WKU Archives

100,000+ photos, 17,000+ digitized in KenCat
2500+ cubic feet of paper records
450+ collection inventories in TopScholar
10,000+ digitized items in TopScholar
275+ videos on YouTube
Read our Out of the Box newsletter. 
WKU Thesis Digitization Project 

Building Histories
Collection Inventories
Genealogy
Hilltopper Heritage
KenCat 
Newspapers
Online Exhibits

• Cherry Statue Time Capsule
• Education
• Finding Our Way: Maps & Mapmaking
• Gemini Jazz Bands
• Get on the Bus: 40 Years of Political Activism
• Historic Schools of Warren County, Kentucky
• Playing Our Song: Southern Kentucky Notes
• P.S. I Love You: Hilltoppers Quartet
• Something Called Horsepower: History of Transportation
• Training School / College High
• WKU Centennial
• WKU Founders Day
• WKU Royalty

Photograph Collection
Research Strategies
Subjects
Western Kentucky University by Lowell Harrison
WKU Timeline
Yearbooks
Site Index

Bibliographic Instruction
Evening Hours - schedule an evening class
Faculty List
Hands-on Learning
On-demand Instruction
Records Management

• Transfer Departmental Records
• Request to Destroy Records Form

Research Strategies
Weekend Hours - schedule a weekend class
Western Kentucky University by Lowell Harrison
Site Index

Basic Reference - Ask a Question
Internships
Services & Fees
Student employment - no current vacancies
Volunteer Opportunities

Architectural Plans, Renderings, Blueprints
Books
Film/Video Recordings
Images
Maps 
Memorabilia
Newspapers
Oral Histories
Other Formats - see first column
Paper
Sound Recordings
Yearbooks

Collection Inventory - Description of the records housed in a particular record group. 

KenCat - an abbreviation for Kentucky Catalog of Online Collections. A searchable database that includes a wide variety of descriptions of books, manuscripts, photographs and objects housed in Library Special Collections and the Kentucky Museum. These materials do not circulate.  kencat.wku.edu 

One-Search Library Catalog - name for the WKU Libraries consolidated search engine which gives users results across nearly all library collections with a relevant-ranked list similar to a Google search. www.wku.edu/library 

Provenance – creator(s) and circumstances under which records were originally created. 

Record Group – a collection of records that share the same provenance and are of a convenient size for administration.  In WKU Archives record groups align with offices, colleges and departments.

Record Series – basic unit for organizing and controlling files. A group of files or documents kept together (either physically or intellectually) because they relate to a particular subject or function or result from the same activity.  Examples: Subject Files, Correspondence, Construction Files

Research Guide – Research guides created by subject librarians, archivists and museum curators regarding available resources on a particular subject.

See specifically WKU Archives for pre-programmed links on a variety of topics related to the history of WKU, faculty, staff, students and alumni. http://libguides.wku.edu/wkuarchives

TopScholar - name for the WKU Institutional Repository.  TopSCHOLAR is a University-wide, centralized digital storehouse dedicated to scholarly research, creative activity and other full-text learning resources that merit enduring and archival value and permanent access. There you will find full-text documents such as theses, dissertations and articles, class lectures, audio and video files. digitalcommons.wku.edu 

WKU Archives section contains full-text historical documents, oversized photographs, maps, audio and video files as well as collection inventories.  digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua/

WKU Archives serves the university's historical, administrative, legal and records management needs by overseeing permanent records created by and about Western Kentucky University. WKU Archives also functions as the collective memory of the institution by preserving materials produced by faculty, staff, students and alumni.  Holdings include but are not limited to administrative records, newspapers, minutes, departmental files, university publications, photographs, memorabilia and audiovisual materials.

WKU Archives is open to all researchers interested in the history of WKU, its founding institutions, employees and students.  For full access to materials visit us in the Harrison-Baird Reading Room located on the second floor of the Kentucky Building.  Researchers are invited to request information via mail, email and telephone.  In order to provide the best care for our collections our stacks are secure and items non-circulating.  Please assist us by following the reading room policies. Click here to submit a reference request via e-mail or write to us. 

We are happy to assist you during your visit and all researchers are encouraged to consult with the archivist prior to their visit in order to maximize research time. 

Read our Out of the Box newsletter. 

Do you have these items? - WKU Archives Wish List
Tell us about Your Discovery in the WKU Archives