|
Kentucky Library
| The
Kentucky Building
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY |
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About
the Kentucky Library
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.
Please
allow time for your research as Kentucky Library &
Museum holdings do not circulate. Please refer to the
Harrison-Baird
Reading Room policies for additional useful information
concerning your visit.
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Kentucky
Library Hours
| Monday
- Saturday |
9:00
a.m. - 4:00 pm. |
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.
Fall
2009 Holiday Hours
(270)
745-5083 or send an email to Klmref@wku.edu.
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Services
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.
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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.
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Who's Who in the Kentucky Library
Special
Collections Librarian
Specialist
in Kentucky History
Library
Assistant
To
locate phone numbers of individuals use the Online
WKU Faculty/Staff Directory.
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Contact Us
The
Kentucky Library
The Kentucky Building
Western Kentucky University
1 Big Red Way
Bowling Green, KY 42101-3576
phone:
270-745-5083 fax:
270-745-6264
email
.
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History
of The Kentucky Building
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.
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Who's
Who in Library Special Collections
Find
out about The Kentucky Building staff by visiting the
department's organization chart.
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Library
Special Collections Phone Numbers |