doubling the size 80,000 square feet and making it accessible to physically challenged visitors.
The Kentucky Building houses the Kentucky Museum, Kentucky Library, Manuscripts and Folklife Archives and University Archives. These areas contain thousands of artifacts, rare books, maps, photographs, genealogical materials, unpublished letters, journals, and family and political papers. This unique partnership of museum and library resources provides researchers, scholars, and visitors with a broad-based overview of Kentucky's history, culture, and people.
Find out about The Kentucky Building staff by visiting the department's organization chart.
 Departmental
Office ............. |
270-745-6258 |
| Education
Curator ............... |
270-745-6082 |
| Fax
............................. |
270-745-4878 |
| Folklife
Archives ............... |
270-745-6434 |
| Kentucky
Library Reference ...... |
270-745-5083 |
| Kentucky
Museum ................. |
270-745-2592 |
| Lobby
Desk ...................... |
270-745-2592 |
| Manuscripts
..................... |
270-745-6434 |
| Museum
Store .................... |
270-745-6080 |
| Special
Events Coordinator ...... |
270-745-5263 |
| University
Archives ............. |
270-745-4793 |
To locate phone numbers of individuals use the Online WKU Faculty/Staff Directory.
| Site Index | Site Map | Suggestion Box |